RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Marathon works. How to thrive in rural practice.
JF Canadian Family Physician
JO Can Fam Physician
FD The College of Family Physicians of Canada
SP 1217
OP 1221
VO 51
IS 9
A1 Eliseo Orrantia
YR 2005
UL http://www.cfp.ca/content/51/9/1217.abstract
AB PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED Medical care in rural Canada has long been hampered by insufficient numbers of physicians. How can a rural community's physicians change the local medical culture and create a new approach to sustaining their practice? OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM To create a sustainable, collegial family practice group and address one rural community's chronically underserviced health care needs. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Elements important to physicians'well-being were incorporated into the health care group's functioning to enhance retention and recruitment. The intentional development of a consensus-based approach to decision making has created a supportive team of physicians. Ongoing communication is kept up through regular meetings, retreats, and a Web-based discussion board. Individual physicians retain control of their hours worked each year and their schedules. A novel obstetric call system was introduced to help make schedules more predictable. An internal governance agreement on an alternative payment plan supports varied work schedules, recognizes and funds non-clinical medical work, and pays group members for undertaking health-related projects. CONCLUSION This approach has helped maintain a stable number of physicians in Marathon, Ont, and has increased the number of health care services delivered to the community.