A human resources crisis in Fort St. John and the departure of several physicians were the impetus for change, bringing together the North Peace Division of Family Practice and the community to explore new ways to attract doctors to the region and improve patient access to care. A proactive division, along with community support and existing infrastructure (a new, purpose-built medical clinic with space for integrated health care professionals) provided the right mix of ingredients for the introduction of a blended, population-based funding model.
Doctors have been piloting the new model for more than a year now, with success. The shift from a solely fee-for-service model to the new, blended funding model has helped with physician recruitment and patient access and is setting the stage for expanded integrated health care teams. It has also been well-accepted by the community and physicians.
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“From a provider point of view it’s been a great success. It’s been a very enjoyable way to work for different doctors at different stages in their careers. It’s been well-accepted by the residents. This time last year we had an IMG join us, and he’s been very happy with the way of working under the new system. And this year we’ve actually been able to recruit three of our four R2s that are graduating this year, and three out of four are staying in the community in the large part because of the funding model.”
— Dr Richard Moody, North Peace Division of Family Practice