Care Transitions and the Long-term Care Initiative (LTCI) have been working together for the past four years to advocate for a better Long-term Care Placement form, and it’s finally here. In fact, the whole process has been optimized to take work off your plates.

What you need to know

We know that the previous LTC forms were difficult, time-consuming, and stressful for you. Here’s what you need to know after we worked with Island Health to update the process for collecting medical history for patients waitlisted for long-term care and/or facility respite:

• The “Medical History Request” form (LTC 92/93) which was previously completed by FPs will be discontinued effective February 12, 2024.
• This form will be replaced by the “Health History for Clients Entering Long-term Care and/or Facility Respite”, available on Pathways, which will be completed by your patient’s CHS Case Manager (RN), NOT YOU, whenever possible.
• Under the new process, unattached patients requiring further TB screening will be referred directly to Island Health’s TB program by a CHS RN, as needed.
• Once your patient’s application for LTC or facility respite has been approved, you will be notified of their waitlist date, and will receive a copy of the Health History form that was completed by the Case Manager.
• This new process will decrease Physician workload and reduce the number of urgent requests received. Forthcoming requests will likely be primarily for TB screening purposes, although there may be times when additional patient history from you would be helpful.
• Importantly, this process only applies to applications for subsidized long-term care and facility respite programs that are processed by Island Health; this does not apply to private-pay facilities, who may have their own admission processes.

The new process means less work and fewer urgent demands on your time. It’s a ‘win’ for patients, because it allows for better coverage for those who are unattached as well.

What you need to do

• Your patient’s Case Manager will reach out to you by fax (view their request form here) if further health information is required, or if TB testing needs to be completed prior to the LTC/Facility Respite application.
• If your patient requires subsidized long-term care placement or access to facility respite, and they are not yet known to Case Management, please refer them to CHS per the usual process. You can find information on how to refer to CHS through the Pathways Directory.

If you need more information

You can contact your patient’s CHS case manager for individual inquiries. For general inquiries, including questions about this new process, you can contact Community Health Services through the Physician Connector Service at phone number 250-519-5282. You can also find the Physician Connector information on the Pathways homepage or by using the Pathways search.

The Care Transitions Committee and LTCI have worked hard to make this change happen. We hope it will ease one burden. If you would like to talk to us about this change, you can contact:

Kristin Atwood, Director, Care Innovations: [email protected]

Jessica Swinburnson, Program Manager, Long-term Care Initiative: [email protected]