B.C. family physician payment plan includes compensating doctors for their time, patient interactions, complexity of patient needs

Under the previous fee-for-service model, doctors weren’t paid for the time they spent doing paperwork, reviewing lab results or updating patient charts. That will change come Feb. 1 when the updated payment model is implemented. Details include:

• Family physicians will be paid roughly $130 per hour for the time they spend working, whether they're meeting with patients in person or virtually, reviewing test results or managing their practice;
• Physicians will also still bill the province for each patient interaction, receiving between $25 and $110 depending on the type of interaction; and
• Full-time doctors will receive about $385,000 per year, up from $250,000.

Doctors of B.C. says the plan will alleviate the healthcare crisis.