FAQs

No. One of the program principles is voluntary participation for all programs. However, although you can take advantage of individual program areas, e.g. the Fee Code Program, we would encourage you to participate in local Family Practice Networks, if available in your area, and Practice Improvement initiatives, to support practice management needs you may have.

To indicate interest in any aspect of the Family Practice Renewal Program, please contact one of our program staff.

Better work/life balance for family physicians is one of the core goals of the Family Practice Renewal Program.  Some of the strategies to achieve that include:

• Practice education and supports to help physicians better manage administrative workloads and to achieve more efficiencies in your practices.  Please visit the MyQ and MyPractice websites to learn more
• Various FPN initiatives to help physicians address common practice needs and improve physician workload through things like shared resources to meet local patient population needs; leveraging family physician colleague expertise; working together to purchase supplies for clinic groups; coordinating locums; working to streamline communication and referral processes with other aspects of the health system; and initiatives to improve recruitment and retention.
• A fee code program to compensate physicians for activities that support improved patient care, and which are not currently paid for by MCP.

The Family Practice Renewal Program is a key priority of the NL Government and the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, to facilitate family physician participation and integration with these other health care reform initiatives. The Family Practice Renewal Program is intended to complement these and other projects, while ensuring family physicians have the right mechanisms to participate and integrate with improvements in overall system reform.

Please click here to learn more about Government incentives and bursaries.

Please click here to learn more about Government recruitment and retention initiatives.

Your physician representatives on the Family Practice Renewal Committee (FPRC) are working on your behalf to guide program development.  They are:

• Dr. Lynette Powell, Family Physician, Grand Falls-Windsor, Co-Chair
• Dr. Nicola Penney, Family Physician, Corner Brook
• Dr. Steve Major, Family Physician, St. John’s

The nature and extent of progress in primary care reform during the last decade has been variable across the country. Primary care groups, networks and inter-professional teams have been implemented to varying degrees in most provinces and territories, and an increasing proportion of primary care physicians are participating in blended payment models. It appears that Canada’s primary care performance is better for most aspects of prevention, chronic disease management and coordination of care. Opportunities for major advances include timely access to care, patient-centeredness and engagement, communication across healthcare settings, care processes, development of inter-professional teams, use and functionality of electronic medical/health records, systematic feedback on performance, and addressing health and healthcare inequities.