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News and Updates

Mar 6, 2017

New sessional rates for physicians

Physician sessional rates are increasing. Please keep these in mind as you budget your activities.

There will be two increases this year:

  1. The rates will increase by 0.35% on February 1, 2017 as per the Economic Stability Mandate.
  2. The rates will increase again by 0.5% on April 1, 2017 as per the Physician Master Agreement.
     
More facilities moving forward

Congratulations to the following facilities who were recently approved for full funding by the Facility Engagement Working Group.
December 2016
·         Providence Health Care Physicians and Surgeons Association
·         South Island Facility Engagement Initiative Society (Royal Jubilee and Victoria General Hospitals)
·         KGH Physicians Society (Kelowna General Hospital)
February 2017
·         Lions Gate Hospital Physician Society
·         Penticton Physician Medical Society
·         BCCA Medical Staff Engagement Society  (BC Cancer Agency)
·         EKRH Medical Staff Society (East Kootenay Regional Hospital)
·         Kootenay Boundary Physicians Association
·         Richmond Hospital Physician Society

Leadership Strategies for Physician and Health Authority Leaders

In collaboration with the Provincial Medical Services Executive Council’s Working Group for Physician Engagement, an accredited course was held on January 24, 2017 in Vancouver for Health Authority leaders to gain a better insight into the provincial Facility Engagement Initiative and to identify challenges and strategies for the moving the initiative forward within the local context . All Health Authorities and the Ministry of Health were represented.  Two similiarly-structured accredited courses were held for physicians in 2016.

The course provided an overview of best practices for effective physician engagement, and helped participants develop strategies for implementation.  Group breakout sessions focused on the research which highlights the value of physician engagement, and the importance of incorporating physician engagement into strategic planning, operational plans and regional plans. In addition, next steps were discussed to move forward with ideas.

Feedback collected from the participants and sessions revealed a common interests, such as better communication strategies, clear objectives and perspectives.  Participants expressed interest and enthusiasm in a future education course involving physicians and health authority leaders to further work on relationships and skills together. 

For more information, please contact engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.
 

Jan 27, 2017

Full speed ahead: Facilities approved for full funding

Congratulations to the following facilities that have been approved for full funding at Facility Engagement Working Group Meetings.

  • Vancouver Physician Staff Association
  • Peace Arch Hospital Physician Society
  • Nanaimo Medical Staff Engagement Society  
  • Saanich Peninsula Physician Society  
  • Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre Physician Engagement Society
  • Vernon Jubilee Hospital Physician Society, Vernon Jubilee Hospital
  • Prince George Medical Staff Physician Association, University Hospital of Northern BC
  • Burnaby Hospital Medical Staff Physician Society
  • Royal Inland Hospital Physician Association
  • Royal Columbian and Eagle Ridge Hospital Medical Staff Society
  • Cowichan District Medical Society, Cowichan District Hospital  

Helpful steps forward

The successful sites, which represent a mix of community and tertiary hospitals, presented their funds readiness checklists with progress and plans to date, and shared some experiences from their startup phase. Here are some insights shared for those in the process of preparing for funding applications:

  • Get  representation from each department on the Working Group
  • Focus  on enhancing and/or developing relationships while identifying suitable activities 
  • Encourage  any medical staff to come to a meeting
  • Engage with primary care doctors and Division of Family Practice (where appropriate) to tap into existing relationships
  • Hold regular meetings/discussions with the Health Authority
  • Get  ideas and input from members about their concerns and ideas to focus strategies and efforts at engagement events

Thank you to these sites for their insights, hard work and successful efforts to date. We look forward to more facilities coming forward in the months to come with proposals for full funding. For support, contact your Facility Engagement Liaison.

Sept 7, 2016

Changes to the Societies Act of BC

Changes to the Societies Act of BC take effect on November 28, 2016. How will those changes impact societies involved in the Facility Engagement Initiative?

  •  If you are not incorporated and will not be incorporated until after November 28, 2016 – changes will not apply.
  •  If you are incorporated or will be incorporated before November 28, 2016 – you will need to transition to the updated Act.

The provincial office is issuing customized instructions to all impacted sites.  The Facility Engagement Leads can answer questions and offer further support. We’re working hard to make the transition as painless as possible, so societies can get on with planning local activities.

UBC comes on board for Evaluation

We’re pleased to announce that the University of British Columbia (UBC) has been contracted to evaluate the process, outcomes and cost relative to benefit of the Facility Engagement initiative at the provincial level. The UBC Evaluation Team will gather information (anonymized and aggregated) from participating facilities to identify ongoing improvements to the initiative, and to assess its success in improving physician engagement in facilities. Information will be gathered in several ways including:  

  • reporting captured through the Facility Engagement Management System;
  • occasional surveys and select in-person interviews; and
  • case studies at some sites.

When the UBC team rolls out the evaluation tools this fall, their team members may be in touch directly with participating physicians and other stakeholders to seek valuable input. Facility Engagement Leads can answer questions about the evaluation, or you may contact Jennifer Barr at: jbarr@doctorsofbc.ca or by phone at 778-984-2064.

The Facility Engagement Management System is coming

This fall, a number of physician societies across BC will receive full funding to start on local projects. That’s when the Facility Engagement Management System comes in. The online management tool, (formerly known as the ‘Bayleaf App’) will support local facility engagement work.  A society’s administration team can use the desktop version to manage and track funding and activities, and report on evaluation measures. A companion smart phone app will make it easy for participating physicians to submit and track sessional claims. Thanks to all physicians who are supporting the development of this tool through consultations and user testing.  We’ll keep you posted about its availability in the fall.

Communicate to build engagement

Regular communications can help attract physicians and health authority participants to become involved in local activities. The first step to communicating is to create understanding and awareness about the facility engagement initiative and your local activities, as a way to set expectations and raise interest among potential participants at your site.  To support this phase of communications, general guidelines and an example of a plan have been developed that you may wish to customize for your local needs. Download them here.

We look forward to an exciting fall ahead, and seeing the physician societies and health authority engagement activities continue to grow and take shape at your local sites.

Jun 20, 2016

Gearing up for full funding

Gearing up for full funding. Many engagement Working Groups are working through the Fund Readiness Checklist and are hoping to be ready for full funding by the fall. The Facility Engagement Leads are prepared with templates, ideas and connections for physicians and Health Authority leaders, so please stay in touch.

Looking for help? Job description templates for assistants, coordinators and managers are available for MSA Working Groups hiring sub-committees. Please feel free to take advantage of these tools and use them as a starting point. They are customizable for a facility's particular needs.

Bringing everyone together. The inaugural meeting of the Physician Engagement Working Group was held last week. This group represents all of the Health Authorities party to the Memorandum of Understanding on Local and Regional Engagement. The group is working together on the application, interpretation, as well as tracking progress of implementation of the MOU.

Secure texting. Physician connectivity and secure texting is a topic we hear a lot about. See “Lessons Learned” for a few hints and tips from the secure texting project at Lions Gate.

Thanks for helping with the app. A big thank you to all of you for helping us build the Bayleaf business solution – the online system to help MSA’s manage the finances, and save time when submitting claims. A number of physicians from MSA’s and Health Authority reps from around the province are helping us define, build and refine the app.  Your tough questions are helping us immeasurably. To learn more about the Bayleaf system, please click here.

May 4, 2016

Crucial business solution for you

In response for the need to streamline physician payments, manage budgets, report and evaluate the Facility Engagement Initiative. Bayleaf Solutions has begun to build the business solution "app”.

Current expectations are that the first version will ready by the end of May. We are seeking start-up engagement societies to help refine the system. If you or other  members have an interest in technology and an understanding of finance, please encourage them to help us test the app. Expect five hours of commitment over the next month. Click here if you are interested in being part of the first “sprint”.

Evaluation framework approved

We are seeking physicians for a  panel. An exceptional team of investigators will be evaluating the facility engagement initiative over the next three years. Chris Lovato, Craig Mitton and Jean-Louis Denis are leading the team with a star-studded advisory panel to guide the way. We are seeking physicians who are keen on evaluation to act as our expert panel. Expect 10 – 15 hours of commitment over the next 6 – 12 months. Click here if interested.

Evaluation Framework.

Inclusion of all voices on the medical staff

With a view to taking a leadership role and including all voices on the medical staff, the Specialists Services Committee has offered clarity on how and when to include the non-physician voices in this initiative. More information to better understand the many ways to include dentists, nurse practitioners, midwives and podiatrists.

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