Joint Collaborative Committees

Specialist Services Committee Meeting Summaries

May 2025

The SSC full committee did not meet in May. 

April 2025

  • The SSC met on April 24, 2025. 
    • The committee approved additional allocation amounts for Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) programs, which will be added to the health authority (HA) base budgets and reflected in the funding transfer agreement issued in late April 2025. 
    • In early March, SSC received additional funding from the New Fee Item Fund from the PMA 2023-24 underspend, and from additional projected underspend from SSC’s 2024-25 budget. The following proposals were approved for 2025-26:
      • Funding to the Consultant Specialists Team Care initiative will support cohort 2 contracts to allow specialists more time to collect data and implement their team model. Funding will also support the initiative to conduct a sustainability evaluation, design the UBC curriculum, revise the Toolkit, and support expert clinical faculty in engaging with a strategic task force (Doctors of BC, SSC, and Consultant Specialists of BC) to develop a scalable and future state for the initiative. 
      • Quality Improvement Central funds will pay physician advisors for their time to support the six HA teams and the QI Working Group in executing the overall QI workplan.
    • Two other proposals, one supporting Specialist Practice Advancement (SPA) Infrastructure for Community Based Specialists, and one from the Health Innovation Pathway Program with the Ministry of Health, were submitted. The SSC requested more information before a decision could be made.
  • Fraser Health’s Spreading Seed Localization for Non-Palpable Breast Lesions Project has secured sponsorship from the health authority to fund and implement seed technology at six sites.
  • In collaboration with the MOH, the representation of Doctors of BC at the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee (PSEC) was successfully secured. This milestone enhances front-line physician involvement in setting shared provincial surgical priorities with the Ministry of Health aligned with provincial strategies and mandates, including the integration and standardization of best practices, clinical pathways, and innovation across health authorities.  
  • SSC Milestones for April: 
    • Fraser Health’s Spreading Seed Localization for Non-Palpable Breast Lesions Project has secured sponsorship from the health authority to fund and implement seed technology at six sites.
    • In collaboration with the MOH, the representation of Doctors of BC at the Provincial Surgical Executive Committee (PSEC) was successfully secured. This milestone enhances front-line physician involvement in setting shared provincial surgical priorities with the Ministry of Health aligned with provincial strategies and mandates, including the integration and standardization of best practices, clinical pathways, and innovation across health authorities.  

March 2025

  • The SSC held an ad hoc meeting on March 14 to discuss two issues related to the FY2025-26 SSC Workplan and Budget: 1. Health Authority (HA) Base Fund Transfer Agreement Allocations for QI programs and, 2. Allocation ideas for unanticipated additional one-time funding that the SSC will receive in 2025-26.
    • 2025-26 HA FTA allocations were determined to ensure program continuity relative to decreased one-time funding and in the context of a more constrained fiscal environment broadly.  
    • The SSC approved allocations as a base (minimum) with the following conditions:
      1. The outstanding HA FTA budget allocation decisions will be developed using a collaborative process through the SSC Quality Improvement Working Group (QIWG) and HA SSC Steering Committees, and with consideration for rural geography, impact and number of physicians.
      2. For 2026-27 onwards, the SSC QIWG and the six HA SSC Steering Committees will collaborate to develop an allocation framework that incorporates factors such as rural geography, impact, number of physicians, and the current fiscal environment. The framework will be recommended to the SSC for final approval and implementation.  
    • The SSC will allocate additional one-time funds due to an underspend from the PMA’s New Fee Item Fund 2023-24 and a projected underspend from SSC’s 2024-25 Workplan at their April meeting based on member proposals. 
    • The SSC 2025-2030 strategic framework was approved at the February 20 SSC meeting. 
    • Cohort 2 of the Consultant Specialist Team Care (CSTC) Collaborative concluded on February 28, culminating in a virtual outcomes congress with 22 CSTC teams.
  • SSC Milestones for March: 
    • The SSC 2025-2030 strategic framework was approved at the February 20SSC meeting. 

February 2025

  • The SSC met on February 20, 2025. Due to scheduling conflicts, there was not a quorum of Ministry members. Decisions and meeting were formalized with the Ministry Co-Chair the week of February 24, including:
    • Allocation of returned ongoing funding within the SSC 2025-26 Workplan and Budget, following consultation with SSC initiative working groups and Consultant Specialists of BC.   
    • Development of criteria and decision-making principles for returned one-time funding, which will be allocated to a provincial contingency fund accessible to SSC initiatives (excluding Facility Engagement) and emergent priorities in 2025-26. 
    • Committee consultation on recommendations for the Physician Leadership Scholarship program.
    • Committee consultation on beginning the process of standardizing the initiative level Working Group Terms of Reference across SSC, in an effort to strengthen governance and enhance transparency.
  • On November 7, the Consultant Specialist Team Care All-Team Day of Learning was held in Vancouver, attended by 23 specialists and their teams. The session used networking to identify solutions for challenges facing teams and explored change ideas to improve clinic efficiency and meet patient expectations.
  • The Perioperative Clinical Action Network (PCAN) Summit 2024 took place on November 18, with 154 participants (47 SPs, 10 FPs). 88% of participants reported increased knowledge of BC surgical strategies.
  • The Physician Quality Improvement and Spreading Quality Improvement initiatives held a 2-day Regional Team Forum, bringing together over 80 regional staff and physician advisors from across BC.
  • The implementation of preoperative optimization in British Columbia: a quality improvement initiative was published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, showcasing the work of the Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative (SPOC).
  • Cohort 2 of the Consultant Specialist Team Care (CSTC) Collaborative concluded on Feb 28, culminating in a virtual outcomes congress.  22 CSTC teams presented on their team care models and shared their learnings.  A final evaluation report is currently being developed.  At the time of the congress, 97% (n=487) of patients indicated that they had experienced an improved experience due to team care, 85% (20/23) of care providers reported improved job satisfaction because of working in a team care model, and specialists demonstrated increased access to specialist care by increasing the number of new consults per clinic day by 31%.
  • The new SSC Strategic Framework has been finalized, and endorsement was received from SSC members.
  • SSC Milestones November to February: 
    • On November 7, the Consultant Specialist Team Care All-Team Day of Learning was held in Vancouver, attended by 23 specialists and their teams. The session used networking to identify solutions for challenges facing teams and explored change ideas to improve clinic efficiency and meet patient expectations.
    • The Perioperative Clinical Action Network (PCAN) Summit 2024 took place on November 18, with 154 participants (47 SPs, 10 FPs). 88% of participants reported increased knowledge of BC surgical strategies.
    • The Physician Quality Improvement and Spreading Quality Improvement initiatives held a 2-day Regional Team Forum, bringing together over 80 regional staff and physician advisors from across BC.
    • The implementation of preoperative optimization in British Columbia: a quality improvement initiative was published in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, showcasing the work of the Surgical Patient Optimization Collaborative (SPOC).
    • Cohort 2 of the Consultant Specialist Team Care (CSTC) Collaborative concluded on February 28, culminating in a virtual outcomes congress.  22 CSTC teams presented on their team care models and shared their learnings.  A final evaluation report is currently being developed.  At the time of the congress, 97% (n=487) of patients indicated that they had experienced an improved experience due to team care, 85% (20/23) of care providers reported improved job satisfaction because of working in a team care model, and specialists demonstrated increased access to specialist care by increasing the number of new consults per clinic day by 31%.
    • The new SSC Strategic Framework has been finalized, and endorsement was received from SSC members.