Joint Collaborative Committees

Family Practice Services Committee Meeting Summaries

April 2025

  • FPSC Core met on April 25, 2025.
    • The committee approved another year of funding for the UpToDate contract for FY2025-26.
    • In December 2024, the FPSC agreed to provide payments in FY2024-25 for FPs and medical directors to upload panel data and clinic registry data, respectively, into the Provincial Attachment System (PAS) for the first time. Updated analysis shows that more uploads occurred than initially estimated, and additional funding was requested and approved by the FPSC at the April meeting to support FPs and clinics to enter their data into the PAS. 
    • FPSC approved increased funding to Pathways for FY2025-26. This increase enables Pathways to cover inflation costs, centralize maintenance, support new and existing resources, and invest in the development of future integrations.
    • The committee approved increased funding to the Health Data Coalition (HDC) for FY2025-26. FPSC agreed to direct the HDC to use FPSC funds to leverage HDC’s data to better support community and system planning. HDC’s data infrastructure and programming will continue to support individual quality improvement, with a new focus on enabling HDC’s data and processes to better serve community and system needs. 
    • The April committee meeting was MOH Co-Chair Ted Patterson’s final FPSC meeting. Mr. Patterson has taken on a new role at the Ministry as Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Workforce Policy and Planning. FPSC leadership is working closely with MOH colleagues to ensure urgent decision-making continues without delay during this transition. Ally Bulter, the new Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Services Integration, whose portfolio includes the Primary Care Division, attended the meeting and was introduced to the committee. 
    • The April FPSC Core meeting also marked the departure of Dr Brenda Hefford, Vice President, Physician Affairs and Community Practice at Doctors of BC. 

March 2025

  • The FPSC did not meet in March.

February 2025

  • The full FPSC committee met on February 13, 2025, on the topic of Family Physician (FP) recruitment. The objective was to develop a shared understanding of organizational roles related to FP recruitment. The table shared successes and dialogued opportunities to address local, regional, and/or provincial challenges.
  • The FPSC Core met on February 14, 2025. 
    • The FPSC Co-Chair, Ministry of Health (MOH) updated the Core members on the Minister of Health’s mandate letter and how that new context could impact the FPSC’s work.
    • The FPSC provided feedback on the purpose and objectives of the 2025 FPSC Summit, deciding the day should aim to inspire and energize participants, with a focus on innovation.  
    • The committee approved a request from the Revelstoke FPs to join the Kootenay Boundary Division of Family Practice as of April 1, 2025. 
    • Funding was approved to support the integration of the Provincial Attachment System with Electronic Medical Records, using the Health Application Lightweight Protocol (HALO) framework and Smart-On-FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) applications. 
    • Due to delay in the launch of the new Comprehensive Care Payment (CCP), the FPSC approved the following:
      • Extending Inpatient Care Transition Funding (scheduled to end on March 31, 2025), for up to six more months (April 1 – September 30, 2025).
      • Maintaining current funding for Assigned Inpatient Care Network and Maternity Care Network for up to six more months (April 1 – September 30, 2025) until such network payments are replaced by the CCP for eligible FPs. 
  • The FPSC had an extensive discussion on this agenda item, including sharing concerns about the delay in implementing CCP, particularly for rural and mid-size communities
  • The FPSC Billing Education and Support Team has released a checklist to guide FPs through various enrollment and withdrawal scenarios for the Longitudinal Family Practice (LFP) Payment Model e.g. transitioning from LFP Locum to LFP.
  • The first Long Term Care Initiative (LTCI) Advisory Group was held in January to provide recommendations and advice to the FPSC on emerging issues and opportunities for improving the LTCI. The meeting focused on current LTCI successes and challenges, including the impact of staffing shortages, new payment models, optimizing workflows and facility-based team-based care, and the need for training and medical coordination.
  • The Doctors Technology Office (DTO) piloted a new service entitled ‘EMR Skill Building Sessions’, designed to help family physicians and their practice team members expand their expertise using their EMRs, focusing on Med Access and OSCAR EMRs. Six sessions were delivered to 213 attendees. Following the success of the pilot, DTO is now looking to spread and scale this initiative by offering sessions on a third EMR (Profile).