One way to improve health care — open medical homes faster, says Health P.E.I.

P.E.I. needs to move faster to open more patient medical homes in order to get Islanders the front-line health care they need, says Health P.E.I.'s chief medical officer.

First announced by the government in 2021, patient medical homes are a team-based approach to primary health care, with physicians, nurse practitioners, counsellors, dietitians and more all working together to help patients. 

"The faster we can get teams in place, the better it's going to be for everybody," said Dr. Katherine McNally, chief medical officer for Health P.E.I. 

"We have more interest in people moving into team-based care than we can keep up with right now … the processes need to move faster, so we can support people in the way they need support," she said. 

The medical homes are a key part of Health P.E.I.'s strategy to get Islanders off the wait list for a family doctor or nurse practitioner on P.E.I. That list currently sits at more than 27,000 people.  

The idea behind the homes is that not every health concern needs to get funnelled through a physician first. 

"In the old model you wait to see the physician and then they may refer you to a dietitian or a physiotherapist or a social worker," said McNally.

"In this model, you can see those people first, and you don't have to wait to see a physician or nurse practitioner to see the other team members."

There are 10 patient medical homes on P.E.I. that have started operating to some degree in the last year, with teams of various sizes and makeups.

But McNally said those teams need to be able to hire new staff faster. 

"There's a lot of steps in terms of just getting approval. And then once you get approval you have to get funding. And then once you get funding, then you can start talking about hiring," she said. 

"In 2023, we don't have the time to go through lengthy processes in order to adapt to what the health-care environment needs us to do right now." 

Doctors leaving adds pressure

When doctors across the province close their practices, more patients are added to the wait list. 

Last week, Dr. Hal McRae announced he's closing his Summerside practice in April, writing in a letter to patients that it had become "increasingly challenging to care for patients within the current system."

"When you hear your physician's leaving, everyone is going to be concerned about that and everyone's going to want solutions," said McNally.

McNally isn't the first to raise concerns about lengthy processes impacting health care on P.E.I.

In December, Health P.E.I.'s board chair, Derek Key, resigned, saying Prince Edward Island would "continue to fail" in its capacity to develop quality health care unless it addresses ongoing systemic issues that include inefficient hiring practices and a lack of accountability.

After Key's resignation, P.E.I. Health Minister Ernie Hudson said his department would delve into his concerns. 

But Hudson also said at the time that the province's approach to hiring new health-care staff was working. 

Patient medical homes could be a way to recruit more professionals to the Island faster, said McNally. 

"We're really hoping that this model of care helps attract people and it becomes one of the reasons people choose to be here," she said. 

"We really do need a net new influx or addition of people to come work on P.E.I., there's no question about that."