GAP: the package offered to family medicine groups reduced to $100 per patient

The details of the agreement reached this week between Quebec and the Federation of General Practitioners (FMOQ) regarding the financing of the Front Line Access Center (GAP) are now known.

The lump sum offered to family medicine groups (GMF) will ultimately be reduced from $120 to $100 per year per orphan patient in care.

The information was quickly relayed in the media on Friday afternoon, when the FMOQ presented to its members the details of the agreement reached earlier this week with the Legault government.

The previous agreement expired on 1^er June. Since then, the availability offered by general practitioners had dropped radically, to the point where it had become almost impossible to make an appointment in certain regions such as Outaouais.

Worried, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, accused the FMOQ to “take patients hostage”, which was vigorously defended by the president of the Federation, Marc-André Amyot. The opposition, for its part, held the government responsible for the impasse.

Signed two years ago, the letter of understanding at the heart of this standoff provided for payment to GMF a lump sum of $120 per year for each orphan patient taken care of through the GAP.

Quebec argued that this amount was too high and doubted that patients, once officially taken into care, could really see a doctor.

For this reason, the new agreement provides that the $100 package will be subject to different payments: the first half of this amount will be paid quarterly depending on the commitment ($12.50 per quarter, or $50 per year ), while the other half ($50) will be paid when making an appointment.

A “bridge” clause was also included in the agreement to allow its renewal in one year. This provision was added to avoid reliving the psychodrama in recent weeks, explained Dr. Amyot in an interview with Radio-Canada on Friday morning.

Because the absence of such a device this year has possibly pushed certain general practitioners to turn away from GAP since 1^er June, according to him. In the circumstances, Dr. Amyot invites Quebecers to moderate their expectations.

The doctors were not waiting to sit around until an agreement was reached. There are doctors who have taken on other activities, so it will take some time before they get back to cruising speed. If we reach it again.

Before June 1, approximately 18,000 appointments were made each week through the GAP. This figure has since dropped to less than 7,000 meetings.

Another negotiation begins

Retroactive to 1^er June, the agreement concluded by Quebec and the FMOQ this week will prevail for the next year, unless its provisions are included in the framework agreement that the two parties are preparing to renegotiate. In government, the file was entrusted to the President of the Treasury Board, Sonia LeBel.

FMOQ on X, Friday afternoon. We will continue our discussions on the implementation of a new model which, despite a shortage of 1500family doctors, will improve access to the first line.”,”text”:”The negotiations [sic] on the renewal of our framework agreement, which expired in 2023, will take place in the coming months, recalled the FMOQ on X, Friday afternoon. We will continue our discussions on the implementation of a new model which, despite a shortage of 1,500 family doctors, will improve access to the first line.”}}”>The negotiations [sic] on the renewal of our framework agreement, which expired in 2023, will take place in the coming months, recalled the FMOQ on X, Friday afternoon. We will continue our discussions on the implementation of a new model which, despite a shortage of 1,500 family doctors, will improve access to the first line.

Minister Dubé, for his part, welcomed at the same time, on the same network, that the agreement reached this week could allow the two parties to move to the next stage.

GAP while we concentrate our efforts on renewing the framework agreement”,”text”:”Through this bridging agreement, we wanted Quebecers to be able to benefit from access to the GAP while we concentrate our efforts on renewing the framework agreement. ‘framework agreement’}}”>Through this bridging agreement, we wanted Quebecers to be able to benefit from access to GAP while we focus our efforts on renewing the framework agreementhe indicated.

We wanted to improve access for Quebecers and ensure that they get value for their money. The premium per patient registered with a GMF therefore goes from $120 to $100. Half of this amount will now be paid when the patient is seen, this is a concrete result for the population.

Quebec estimates that the GAP has enabled the collective care of more than 910,000 orphan patients since its creation in 2022.

With information from Véronique Prince, Marie-Josée Paquette-Comeau and Anne-Charlotte Carignan