Sask. government offers pay bump for family doctors who work later hours
The Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay to encourage family doctors to work later hours.
On Friday, the provincial government announced an agreement with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) to pay fee-for-service family doctors an extra $8 to $12 per visit if they're seeing a patient after-hours.
The province hopes the move might take some of the pressure off Saskatchewan's emergency rooms.
“Ensuring patients have access to family physicians and primary care services remains a top priority for our government,” health minister Paul Merriman said in a news release.
The head of the SMA said while it's "not a comprehensive solution" the change will "help with access while reducing the pressure on emergency departments."
"We continue to work with the Ministry of Health on other, sustainable changes – including a new compensation model for fee-for-service family physicians and a move to family physician-led care teams in the community," Dr. John Gjevre said in the news release.
The move comes the same week as the government introduced legislation paving the way for physician assistants to work in the province.
While it's not the agreement doctors have been looking for, it's a step in the right direction.
"We're working on better access to a family physician and a family physician led care team," Merriman said. "This is one step in that process. We will work out the details over the next probably week or so. My hope is to get this implemented as soon as possible."
The agreement, which is yet to be finalized, will give added compensation to urgent care clinics offering after hours services, which is expected to help the immense demand on emergency departments.
Family doctors will also receive a modest boost for working longer hours at these clinics.
"This is not the end cure-all fix. This is a measure that's going to help support our physicians to try to expand access and capacity while we work on transforming healthcare," Saskatchewan Medical Association president Dr. John Gjevre said.
The goal is to keep more clinics open longer to see more patients, but it falls well short of healthcare changes seen in British Columbia and Alberta in recent months. Last August, B.C. announced sweeping changes to primary care which saw the province ditch the fee-for-service, or pay per visit, system that is common in Canada.
Gjevre and other doctors at the announcement admit the current fee per visit system isn't working. Dr. Carla Holinaty, a family physician who helped negotiate the urgent care funding, said no new graduates coming out of medical school want to be paid per visit with overhead costs limiting what a doctor takes home at the end of the day.
Dr. Adam Ogieglo said he often deals with patients experiencing more complex issues that can't be remedied quickly. If a person presents with chest pains or mini-stroke symptoms he will spend roughly an hour with them, which doesn't match the level of compensation people might expect.
"I'll spend an hour with that patient and I'll earn $44 -- If it's after hours. If it's during business hours, I get $40. That's not adequate. I don't think anyone thinks that family physicians should earn $44 an hour."
A change of family physician compensation and a move to a more team-based care model are the top desires from doctors, who say it will provide the most instant benefits to the healthcare system.
"The longer we wait, we sort of lose that shiny appeal where some physicians would look at Saskatchewan and think 'That's a place I would like to go to,'" Ogieglo said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978852.1722008165!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before Jasper can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes "for several weeks."
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
BREAKING Celine Dion performs at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Beloved Canadian icon Celine Dion made her much-anticipated appearance during the closing of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn $146,000 for water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six figure water bill.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.
She couldn't stop thinking about the guy she met at the Athens Olympics. Then a message from him changed her life
Omaira Gill grew up counting down the days to each Olympic Games. She wasn’t especially sporty, so she ruled out the prospect of competing pretty early on. But she still harboured Olympic dreams – even just spectating would do.