Policy and Regional Programs Unit

The Policy and Regional Programs Unit provides policy, program and financial management, and consultation service fore: alternate payment contracts for specialty physician services, medical renumeration provided to regions for critical specialty services (e.g., radiology, pathology, emergency room physicians), the Clinical Services Fund (a source of funds for the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan), the Emergency Room Coverage Program, and the Specialist Emergency Coverage Program. The Unit also provides expertise on various aspects of medical services including physician education, recruitment and retention initiatives, physician resource planning, licensure and regulation, as well as program development, management and evaluation.

Alternate methods of compensating physicians are designed to:

• remove finanical barriers to providing certain types of care in the fee-for-service system
• provide physicians with the flexibility to develop programs and deliver services that meet the needs of patients, including longer term therapies, health promotion and other educational activities;
• allow more time with patients and to focus on complex cases;
• encourage physicians to work in multi-disciplinary health terms; and
• support the provision of specialized services that are necessary, but tend to be less well renumerated in the fee-for-service system (e.g., geriatrics, paediatrics)

Funding levels for alternate payment projects are determined based on a number of factors including the population served, service need, and ongoing viability and sustainability of the services. Change factors including the availability of health human resources, clinical practices, new technology and the service needs of the broader health regions are alson taken into account when developing contracts for physician services.

Alternate payment arrangements for specialty services serve to stabilize the supply of specialist physicians and enhance service integration. Currently, a significant number of physician groups in specialties such as intensive care, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, anaesthesia and paediatrics are involved in these arrangements. Physicians and providers considering alternate payment arrangements are encouraged to explore the opportunities and benefits of this approach for meeting the health needs of the populations they serve.