May

PITO has caught up with the initial influx of applications from its first year of operation. As of 31 March, more than 1300 physicians had been accepted; however, 550 physicians had applied but not yet been selected to begin EMR implementation. As of 1 April, all physicians who have applied have been accommodated, bringing the total to over 1900. The latest 550 physicians will receive an e-mail confirmation and a follow-up phone call from the PITO office to begin pre-implementation planning.

Countries facing the heaviest toll of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are not moving fast enough to pro­vide life-saving treatment, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

The World Health Organization reports that there are around 500 000 new MDR-TB cases each year, but that fewer than 30 000 people were detected and notified last year and only 3681 are known to have started treatment according to international guidelines and with quality-assured medicines.

Revenue Canada has changed some of the tax rules regarding deductions for information technology in physicians’ offices that will reduce the immediate costs of technology adoption. Physicians can now deduct the entire cost of computer hardware during the year of purchase instead of making reduced deductions over several years. This is a short-term incentive valid from 27 January 2009 to 1 February 2011.

The following new or revised clinical practice guidelines were recently posted on the Guidelines & Protocols Advisory Committee (GPAC) web site at www.BCGuidelines.ca. Some of the guidelines are also available in PDA format at www.clinipearls.ca/BCGuidelines.

The Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles (OSMV), in partnership with the BCMA, is revising the BC Guide for Physicians in Determining Fitness to Drive a Motor Vehicle to ensure that it reflects changes in the case law and the best evidence available regarding medical conditions and fitness to drive.

Draft chapters may be viewed at Drivesafe.com, on the public side of the BCMA web site, and at the SGP web site.