B.C. announces new payment model for family doctors

The B.C. government has announced a new payment model for family doctors that officials hope will help address some of the trouble attracting and retaining physicians in the province.

The B.C. government has announced a new payment model for family doctors that officials hope will help address some of the trouble attracting and retaining physicians in the province.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said the new model will be presented as an optional alternative for family doctors, who are now largely compensated based on the number of services provided, and be available beginning in February.

The alternative moves away from that "fee-for-service" system, and will see physicians paid based on the time they spend with patients, the number of patient visits, the number of patients in their practice and the medical complexity of those patients, officials said.

"It would give family doctors a more equitable payment option, one that better recognizes their value in providing primary care," Dix said at a news conference Monday morning. "Importantly, it will help maintain their business autonomy, giving them more flexibility to create the kind of practice that works for them – and most importantly, for their patients."

A full-time doctor will receive about $385,000 per year under the new model, up from $250,000 currently, according to the province.

The new payment model was developed in partnership with Doctors of B.C. and is being delivered through a three-year tentative physician master agreement, which comes with a total incremental cost increase of $708 million by the end of the third year.

That master agreement must be ratified by physicians before it can come into effect.