Send to the Health Minister, Josie Osborne: HLTH.Minister@gov.bc.ca
CC the President of Doctors of BC, Dr. Charlene Lui: president@doctorsofbc.ca
CC info@lifelinebc.ca for data tracking
COPY & PASTE INTO YOUR EMAIL BODY & EDIT AS YOU SEE FIT:
Dear Minister Osborne,
I am a [TYPE OF PHYSICIAN] in [CITY NAME] who has several patients with complex, chronic illness who are treated at the BC-Centre for Long Covid, ME/CFS, and Fibromyalgia (BC-CLMF). I am writing to ask you to raise the incoming cap on Virtual Group Medical Visits from the proposed 20 to 50 to allow the BC-CLMF clinic to continue providing effective care for these patients. If this doesn’t happen, the clinic will collapse and its patients will be forced back into an already over burdened health care system.
Complex Chronic Disease patients have a multitude of complicated symptoms and related diagnoses. Treating them requires specialized care that is time consuming to deliver. Having referred my patients to this clinic, I can attest to the important savings of time that the clinic delivers to doctors who make these referrals: I spend less time with these patients overall, and when I do interact with them, the length of the visit is shorter. Their complex symptomatology is being expertly addressed in detail by the clinic. My patients report high satisfaction both with their care and with their ability to see a specialist at the clinic quickly in virtual format. Because patients are seen in virtual group medical visits, my patients learn more from a visit than they otherwise would, since many other patients are on these virtual calls, and multiple symptoms and treatments are discussed. Ultimately, the BC-CLMF clinic has reduced the burden on my practice by properly treating this patient group with expert care and knowledge about their illness.
I understand that the BC-CLMF clinic model will cease at year end unless you both are able to take corrective action now. Please raise the incoming cap on Virtual Group Medical Visits to 50 and allow these physicians to continue to deliver effective care.
Respectfully,
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