Collaborative practice
For the purposes of this program, a collaborative practice is a multidisciplinary team approach to patient care that promotes individual and shared knowledge, inter-professional communication and decision-making that influences the patient care provided. It occurs when health-care providers work with people from within their own profession, with people outside of their profession and with patients and their families.
Other licensed health-care providers
Other licensed health-care providers are limited to the following licensed health-care providers:
- Licensed practical nurses
- Chiropractors
- Dentists
- Dietician/nutritionists
- Pharmacists
- Occupational therapists
- Optometrists
- Psychologists
- Physiotherapists
- Registered nurses (including nurse practitioners)
- Midwives
- Respiratory therapists
- Paramedics
- Social workers (Department of Community Services legislation)
Collaborating other licensed health-care provider
A collaborating other licensed health-care provider is defined as working a minimum of 20 hours per week. Each position could be filled by one to three people in an effort to encourage flexible collaboration and respond to patient needs. The required ratio of eligible GPs to “collaborating other licensed health-care providers” is as follows:
| Number of eligible GPs | Required number of other licensed health-care providers (FTEs) |
| 2-5 | 1 |
| 6-10 | 2 |
| 11-15 | 3 |
| 16-20 | 4 |
Meaningful team collaboration
GPs must engage in meaningful team collaboration with each other and the collaborating other licensed health-care provider(s). All of the following characteristics must be present:
| Characteristic | Accountability measure |
| Team members provide care to a common group of patients | Common patient population |
| Team members develop common goals for patient outcomes and work towards those goals | Chart verification of interaction among team members in patient care as appropriate |
| Appropriate roles and functions are assigned to each member of the team | All providers practising to full scope of practice |
| The team possesses a mechanism for sharing information about the patient | Common patient record and/or shared EMR |
| The team possesses a mechanism to oversee the carrying out of plans and to make adjustments as necessary | Set time for formal collaboration (i.e. case conferences, team meetings |
Required criteria
In order to qualify for an annual CPIP payment, a formal team collaboration must occur at least once per week and include the collaborating other licensed health-care provider(s). As well, two of the following five criteria must also be met:
Evening and/or weekend appointments
Physicians are required to provide regular evening and/or weekend appointments, a minimum of once per week.
Accountability measure: Appropriate billings for the GP Evening and Weekend Office Visit Incentive program (eligible office visits submitted with the modifier GPEW).
Same day/next day appointments
The collaborative practice is required to be structured to accommodate same day/next day appointments within the daily practice schedule on a regular ongoing basis– patients are not to be just squeezed in.
Accountability measure: This needs to be reflected through ensuring there is normally always availability for patients to see one of the practice team members when patients contact the practice for an appointment.
Roles and responsibilities
Specific roles and responsibilities for all members of the practice team are documented, reviewed annually and updated as required.
Accountability measure: Documented evidence available upon request.
Team attendance at educational events
Physicians and their teams are required to attend and/or participate together in educational events, relevant to their work, at least once per year. This could include team building activities internal to the practice.
Accountability measure: Documented evidence of organized team building activity and the participants available upon request.
Lead and/or participate in a quality improvement initiative
Physicians are required to lead or participate with their team in at least one quality improvement initiative per year that is directly related to either patient care and/or practice improvement.
Accountability measure: Documentation of quality improvement initiative(s) available upon request.