Image: Dr. Darren Joneson / Dr. Darren Joneson, a Chilliwack GP and owner of Spectrum Medical at 6640 Vedder Road, is pictured with one of his adorable little patients. Dr. Joneson has been named President-elect of BC Family Doctors, an advocacy group that works to highlight the needs of family doctors and their patients.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Dr. Darren Joneson

Chilliwack physician who advocated for change named President-elect of BC Family Doctors

May 29, 2024 | 9:33 AM

CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack general practitioner Dr. Darren Joneson hasn’t been afraid to speak up on behalf of family doctors and the longitudinal practices they maintain.

Dr. Joneson, the owner of Spectrum Medical at 6640 Vedder Road in Sardis, had been an outspoken catalyst in Chilliwack for the overhaul of the previous remuneration model in which B.C. family doctors were compensated on a per-patient basis, but not the administrative tasks for which they often spend countless hours.

It’s fitting, then, that an advocate for change within B.C.’s medical system has been elected President-elect of BC Family Doctors, an advocacy group established in 1989 that highlights the needs of family physicians and their patients.

Dr. Joneson, a married father of three who lives here in Chilliwack and was the team doctor for the Chilliwack Chiefs in 2022-23, will spend the next year as president-elect before becoming president in 2025-26. It’s a three-year commitment that culminates in a one-year position as past president. He hopes to tackle several priorities over the next three years.

“I would like to spend the next three years trying to bridge the gap between physician well-being and patient care,” said Dr. Joneson. “I believe firmly that our financial systems need to incentivize and reflect the needs of our communities, patients and physicians. There have been some major leaps forward in the past couple of years, specifically with the LFP (Longitudinal Family Practice) payment model. I think that some further tweaks could further improve the care we as family physicians are able to provide.”

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In November 2022, the B.C. government announced that family doctors in the province would see a significant raise in their model as part of a plan to address the crisis in the health care system. Dr. Joneson advocated for family physicians who were being overburdened, and frankly burned out, by the load of administrative tasks. He advocated consistently to the point that he met with both MLAs for Chilliwack, Dan Coulter and Kelli Paddon.

“If the model is actually delivered as announced today, I am very optimistic and hopeful for the future of primary care in B.C.,” Dr. Joneson wrote in an email in October 2022. “This announcement shows that grassroots advocacy and collaboration can improve the lives of patients in BC. I express gratitude for those in BC Healthcare Matters, BC Family Doctors for Patient Care, BC Family Doctors, and Doctors of BC for their advocacy in these crucial issues.”

Family doctors still have to cover things like building rent or leases, medical office assistant and staff salaries, annual licensing fees in the thousands of dollars, electronic medical record costs where applicable, continuing medical education initiatives as required, and other overhead, not to mention any lingering medical school debt.

One in five BC residents don’t have a family doctor and the new compensation model introduced in 2023 aims to recruit and retain more family doctors.

The new master agreement that was developed between the Doctors of BC, the province and BC Family Doctors took effect in February 2023.

In addition to pay increases, the government says the funds will also cover income disparities and new hourly premiums for after-hours services.

Writing on X/Twitter and directing his comments to Health Minister Adrian Dix, Dr. Joneson said on October 31, 2022: “I must give credit where credit is due. Thank you for listening. Thanks Kelli Paddon and Dan Coulter for listening to me in person as well. This is a very encouraging day today.”