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From the Primary Care Alliance
We have come to the next phase in the pandemic response, the gradual relaunching of in-person services in the wake of the original shutdown. I have seen my fellow family physicians, those in specialty care, and other healthcare providers step up to engage in caring for patients in amazing ways, barely imagined in our pre-COVID-19 environment. While we still face uncertainty and continued challenges to our profession, we can take pride in our response to this unprecedented situation.
A positive point I’m hearing from physicians is that the pandemic and its subsequent impact on services has forced them to take a step back and really consider how best to connect with, and care for their patients. That has led to a number of true innovations in areas of virtual care and team care, along with increased engagement with, and activation of patients. Those innovative efforts are changing the way we work for the better, can improve care continuity, and are appreciated by the patients we serve.
Indeed, patients have voiced their support for Alberta physicians in great numbers in both social and traditional media. It will continue to be crucially important for both health system leaders and patients to advocate for setting the conditions for those improvements to persist past the pandemic response.
I would also like to recognize my colleagues and other healthcare providers manning the front lines in rural communities in our province during this Alberta Rural Health Week. Thank you for your continued care for rural patients. Your skills, dedication and compassion during this difficult time are a strong message all on their own.
Stay healthy and safe.
Dr. Brad Bahler
Chair
Primary Care Alliance
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Section of Family Medicine/Section of Rural Medicine Update
Patients can be a physician’s greatest critics, but also their greatest advocates.
n the most recent Bulletin, AMA Section of Family Medicine President Dr. Craig Hodgson looks at the value of connections and relationships.
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Primary Health Care Opioid Response Initiative - Project in review
Over the last two years, through the combined efforts of our partner organizations, individuals with lived experience, family physicians, and multi-disciplinary team members, the Primary Health Care Opioid Response Initiative has been able to improve and save the lives of Albertans using opioids.
Check out the Primary Health Care Opioid Response Initiative Project in Review video presentation at the link below
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One Nail at a Time podcast – What does CII/CPAR bring to a practice?
You’ve likely heard about the Community Information Integration/Central Patient Attachment Registry (CII/CPAR) initiative, but if you would like to learn more about it, there is now a podcast that can help with that.
One Nail at a Time – Insights for building your Patient’s Medical Home focuses on interviews with physicians developing medical homes.
A recent episode featured Calgary family physician, Dr. Heidi Fell, where she shares her CII/CPAR implementation experience. In this first episode of a two part series, Dr. Fell gives the background on why we have CII/CPAR and the contribution is it making to continuity of care for Albertans. In part two of the podcast, several physicians share stories of potentially life-saving benefits for their patients.
Check out the podcasts at the link below.
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Helping you advocate
The AMA website has helpful resources and information regarding recent changes to Alberta's health care system, including AMA’s assessment of the Insured Services Consultation proposals, the Economic Realities of Physician Compensation in Alberta analysis, talking points to help inform their conversations with patients and MLAs, posters, media and social media tips, etc.
Find all the resources by visiting the "Learn More" link below.
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Connecting Patients and Physicians
Virtual Care has tremendous potential in improving the physician-patient relationship and patient engagement. There are many solutions that enable secure messaging and video conferencing between patients and their physician(s), and the AMA encourages physicians to choose a regulatory compliant solution that best meets the needs of their patients and practice.
Alberta Health recently launched MHR Secure-Mail; a secure messaging solution that patients can access through My Health Records. Like other secure messaging solutions, both physician and patient must be registered and the patient will not have to pay for the service.
The AMA sees these secure messaging solutions as a first step towards fully integrated, secure and seamless information exchange between patients and providers across multiple platforms. For further information on Virtual Care tools and incorporating Virtual Care into your clinic, visit the AMA Virtual Care webpage.
The show must go on! Save the date - The 9th Annual PEIP Conference October 23-24, 2020
Whether the conference be in-person or available via webcast, The Alberta College of Family Physicians and PEER team are pleased to offer the Practical Evidence for Informed Practice (PEIP) this fall.
For the latest information on updates, registration and presentations visit the PEIP webpage.
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© 2020 Alberta Medical Association
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