B.C. family doctors to get big raise under new payment model as province tries to tackle shortage

The government of British Columbia is ushering in a new payment model for family doctors in February.

Provincial health officials announced the news Monday morning, saying physicians will be able to opt out of the current fee-for-service system in the new year. Under that system, doctors are paid based on the number of patients they see in a day. 

The new model will take into account factors that include how much time a doctor spends with a patient, the complexity of their needs, the number of patients a doctor sees daily, as well as the total number of patients a doctor supports