Image: Supplied by Dr. Darren Joneson / Dr. Darren Joneson of Chilliwack.

By Marcus Gordon

Family doctors

Chilliwack physician welcomes B.C. government cash infusion of $118 million for family doctor clinics, stresses need for systemic reform

Aug 25, 2022 | 9:57 AM

CHILLIWACK — The B.C. government calls it stabilization funding. Chilliwack physician and outspoken family doctor advocate Dr. Darren Joneson is just hopeful that it leads to better patient care and less stress for physicians on the front line.

The Ministry of Health and Doctors of B.C. announced Wednesday (Aug. 24) they are providing $118 million in stabilization funding to family doctors throughout British Columbia to help them ensure their patients have continued access to primary care services.

Jointly developed in partnership with Doctors of BC, the funding is part of an expansion of B.C.’s primary care strategy, which includes the development of a new compensation model that will be announced this fall.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Joneson, who met with Chilliwack MLA Dan Coulter on Tuesday. “It shows that on some level the government is listening to the patients and physicians. I hope that this is an acknowledgement that physicians are much more economical with their overhead than health authorities.”

What isn’t clear is how this $118 million cash infusion will incentivize general practitioners to see more patients in a day, or move patients away from the less desirable walk-in clinic model to established practices.

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The funding comprises $75 million from the Ministry of Health and $43 million from the General Practices Services Committee, a collaborative committee co-chaired by the Ministry of Health and Doctors of B.C. that was established through the physician master agreement. This short-term funding will be for four months, from Oct. 1, 2022 to Jan. 31, 2023, and will support family doctors and medical clinics with their operational business costs. It is part of a multi-phased approach to help protect and improve B.C.’s health-care system.

Dr. Joneson, who runs Spectrum Medical at 6640 Vedder Road, urges caution because the funding is only temporary and may not sufficiently address systemic issues within the primary care system.

“That being said, it only buys a little time,” Dr. Joneson said. “If there is not significant improvement in the primary care system including acknowledging family physicians as specialists in primary care, simplification of the fee guide which also properly values physician time and incentivizes the needs of our communities then we will be in the same place or worse come next year. Our patients and civic leaders are shouting loud and clear that we need family doctors working in collaboration with nurse practitioners, mental health workers and other allied healthcare staff to provide wrap around supports, especially for vulnerable patients. So I commend Mr. [Adrian] Dix for this step, I hope it is the first of many and I hope it leads to better patient care and less stress for physicians.”

The funding is available to family doctors who provide ongoing services to their patients and who pay overhead costs. As well, primary care clinics, including walk-in clinics, that commit to remaining open and maintaining consistent clinic hours can apply for funding on behalf of the clinic and doctors working in it.

Approximately 3,480 family doctors who have their own practices and 1,100 family doctors working in walk-in clinics are expected to receive funding. That represents more than 70 per cent of family doctors working in the province.

“Ensuring British Columbians get the ongoing primary care they need means supporting B.C.’s family doctors in the ways that help them provide the quality care patients rely on,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Rising operational costs are affecting their ability to provide patient care, and we’ve been working closely with Doctors of B.C. to find solutions. This interim stabilization funding to family doctors is a key action in supporting their care to patients as we work to finalize a long-term solution this fall.”

The Province and Doctors of BC continue to collaborate to achieve a new physician master agreement and a new compensation model for longitudinal family physicians, both of which are expected to be announced in the fall. While discussions are underway, general agreements have been reached on key components of the new payment model, including the time spent by family physicians providing primary care services, patient encounters, complexity and attachment.

The Ministry of Health is also developing measures to support and improve access to primary care, including improving recruitment and retention of health-care providers and providing additional resources to increase training capacity.

“This is an important first step to help doctors keep their practices open for patients over a four-month period until we have a longer-term solution to the very real problems in primary care,” said Dr. Ramneek Dosanjh, president of Doctors of BC. “There is still hard work ahead of us to achieve a new payment model that recognizes the pressures of rising business costs and that recognizes the value of family physicians and the time and complexity of providing longitudinal patient care. We want to ensure that everyone has a family doctor who can provide them with the quality care they need and deserve.”