BC doctors want improvements in IT, other areas

VICTORIA – A province-wide consultation with physicians – family doctors and specialists – has provided insight in their views on the current challenges in the healthcare system and their insights into solutions. The Doctors of BC engagement, which took place summer 2022, invited feedback through discussion groups and on the Have Your Say online platform.

The resounding theme in The Future of Primary Care: Doctors of BC Member Engagement 2022 is that physicians want and need to feel valued for the central role they play in their patients health journey, something most feel is lacking in today’s healthcare environment.

The focus of the engagement was to focus on solutions. Doctors of BC has created a one-page summary of the recurring comments that emerged, which include:

• Pay family doctors fairly and equitably for their work and time, and offset the rising business costs involved in providing longitudinal care.
• Offer optional, flexible, and simple payment options through improvements to fee for service with time modifiers and/or updated contracts.
• Reduce administrative tasks and forms.
• Increase access to locums.
• Increase supports for team-based care.
• Improve family physician and specialist collaboration.
• Modernize and centralize electronic medical records (EMRs).

Input from the engagement has been critical in shaping the direction and outcome of discussions with government toward a new payment model option for family physicians, which is expected to be announced soon. Over the longer term, the feedback will continue to shape the association’s strategic policy, decisions, and actions to address ongoing challenges in our healthcare system.

Doctors of BC thanks everyone who participated in this engagement for their eloquent and passionate contribution and for being courageous in sharing their stories and lived experiences.