July 12, 2021 (updated March 17, 2022)
This was originally sent as an email on behalf of Ted Patterson, Co-chair Ministry of Health, and Dr. Anthon Meyer, Co-chair, Doctors of BC.
Visit the Nurse Practitioner Infrastructure Funding webpage for updated information.
Dear Division of Family Practice Physician Leads and Executive Directors,
As many of you are aware, a number of divisions include nurse practitioners as members. Those divisions have found great benefit in this approach, reporting that NPs play an important role by providing perspectives and experiences that support the development of team-based care, a critical part of primary care transformation. Until now, those divisions have been paying the additional costs of NP membership themselves.
We are pleased to announce that, moving forward, the BC Ministry of Health will fund infrastructure costs for all divisions who have brought, or are interested in bringing, nurse practitioners into their organizations. This funding is not coming from the Physician Master Agreement, it is coming from the BC government.
FPSC values the incredible work of divisions and family physicians. We hope that you will consider whether this option is right for you at this time. Team-based care is a core element of the patient medical home. As we make shifts in the way we practice, it can be beneficial to provide opportunities for a team-based care approach to be reflected in the way we do our planning at the division level, with diverse voices at the table that reflect the views and perspectives of different team members.
Kind regards,
Ted Patterson
Co-chair, Ministry of Health
Dr Anthon Meyer
Co-chair, Doctors of BC
For more information, please refer to the Nurse Practitioner Infrastructure Funding Q&A.