A collaborative care approach – not the traditional family doctor model – is key to fixing P.E.I.’s primary care system, says Andy Walker in his latest column. Stock imageArticle contentUntil recently, there was reason for optimism that P.E.I. was moving in the right direction when it came to ensuring all of its residents had access to primary care.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentA system of medical homes and neighbourhoods being established across the province has the potential to ensure that goal is reached. However, one vital step is missing – the need to eliminate the concept of family doctors. I know this sounds morbid, but there is a good chance that while you are reading this, at least one Islander will die because the current government (like every other administration before it and every other government across the country), continues to cling to the notion a family doctor is the central element of primary care.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe current government, again like everyone before it and every other jurisdiction in the country, continues to believe it can find a family doctor for every name on the patient registry. It is never going to happen no matter what the government does – not here in P.E.I. or anywhere else in the country for that matter.Article contentIt is time to start setting achievable goals. Like making sure every Islander has access to primary care at a medical hub, whether or not they have a family doctor. Their medical care and information should be attached to that hub, rather than a doctor or other medical professional. The collaborate practice model can work well when it is allowed to, but we have to make sure there is universal access and for that to happen the notion of a family doctor has to disappear.Article contentInstead, the province seems headed in the opposite direction. They have developed what are being called key performance indicators, setting a standard of 24 patients per day based on an average visit of 15 minutes. By that math, the province is calculating a physician should have a case load of approximately 1,600 patients.Article contentArticle contentThey are even considering fines for those who fail to meet that standard. Setting production targets may work well on a factory floor but it is definitely no way to run a health care system. The very predictable results will be burnout and resignations, making a bad situation even worse.Article contentArticle contentJust last year, both the province and the Medical Society were heralding a new physical services agreement they were calling one of the best in the country. Now the Medical Society is threatening to sue the government over the plan to introduce key performance indicators, saying the government has failed to consult them about the changes.Article contentBoth Health Minister Mark McLane and Health P.E.I. CEO Melanie Fraser are saying the guidelines are a draft at this point and they are willing to work with the Medical Society to address their concerns.Article contentWhen the CEO of Health P.E.I. released a statement to CBC commenting on the issue, she focused on money. She stressed the 36 per cent pay increase doctors will receive will make them “amongst the top earners in the country.” All too often, those in management positions work under the assumption that for workers “it’s all about the money.”
ANDY WALKER: Province must abandon key performance indicators for doctors
