N.L. announces $75K incentive for physicians to join family care team

Newfoundland and Labrador's health minister announced a new $75,000 incentive Thursday, hoping toreassignalready salaried physicians working with N.L. Health Servicesto family care teams across the province.

To get the bonus, physicians need to join the family care team for at least one year.

A family care team includes family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, pharmacists and other health professionals.

The incentive will be available to physicians until the end of the year, Health Minister John Hogan told journalists at a news conference Thursday afternoon.It will also be given to physicians already in family care teams.

There are currently 23 teams, six of which are full-scale. Hogan says the goal is for each team to have two doctors,meaning about 46 physicians are needed. Right now, he said, the province has recruited 20 physicians.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Health Accord, the 2022 blueprint to revamp the province's health system, recommends a total of 35 family care teams throughout the province.

"We need to continue to grow those teams, so we're always looking at ways to do that," Hogansaid.

WATCH | John Hogan on why government is spending money to fill family care gaps:

N.L. doctors: Join a family care team and get a $75K bonus for a one-year commitment

8 days ago

Duration 0:31

The Newfoundland and Labrador government will give $75,000 to family physicians, as long as they agree to join a family care team. Despite existing financial incentives, there are only 23 family care teams that are operational in some way, shape or form, said Health Minister John Hogan. The goal is 35.

In addition to the $75,000, the province already offers a physician signing bonus, which ranges from $100,000 to $150,000 for a five-year commitment to a family care team.

The incentive is also in addition to family care team physicians' base salaries, which currently range from $200,000 to $215,000.

"When you look at it all, it's a quite lucrative package over five years," said Hogan.

Doctors won't be leaving their patients, said Hogan, adding that if a physician decides to leave their practice, their patients would go with them.

Hogan said this incentive is for retention and recruitment.

"People might choose to move here from all over the country or all over the world to look at the compensation," said Hogan.

While the $75,000 incentive is only available until the end of the year, Hogan said that it will be evaluated, and on Jan. 1, the government will look at other ways to fill vacancies.

"I anticipate that we'll have success with this," he said.

NLMA, RNU frustrated

The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association expressed concern about the incentive plan in a statement Thursday, saying it has the potential to create further instability in the health-care system.

The association's president, Dr. Steve Major, said in a statement that the announcement is also a breach of contract.

"Our contract covers salary scales and retention incentives for all classes of physicians. The only exception is recruitment incentives for doctors not currently employed in the health system," said Major, adding that the money is a one-year raise in pay, not a recruitment incentive.

The Registered Nurses' Union also bared its teeth after the Health Department's latest effort to tackle health-care worker shortages.

Union president Yvette Coffey said they'vebeen advocating for the government to implement nurse practitioner-led clinics to enhance access to public primary care.

"The government's continued reluctance to implement effective, sustainable solutions is deeply frustrating," said Coffey in the statement.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul

Dr. Major said his main concern is that this incentive will cause family physicians to leave their practice to join a salaried job with a family care team, which won't help more patients access physicians.

"This is essentially robbing Peter to pay Paul, and may result in harm to patients," Major said.

Jim Dinn, leader of the provincialNDP, echoed his worry.

"If all you're doing is taking from one, I guess, over-extended practice and joining them with a collaborative care clinic who has its own roster will the patients there have access or will they be forced to go to the emergency room?" Dinn asked.

"If this is a chess game, all they seem to be doing is moving pieces back and forth without any end-game strategy."

Progressive Conservativehealth critic Barry Pettenput forward a similar critique in a statement Thursday, sayingthe incentive will simply shift doctors from private practices to new teamsand won't increase the overall number of physicians.

"Province-wide, we're hearing stories of people registering for family care teams but finding that there aren't enough doctors or staff to actually provide the care they need," Petten said.

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