The 500,000 Quebec orphan patients who will receive services through the first-line access window (GAP) by 2023 will be removed from waiting lists to have access to a family doctor. A situation that worries some general practitioners who fear that these patients will be deprived of real care. On the contrary, these patients “will receive services from different professionals,” say Quebec and the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ).
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
The last agreement signed between Quebec and family doctors was ratified by 84% by the members of the FMOQ last week (43% of the members voted). But concerns remain for some.
In particular, the agreement provides that 500,000 patients currently registered with the family doctor access window (GAMF) will receive services by 2023 through the GAP. By July 31, the goal is for groups of family doctors in the province to commit to offering 250,000 visits to orphan patients thanks to the GAP, explains the president of the FMOQ, Dr.r Marc-Andre Amyot.
In the office of the Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, it is stated that “250,000 Quebecers who do not have a family doctor at this time will be taken care of by a group of health professionals, including a doctor , by July 31” and that “more than half of the waiting list will be emptied, by March 31, 2023”, “it’s huge”.
Distinguish a visit from a pick-up
Member of a group of family doctors from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the DD Joëlle Bertrand-Beauvais says she supports the GAP, but believes that it should “clarify what is meant by ‘care’ of patients”. According to her, it is important to note the difference between a specific visit by means of the GAP and a real global care of a patient.
By calling the GAP, orphan patients will be able to obtain a consultation with a doctor or with another health professional such as a physiotherapist or a nurse. These patients will be removed from the family doctor access window, which currently has more than 900,000 people waiting.
“Why are we taking away the chance of patients seen through the GAP of actually being cared for by a family doctor one day by withdrawing them from the GAMF? asks the DD Bertrand Beauvais.
According to her, the risk that a patient with multiple health problems will not be fully served by the GAP is real. The DD Julie Gagnon and three other doctors interviewed by The Press share this concern. “The agreement should talk about one-time visits, not care. And we should not remove these patients from the GAMF, ”says the DD Gagnon.
Some doctors are also wondering what will happen to the patients in two years, when the agreement ends.
Looks like we’re doing all this quickly, as if to quickly empty the GAMF.
The DD Joelle Bertrand-Beauvais
Some doctors, including the DD Gagnon, also doubt that the visitation targets added are realistic. She points out that there is a shortage of family doctors in Quebec and that those in practice are already overwhelmed.
But according to the Dr Amyot, the targets are achievable. Notably because the agreement adds “relevance” and distributes patients among several professionals. Each new GAP patient will earn a certain amount of money for groups of doctors who can hire resources in their clinics. According to the D.r Amyot, there is no doubt that patients seen through the GAP will benefit from follow-ups. “The goal is not to get patients off the lists, it’s to provide them with services,” he says.
The Dr Amyot specifies that the agreement is a first step towards capitation remuneration, essentially for the management of patients in groups. “In two years, we will negotiate the capitation,” he said. […]. Is the deal perfect? No. But can we give it a chance? In the office of Minister Christian Dubé, it is pointed out that “a few modalities [de l’entente avec la FMOQ] are still under discussion” and that the agreement will be made public when concluded.