Penny Daflos – July 4, 2022 – CTV News
An unexpected move to pay British Columbia’s family doctors for the extra time required to assess high-risk COVID-19 patients has a physicians’ group urging the province to recognize many others deserve more time with their primary doctor as well.
Starting July 1, family doctors are able to bill the health-care system for up to an hour to assess whether a patient meets the criteria for Paxlovid, an anti-viral drug prescribed to prevent serious illness or death, in seniors and those with certain health conditions.
“This work is challenging and time-intensive,” reads an announcement by BC Family Doctors to their members. “In order to support physicians who are doing or wish to do this work, we are happy to announce a new fee code to support the time and complexity of the care and care coordination.”
