April

The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) was established to facilitate collaboration between the government, the BCMA, and the health au­thorities on the delivery of specialist services and to support the improvement of the specialist care system. The 2009 Memorandum of Agreement provides additional funding to the SSC to support this mandate. 

There is $20 million available in 2010/11 and an additional $25 million in 2011/12 for a total of $45 million in the second year.

With these funds, the SSC has agreed to implement the following new initiatives starting 1 April 2010:

A recent McGill-CHUM study of couples in new sexual relationships (6 months or less) attending college in Montreal found that 56% of participants were infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). Of those, nearly half (44%) were infected with an HPV type that causes cancer. 

Individual pension plans (IPPs) can be an attractive vehicle for retirement and estate planning for the right incorporated physician.

An IPP is a defined benefit registered pension plan established for the benefit of a single employee. The annual retirement benefits are defined by the terms of the plan and are based on a percentage of the employee’s annual employment income. 

MSP has confirmed that the 2010/11 (year 5 fee increase) fees will be im­plemented on schedule, effective 1 April 2010. This includes new fee items, amendments, and rule changes that were proposed and approved for the 2010/11 allocation. The updated Fee Guides are posted on the BCMA web site (www.bcma.org). If you submit the old rate for a fee item, MSP will automatically pay at the new rate.

The Divisions of Family Practice launched their web site in February. It is a resource for physicians involved in a Division of Family Practice, providing program information and the ability to interact locally and provincially with their colleagues using discussion boards. The web site is also an information source for learning more about this General Practice Services Committee initiative.