June 2024

From the Primary Care Alliance

Significant and ongoing activities continue in the primary care space, and a lot of these activities are welcomed as they portend positive changes for implementation progress of the Patient’s Medical Home. These changes include the new Physician Comprehensive Care Model (PCCM), the new primary care division and ongoing implementation of MAPS. In case you missed the latest AMA Inside Scoop town hall, you can view a recording of it on the AMA website (member login required). Dr. Paul Parks, AMA President, provided updates about the work taking place around the PCCM, what is known about the new model so far and the ongoing discussions with government.

There is a Chinese saying that with crisis comes opportunity. Therefore, let us see the opportunities that are arising from the ongoing primary health care crisis and use them to co-design and implement a better system.

I want to acknowledge June as National Indigenous History Month, an opportunity to recognize and appreciate Indigenous Peoples and to learn about their histories, cultures and ways of life. The Indigenous Health Committee recently released a new AMA land acknowledgement statement. I invite you to check it out and to review the helpful AMA Guide to Indigenous Land Acknowledgements.

As we move further into the summer months, I would like to wish everyone safe travels and enjoyable vacations. I trust it will be a time of reconnecting with family and friends and rejuvenation.

Primary Care News is taking a publication break and will resume in September. Enjoy your summer!

Dr. Emma Gye

Chair

Primary Care Alliance

CII/CPAR is the New Norm for Family Physicians

Over 70% of PCN family physicians are now signed up for CII/CPAR! Congratulations to North Zone and Central Zone, both of which are now at or over 80% participation! If you’re not signed up yet, reach out to your PCN or AMA-ACTT to get started today.

Also, 2024 is going to be an exciting summer for CII/CPAR! Consider registering for our monthly CII/CPAR Connect webinar series to stay informed about important CII/CPAR topics, and to have your questions answered!

Register

PCN Pain Rounds – “Pain and Trauma Related to Migration: Another ‘new normal’ in Canada”

On July 18, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. MT, join the PCN Pain Rounds webinar to learn how to build a relationship with a patient affected by migration and trauma. Know how you can co-create a treatment approach and access community resources that are essential to better understand the contexts concerning newcomers to Canada.
Don’t miss this webinar, sign up today at the link below.

Register

Student Shadowing Program

Family Physician volunteers needed!

Share your enthusiasm and help inspire incoming medical students to make family medicine their specialty of choice!
The Alberta College of Family Physicians, along with the Alberta Medical Association’s Sections of Family Medicine and Rural Medicine, is still in search of 25 family physician volunteers to host shadowing students for one to four shifts between August 10 to 25.

To learn more about the program or to volunteer, visit our website at the link below.

Learn More

Panel in Action training ready for learners

A newly revitalized Panel in Action Training curriculum from AMA-ACTT is now available online.

Explore the concept of Panel and why it is fundamental to Patient's Medical Home and health system transformation.

Learn more about key panel concepts such as interpreting panel processes, panel maintenance and management, EMR panel resources and tools.

Learn More

Other news

Check out the latest primary healthcare data update on FOCUS

What are primary healthcare patients in Alberta experiencing? Visit the Health Quality Council of Alberta’s FOCUS on Healthcare website to see what the data says.
The website publicly reports provincial survey results for patient experience measures such as family doctor listening, availability, appointment length, and more. The latest update was published on June 20, and includes data from April 2023 to March 2024.
In addition, there is new cancer screening data (updated to Oct. 31, 2023) as well as several key delivery-of-care measures on doctor continuity, clinic continuity, and emergency department visits for minor conditions (updated to March 31, 2024).
Along with the primary healthcare measures, the FOCUS on Healthcare website includes data on emergency departments, hospital care, and continuing care.

Physician leaders wanted!

The Alberta Medical Association is seeking qualified physicians to contract for the casual position of ACTT Physician Lead. This is a dedicated pool of physician leaders who support the creation of a high-performing health system. You will gain leadership experience and improve your ability to inspire, influence, collaborate and manage change. Review the opportunity. Email RFP@albertadoctors.org with any questions.

Are you interested in shared care planning with complex patients?

A multi-partnered project led by the University of Alberta is seeking primary care physicians across Alberta to partner with them to use their care planning tools with patients living with advanced stage chronic disease. Patients from your panel are identified for you, the one:carepath care plan template is in all provincial EMRs and auto populates from a patient’s chart. There are funds to support this work.
For more information email either Lynn Toon at toon@ualberta.ca or Tanya Barber at tkbarber@ualberta.ca

Rural Community Health Provider Attraction and Retention Conference

RhPAP hosts a Rural Community Health Provider Attraction and Retention (A&R) Conference October 8-10, 2024. Rural community A&R committees, as well as interested community members, will be able to share experiences and learn about new initiatives related to healthcare providers in rural communities.

Updated Pneumococcal vaccine information

Alberta Health is changing its invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) vaccines, and is now using the following two vaccines:

Pneumococcal 15-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Vaxneuvance® or Pneu-C15)
Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Prevnar 20TM or Pneu-C20)

These vaccines will replace both Pneumococcal Conjugate 13 Vaccine (Pneu-C13) and Pneumovax®23 (Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine) for individuals at increased risk of IPD.
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines provide a better immune response and longer duration of protection than the polysaccharide vaccine.

As of June 24, 2024, children will be offered Pneu-C15 or Pneu-C20 (depending on eligibility) at AHS Public Health Centres across the province. Individuals living in First Nations will be eligible to receive Pneu-C20 through their local community health centre.
Starting July 1, 2024, adults eligible to receive Pneu-C20 can access the vaccine through their community pharmacy.

AHS appointments can be booked by calling 811 or your nearest AHS public health or community health centre. Use the Find Community Health Centres search tool or call Health Link at 811 to find the centre nearest you. Appointments in First Nations communities can be made by calling the health centre.

Eligibility details and clinical information on the Pneumococcal 15-valent Conjugate (Pneu-C15) vaccine
Eligibility details and clinical information on the Pneumococcal 20-valent Conjugate (Pneu-C20 or Prevnar 20) vaccine
General information on pneumococcal immunization

New guidance on minimum retesting intervals

Canada’s Drug Agency and Choosing Wisely Canada provide recommendations on how frequently retesting for five commonly repeated lab tests should be completed:

To reference the full report and for more information.

Alberta Medical Association
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