BC’s Island Health faces backlash over new hospital policy on assigning responsible physicians

A new policy introduced by Island Health in British Columbia is drawing concern from Doctors of BC over its potential impact on physician autonomy and patient care.

The policy relates to assigning the most responsible physician, or MRP, when multiple doctors are involved in a patient’s care.

Under the new rules, if doctors cannot agree on who should take on the role, the hospital chief of staff or a senior physician can make the decision.

Dr Ben Williams, Island Health’s chief medical officer, told CHEK News the situation is rare: “This doesn’t happen very often. Most of the time, the doctors work it out between themselves.”

However, Dr Adam Thompson, president of Doctors of BC, told the outlet the organisation is “really quite concerned about Island Health’s decision to allow the Chiefs of Staff to assign the most responsible physician role on an involuntary basis.”

He warned the policy could be used more often than intended and may pressure doctors to take on patients without adequate resources or expertise.

“Doctors really are concerned that they may be pressured to accept patients when they haven’t got the resources, capacity, or even potentially the expertise, to provide that care safely for the patient,” he said.

Doctors of BC is calling for the policy to be paused and reviewed through further consultation.