Information for members about the PCC

December 31, 2015

Dear Member:

In my November 10 President’s Letter, I wrote to you about the Physician Compensation Committee (PCC) and the work being done on a fee review of six codes. You may recall that the fee review was the subject of major discussion at the fall meeting of the Representative Forum and then on October 30 at the Board of Directors.

At that meeting, the board decided on seven action steps to address member concerns about the fee review. There were a number of themes to address: governance and decision making around PCC participation; unity of the profession; equity; communication; technical aspects such as overhead; and patient-focused matters such as access and equity. The board’s overall objective, then and now, is to make progress and continue moving forward.

Two of the board’s action steps focused on engagement and education. First, we wanted to increase engagement of the sections with PCC and make more information available to section leadership about what is taking place and how decisions are being made by the committee. Second, we planned to provide members at large with detailed documentation about how PCC works generally and give you an opportunity to provide feedback.

Accordingly, we have been working extensively with those sections affected by the six codes to engage with PCC, discuss their concerns and explore ramifications. Additionally (and as I reported in my December 16 President’s Letter), a half-day educational and information session about the nuts and bolts of PCC processes was held on December 12.

At the conclusion of that session, those present said that they had increased understanding of PCC processes. They were accepting of the board’s responses to concerns about Alberta Medical Association participation in PCC, and indicated approval of the fee review processes and calculation methodology. More work is ongoing with sections to refine the overhead estimates using the best available data, and to consider other factors that could influence the eventual final decision on the fee revisions, expected early in 2016.

With my letter today, I want to provide you with the promised detailed documentation about PCC. By clicking here you will find a copy of A Physician’s Guide to the Physician Compensation Committee and Individual Fee Review Process. This document was provided to the section representatives who attended the education session. Their subsequent input and suggestions have been incorporated in the version you are receiving today.

You will find very detailed information here about how the PCC has been making decisions and moving through the fee review process. I have included the table of contents and list of appendices at the bottom of this letter to give you a quick overview of the kind of content included.

Any questions or comments you may have are welcome. Email president@albertadoctors.org or leave a comment below.

As we wind down the last day of 2015, I thank you for your support and generous input, and feedback over the past months. I look forward to working with you in 2016. This will be a year when leadership from (and unity within) the profession will be vitally important.

Thank you for all that you give every day to put Patients First^®. Please accept all my best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year.

Kind regards,

Carl W. Nohr, MDCM, PhD, FRCSC, FACS
President

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A Physician’s Guide to the Physician Compensation Committee and Individual Fee Review Process

Table of Contents and Appendices

INTRODUCTION

• What is the role of the PCC?
• How does PCC operate?
  • What are the rules for PCC?
  • How are decisions made – and by whom?
  • How does the AMA participate in PCC?
• PCC Individual Fee Review
• Individual Fee Review Fundamentals
• Individual Fee Review Process
• Individual Fee Review Criteria
• Applying Filters
• Combining Screens
• Limitations and Considerations for Next Steps
• Section Presentations (August-November 2014)
• Development of Fee Valuation Methodology (December 2014-August 2015)
• Next Steps in Fee Review
• Feedback Received

APPENDICES

• Appendix A Provincial Strategic Requirements provided to PCC
• Appendix B Fee Review: Hourly (reference) rate calculation
• Appendix C Sectional Allocation Equivalent description
• Appendix D Physician Business Costs Model
• Appendix E Analysis of time estimates using claims data
• Appendix F American Medical Association approach
• Appendix G Representative Forum resolutions regarding PCC
• Appendix H Fee Review communications timeline