BC Family Doctors allocates new dollars to fee-for-service codes from funding negotiated through the most recent PMA. The 2022 PMA provided several baskets of fee-for-service funding to family medicine. As a result of this increased funding compared to previous PMAs, we are able to increase fees more significantly than in previous years.
At the February meeting, the Board approved the allocation of funding for the 2023/24 Family Practice Fee Guide Funding and the 2024/25 general fee increases.
Fee allocation priorities:
While almost all fees will receive some increase, we prioritized some fees for larger increases. We focused on fees in the following categories:
- Visits: In-office, virtual, and out-of-office visits will increase significantly for the first time in many years.
- Counselling: The value of counselling visits for in-office, virtual, and out-of-office care have been increased, so that they are equal to complete examinations.
- Consultations: In-office and out-of-office consultations received a significant increase to recognize the work of physicians who provide referral-based consultative care.
- Immunizations and injections: Adult and pediatric immunizations were increased.
- Office-based procedures: All types of office-based procedures were increased.
- Delegable fees: Fees that can be billed for services provided by staff and/or allied care providers were all increased, including anticoagulation advice and medical advice relay.
- Facility-based care: Fees were increased for surgical assists, labour and birth care, inpatient care, and long-term care.
- Time-based fees: All time-based fees will have an increased and equal value.
It will be several months before these fee increases are implemented as the allocations need to be reviewed and applied across all specialties with the involvement of Doctors of BC and MSP. Physicians will receive lump sum retroactive payments once the allocation processes have been completed.
The 2023/24 funding is effective April 1, 2023. The 2024/25 general fee increase is effective April 1, 2024. Each allocation will result in a retroactive payment back to the effective date.
These fee changes are part of our efforts to simplify and modernize fee-for-service codes for family doctors. This is a big undertaking which is being guided by your voices and input, including our recent member survey.