BC’s Health Minister says more than one-thousand doctors have already signed onto a new payment model that took effect today, and he expects the number to grow “dramatically.”
Adrian Dix says the new model developed with Doctors of B-C is aimed at addressing the shortage of physicians in the province. He says it reduces the administrative burden on family physicians and compensates them for spending extra time with patients, especially those with complex needs such as seniors. The new model has been implemented as part of efforts to recruit and retain more physicians, as one in five B-C residents don’t have a family doctor. Dix said 1,043 physicians, including 194 from Vancouver Island, signed up in advance. The model raises annual pay for a full-time family doctor to about $385,000 from $250,000.
