(From Connexion Newsletter Spring/Summer 2024)

For the past six years, HealthLink BC and the Ministry of Health have managed patient attachment in the Thompson Region as part of a pilot project for the Provincial Attachment System (PAS) and all Healthcare Registry work.

Now, all regional Health Connect Registry (HCR) attachment coordination duties are being transferred to the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice. This approach will allow the Division’s attachment coordinator, Ania Zubrowska, to work closely with local primary care providers to assess needs and capacity to build their patient panels.

The goal is to bring an end-to-end attachment approach to Interior Health primary care and private practices, and to contribute to streamlined patient attachment work across the province.

The first two clinics that have initiated this new end-to-end approach in the region include the Urgent Primary Care and Learning Centre and Dr. Abayomi Adetola. With Ania’s help, the two clinics are in the process of attaching approximately 100 patients from the HCR waitlist.

“As a user of the Provincial Attachment System, we are pleased to say, the PAS Program offers a seamless and user-friendly experience, ensuring patients can effortlessly connect with physicians ready to accept new patients,” Dr. Adetola says. “This streamlined process simplifies health care access, making it easier for individuals to find and secure the care they need without hassle. Thanks to Ania Zubrowska for helping all the way in navigating the program.”

Ania is also assisting the Long-term Care Initiative. As one of the LTC physicians prepares to move away from the region — and with the increased need to attach long-term care patients to a most responsible provider — the local attachment coordinator has collaborated with the LTC initiative project team to reach out to providers across the region. This work has helped identify several physicians who were willing to take on LTC patients.

To learn more about the recent changes to patient attachment and how the Division can support you, contact Ania.
Email: azubrowska@thompsondivision.ca