-Adjusting schedule, working extra hours part of effort to see patients sooner-
OSOYOOS TIMES-March 18, 2009-
By Karen KnelsenrnOsoyoos Times
If you're sick and tired of waiting up to two weeks to get an appointment with your doctor when you're feeling sick and tired, relief is on the way.
Some local doctors, including Osoyoos's Dr. Lorraine Kane, are participating in what's called the Advanced Access program.
Developed through the province's Practice Support Program, the access program promotes a system that helps doctors eliminate their backlog of appointments so they can schedule patients sooner rather than later.
Through the program, doctors adjust their schedules to keep on top of their appointment bookings so they can schedule patients for the same or the next day and whittle down long waiting lists.
And if a doctor misses a day of work after they've caught up with their appointments, they have to work extra hours to catch up with their case load.
Kane said it's noticeably improving the health of the health care system, especially since some patients in this area face at least a two-week delay before they can see a doctor.
The idea is that it is an improved way to run our practice, she said. It can be a challenge but we used to just accept that two weeks.
But now we're looking at it differently.
It's not easy, Kane said, and it takes extra dedication on the part of the doctor.
Essentially you have to work more hours to get rid of the backlog.rnAnd because of the ratio of patient demand to doctors, Kane said it's still a challenge to stay ahead once she's caught up.
But she also said it's worth it.
This is better for me. It's better for the patients.
Dr. Bill Cavers, a family doctor in Victoria who is the co-chair of the province's General Practice Services Committee, said Kane isn't the only doctor in B.C. who sees the value of the program.
It's really nice to see how well this has been adopted by general practitioners in the province, he said. It's being promoted in each of the health authorities.
Cavers said there's currently a wait list for the doctors who want to participate in the program.
Janis St. Louis, whose elderly parents moved from White Rock to live with her here in Osoyoos, said the program has already improved her family's experience in terms of making appointments with a doctor.
We're pretty impressed with how easy it is for (my parents) to get in and get an appointment, St. Louis said. It's quite a different experience for them.
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