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B.C. doctors to be paid for diagnosing H1N1 flu virus by telephone
By: THE CANADIAN PRESS
5/10/2009 11:44 AM
VICTORIA, B.C. -
Doctors in British Columbia will be paid to diagnose swine flu over the phone.
As Health officials brace for a resurgence of the H1N1 virus, the province and B.C. Medical Association have agreed on two new, temporary fee codes.
Doctors will receive a $14.74 payment for telephone advice regarding the highly contagious virus and a $31.15 fee for office visits.
The new office visit fee is the same as the regular fee for office visits, but it won't be subject to current provincial rules limiting doctors to seeing about 50 patients daily.
Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall says both new codes offer increased access to care and the option of telephone advice is a sensible alternative to having swine flu patients visit a doctor's office.
Family physicians and specialists have been able to claim for H1N1 telephone advice since Oct. 1, but the office visit fee code won't be enacted until Kendall advises that swine flu cases have outstripped seasonal flu cases.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/li...ing-H1N1-flu-virus-by-telephone-63531767.html
By: THE CANADIAN PRESS
5/10/2009 11:44 AM
VICTORIA, B.C. -
Doctors in British Columbia will be paid to diagnose swine flu over the phone.
As Health officials brace for a resurgence of the H1N1 virus, the province and B.C. Medical Association have agreed on two new, temporary fee codes.
Doctors will receive a $14.74 payment for telephone advice regarding the highly contagious virus and a $31.15 fee for office visits.
The new office visit fee is the same as the regular fee for office visits, but it won't be subject to current provincial rules limiting doctors to seeing about 50 patients daily.
Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall says both new codes offer increased access to care and the option of telephone advice is a sensible alternative to having swine flu patients visit a doctor's office.
Family physicians and specialists have been able to claim for H1N1 telephone advice since Oct. 1, but the office visit fee code won't be enacted until Kendall advises that swine flu cases have outstripped seasonal flu cases.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/li...ing-H1N1-flu-virus-by-telephone-63531767.html