The Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) payment model offers compensation to family physicians who deliver longitudinal, relationship-based, family medicine care to a defined panel of patients.
The model compensates physicians for their time, physician-patient interactions, and patient panel. While billing for time and interactions is straightforward, the concept of the patient panel may be novel to physicians in British Columbia.
In this blog post, we explain the notion of panel payments, when you can expect to be compensated, and the process of submitting patient panel data in your Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
What is a Panel Payment?
A panel payment is a form of compensation that encourages the long-term relationship between a physician and their patient. The panel payment is based on the size and the complexity of a physician’s patient panel.
For 2023, the panel payment will be calculated using the Community Longitudinal Family Physicians (CLFP) methodology. The number of patients is estimated using the Majority Source of Care (MSOC) methodology and complexity is measured using the Adjusted Clinical Group (ACG) system. For more information on how to calculate the panel payment this year, read the full article here.
A new calculation is currently in progress to identify a physician’s empanelled patients (previously referred to as “active patients”). The updated calculation is expected to come into effect by 2024, with the panel payment being calculated based on the number of empanelled patients and the complexity of those patients.
Note: an empanelled patient is defined as a patient whom a family doctor has accepted responsibility. This implies that the physician assumes the responsibility for guiding and coordinating the patient’s care and management.
Eligibility Requirements
All family physicians that are enrolled in the LFP payment model are eligible for the panel payment.
Locums are not eligible to receive a panel payment directly from the Medical Services Commission. However, the locum physician and host physician may choose to enter a private business arrangement to share the panel payment.
For more information about eligibility requirements upon enrolling into the LFP payment model, watch our webinar on A Guide to the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model.
Panel Payment Instalments
Panel payments are paid four times per year on a quarterly schedule. The amounts range from $13,380 to $133,800 per year. Physicians billing under the LFP Payment Model will receive the first two quarterly payments combined into a single payment by August 31.
Here is a calendar of the panel payment installments for this year:
Payment installment | Specified 12-month period for MSOC/ACG calculations | Payment to be made no later than |
March 31, 2023 | December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022 | August 31, 2023 |
June 30, 2023 | March 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023 | August 31, 2023 |
September 30, 2023 | June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023 | November 30, 2023 |
December 31, 2023 | September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2023 | February 2024 (TBD) |
Submitting a Patient Panel
An eligible physician must submit a claim form once per calendar year to claim the panel payment installments for the calendar year. Submitting the form will confirm the physician’s eligibility for the panel payment and their MSP Payee Number.
The Ministry announced that all family physicians under the LFP model are required to submit their panel of patients by October 31, 2023. Doctors are highly encouraged to review their patient panel before submission to ensure that their patient panel is up to date.
Here are some general steps you can follow to update your list of empanelled patients:
- Review patient status: Access your EMR system and review the status of each patient on your panel. Check for any discrepancies or inaccuracies in their status.
- Remove inactive patients: Identify patients who have not visited your practice within a specific timeframe (ex. one or two years) and remove those who are no longer actively engaged in your care.
- Identify patients without a primary provider: Identify any patients that fall within your specified timeframe that are not assigned and assign yourself as the primary provider.
Once you have updated your list of empanelled patients, submit the list into your EMR. We have listed several guides with written step-by-step instructions and video tutorials on how to submit your panel in your EMR systems.
- Accuro Empanelment Guide
- Intrahealth Profile Empanelment Guide
- Intrahealth Profile EMR Panel Video Demo
- OSCAR Empanelment Guide
- MedAccess Empanelment Guide
- LFP MedAccess Empanel Video Tutorial
For those who are not using an EMR, a process is currently being developed to submit your list of empanelled patients.
The LFP payment model is a significant step towards fostering a strong patient-physician relationships and delivering comprehensive care. Understanding the concept of panel payments is essential for physicians to ensure that they are being compensated for the care that they provide.
If you are interested in learning more about the LFP payment model, visit our LFP payment resources page for all the latest updates.
Still have questions about the LFP payment model or submitting your patient panel? Contact us today!
