October

For the first time, first-year medical students at the University of British Columbia will be using a touch-screen table that displays detailed images of internal anatomy that can be rotated, enlarged, and sliced open. The anatomy visualization table will be used with traditional anatomical dissections to teach first-year medical students about human anatomy and the medical conditions they are likely to encounter as physicians. The device also will familiarize students with the radiological images that have become a core tool in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Scientists from the University of British Columbia discovered a mutation that prevented mice from developing fibrosis after they were infected with a type of salmonella that mimics the symptoms of Crohn disease. The discovery could lead to treatments for a debilitating complication of the disease. The mutation had switched off a hormone receptor responsible for stimulating part of the body’s immune response.

The CareCard is being replaced by the BC Services Card, a secure credential with features to protect identity, improve patient safety, and help avoid fraud and misuse of health care services.

The Reference Drug Program (RDP) will be modernized as of 1 December 2016, and associated information packages were mailed to all BC physicians this summer. If you did not receive a package call Health Insurance BC (1 866 905-4912) to request a print copy, or access the information online at www.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/rdp-pro.

The Society of General Practitioners of BC (SGP) has created an online resource to streamline the billing process for physicians. The SGP Simplified Guide to Fees organizes fees into 20 categories including: