NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2008HSERV0103-001780 Nov. 20, 2008	Ministry of Health Services BC Medical Association
PHYSICIAN INCENTIVES SUPPORT DOCTORS, BENEFIT PATIENTS

VICTORIA – British Columbia is making progress in its work to renew primary health care, according to the 2007-2008 annual report of the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC), a joint committee of the Province and the BC Medical Association, Health Services Minister George Abbott announced today.

 

            “Over the past year, we have continued to work closely with physicians across the province to ensure they have access to the resources and supports necessary to improve patient health outcomes and to increase their own level of professional satisfaction,” said Abbott. “This is a great example of the positive impact that our partnership with the BCMA has on strengthening primary health care in this province.”

 

The GPSC was formed in 2002 as the result of a Province of B.C. and BC Medical Association agreement to work with general practitioners to address challenges facing family practice in B.C. This mandate was renewed, and the 2007 Physician Master Agreement allocated more than $400 million to better support community-level patient care in communities around the province. The GPSC provides B.C. physicians with the opportunity to participate in a number of incentive programs that support patients with chronic disease, train physicians for the uptake of obstetric and maternity care and aim to increase the number of medical graduates entering medical practice.

 

“GPSC programs and incentives support the key role general practitioners play in communities across this province to provide the best medical care to their patients,” said Dr. Bill Mackie, president of the BC Medical Association. “More and more physicians are using GPSC resources and accessing the tools they need to improve efficiency and increase the level of care for their complex care patients.”

 

Highlights of the annual report include:

 

o      56 physicians have been recruited into family practices in underserved communities across the province;

o      More than 92,000 British Columbians have received personal action plans to help reduce their cardiovascular risks, or to better manager their complex chronic disease or mental health problems;

o      Since May 2007, approximately 3,500 physicians and medical office assistants have enrolled in training to improve patient access and care; and

o      A survey of BCMA members shows 84 per cent of general practitioners surveyed have used some of the GPSC program offerings or fees and 66 per cent reported that new programs and fees have helped improve their professional satisfaction.

 

The 2007-2008 GPSC annual report is available on the reports and publications section of the Ministry of Health Services website at www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/index.html.

 

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Contact:

Bernadette Murphy Media Relations Manager Ministry of Health Services 250 952-1887 (media line) 250 213-9590 (cell)

Sharon Shore Senior Manager of Communications BC Medical Association 604 638-2832 604 306-1866 (pager)

 

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