1. Communications Planning
A GP for Me
Marisa Adair Executive Director, BCMA

2. Agenda Communications supports for divisions and A GP for Me
Who we are
How we can add value
Why is a communications plan important?
Identifying your audiences
Messaging, messaging, messaging
Communications tools – “the right tools, for the right audience with the right messaging”
The media
Social media
Evaluation
A GP for Me is all about helping patients build stronger, longitudinal relationships with their family doctors.
It’s about building capacity so more patients have a family doctor.
Everyone who wants a family doctor can have one.
It’s about a population health approach that addresses ongoing patient needs across a lifespan for better health results and experiences.
So we can deliver better health outcomes, and
make the best use of health care resources.

3. Provincial Divisions office - Communications supports for you
Based on the Canadian Community Health Survey data, the government estimates that:
615,000 BC residents have no longitudinal relationship with a doctor – that’s about 14% of the BC population, and
176,000 BC residents – about 4% of the population - have been actively looking for a family doctor without success.

4. What can we do for you? Who “we” are How we help you succeed
Consistent look and feel, messaging
Compelling
Reaching your target audiences
Avoiding potential issues
What we promise
Timely service
Strategic advice
International studies and those conducted in BC confirm that there are many benefits to a strong primary care system. Those benefits include:
Fewer hospitalizations
Reduced pressure on ERs
Improved health outcomes, and
Reduced health costs
In addition, based on a study of patients with CHF and diabetes – when these patients had one primary health care provider – it estimated that the potential cost savings are about 85 million dollars a year.
All of which supports the IHI Triple Aim of
Improved population health outcomes
Improved patient and provider care experience
Reduce or at least maintain the per capita health care costs

5. Why a communications plan?
“.. Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” – President Dwight D Eisenhower
Building a strong full service primary care system in communities is critical to achieving Triple Aim outcomes for the overall health system
This includes integration with home and community care, and mental health and substance use services.
These interdependencies enable increased access, coordination, and continuity of care in a community.

6. Keeps everyone on track and on strategy
Why plan?
Proactive
Common framework
Builds understanding
Keeps everyone on track and on strategy
Link your communications to overall goals, plans, activities
“Consistency is the key!”
We also need to integrate with the Health Authorities to leverage their resources
And there are other resources available including the collaborative committees of the Ministry and the BCMA, such as the Shared Care Committee, the Specialist Services Committee and the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues.
All to say that Divisions is not alone in making a GP for Me work within your communities.
Integration will help us build sustainable, long-term plans.

7. Seven step process Lay of the land Goals and objectives Audiences
Messaging
Strategy/tactics
Implementation
Evaluation
A little over $100 million has been dedicated to fund the program.
This level of funding demonstrates our commitment to take the needed steps to improve primary care. We followed a two-pronged approach:
We dedicated 40 million dollars in funds over the next three years to the community level, which will be used by the Divisions of Family Practice to evaluate their community composition, including:
the number of people looking for doctors,
the services being delivered,
the needs of the local family physicians, and
the strengths and gaps in local primary care resources.
And to have Divisions take this information to develop and implement a “customized to the community” plan that improves local primary care capacity
$24 million of that $40 million is dedicated to promoting multi-disciplinary care.
We also committed over 60 million dollars to new fees that are designed to increase efficiency and capacity

8. Audiences talking to you and each other
Sender
Receiver
Message
The new fees are accessed by submitting an Attachment Participation Code each year. This is a zero-sum MSP code
You complete this code and register as the Most Responsible Physician (MRP) and work with your local Division of Family Practice and/or community
Currently over 2350 physicians have access the Attachment Participation Code

9. Step 1 – Getting the lay of the land
The BC Government and BCMA are funding partners and the funds went to the GP Services Committee (GPSC)
The government and BCMA appoint members to GPSC to be accountable for the funds
The GPSC sets the direction, but we need your constant feedback in order to ensure we have a strong approach that will work for your community and stakeholders
We provide the funds to eligible Divisions
GPSC reports results to the funding partners, MoH and the BCMA
The Divisions develop community-level approaches and solutions through collaboration, engagement and support from the Health Authorities and other partners
And two-way communication is developed between the GPSC and the Divisions to ensure efficiencies
We are the communications between GPSC and the Divisions and it is important that it remain free-flowing to achieve our mutual goals

10. Identify opportunities and potential issues SWOT Analysis
Reality check
Identify opportunities and potential issues
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Builds a grounded plan – “No surprises”
We developed the program through much consultation
We had almost 400 family physicians involved
We collected and analyzed data to better understand unattached patient numbers and priority areas for improving the health of vulnerable populations
GPSC shaped a high-level framework
Both the BCMA and the SGP Board of Directors reviewed and approved GPSC’s work
Through workshops, we defined patient attachment and outlined the responsibilities of both the physicians and patients within the relationship
In addition, we worked with Health Authority partners to co-design community supports.

11. Pre-planning research
What already exists?
Who has done this before?
What support can we draw on?
A two-year prototype was tested in White Rock/South Surrey, Prince George and the Cowichan Valley
The results included:
Approximately 9,400 patients connecting to a family physician or a primary care clinic,
Complex care patients now have primary care available through Divisions and/or Health Authority initiatives, which included the establishment of new primary care clinics, and
In White Rock/South Surrey we have the capacity and process in place to connect any unattached patient with a family doctor.
We’ve taken the lessons learned and modified our approach to ensure province-wide success and sustainability.
One important support that did not exist for the prototype communities is $60 million in new fees

12. Situation analysis/intro
Provides the snapshot
Current situation and realities
Trends
Major issues
Challenges
Defines, clarifies opportunity
The key components of attachment are:
Divisional support – Divisions help determine appropriate plans for their unique communities
Partnerships with Health Authorities and other partners to co-develop/design solutions
We didn’t start from scratch – we leveraged and aligned with existing Health Authority, Ministry and Physician Committee initiatives and programs
Patients are key partners in their own health
Practice Supports fees encourages the behaviours needed to make the delivery of primary care more efficient, patient-centered, physician satisfied, and cost effective

13. Step 2 – identify goals and objectives

14. Goals & objectives Goal Broad statement of what you want to achieve
Define what the plan will achieve
Realistic steps to attain the goal
A GP for Me is multi-faceted and ultimately helps patients who want a longitudinal relationship with a family doctor to establish one, without adding any more work for the physician.
This approach has never been tried before under a fee-for-service health care system
However, the prototype demonstrates that it can be done and done well.
GPSC and Divisions signed a Document of Intent, which is critical to the success of a GP for Me.
The keys are:
to collaborate in co-identifying the issues and co-creating solutions
to engage, we might hold different lenses, but we are all here to improve population health outcomes and build a stronger, more sustainable health care system, and
to develop and grow partnerships in order to achieve our mutual success.
This is an evolving process and it will take time to effectively establish in all areas of the province.

15. Step 3 – Identify your audiences

16. Who are we communicating with?
Target audiences
Who are we communicating with?
Primary – high need
Secondary – important, less urgent
Tertiary – “nice to have”

17. Audiences
Primary audiences
Patients/public
Media
Physicians
Health Authority
Secondary audiences
Government
BCMA
Other divisions

18. Ask yourself….
Why should they care?
What’s in for them?
Are they friend or foe?
Are you reaching them when and how they like to be reached?

19. How to reach - family physicians
Physicians like ‘hard copy’ – journals, brochures
New/younger practitioner are online – not just reading, but engaging
Rely on nurses/office managers to download and post
Time crunched….make it easy to get to your information quickly, make call to action clear

20. Media and the public
Why are they important?
How do we reach them?
Most people get their news from……….
The fastest growing source of news is………
A great source of news that many overlook…….

21. Messaging, messaging, messaging

22. Key messages
Main points
Specific
Short
Pithy
Rule of 3

23. Sample key messages A GP for Me Workshop
A GP for Me is about quality patient care.
Effective collaboration and partnerships are the keys. We will only succeed by working together - to share our ideas, and come to effective solutions. That is why we are here today.
You are not alone. We are here to support you and work with you every step of the way as you your work at the community level.

24. Strategy and tactics

25. How the objective(s) will be achieved
Strategy
How the objective(s) will be achieved
In broad terms
Overall approach
Guidelines and themes
May cover all audiences or be audience-specific

26. Sample strategy
Emphasis on word of mouth and face-to-face communication will be used to inform physicians, other health care providers and stakeholders
Media relations will be used to inform the public
First nations leaders will be consulted about messages, tools and materials to ensure they meet target audience needs
Existing communications channels will be used to reduce costs and maximize exposure

27. Activities and tools that help get the job done
Channels (tactics)
Activities and tools that help get the job done
Match with
objectives
strategy
audiences
Test, test, test

28. Meetings and speaking opportunities
Tactics/vehicles
Meetings and speaking opportunities
Physician engagement sessions
Conferences and special events
F-2-F
Peer-to-peer support groups
Opinion leader meetings
Mobilizing supporters
Media
News releases, interviews, photo/footage opps, news conferences

29. Tactics/vehicles Website Publications Community outreach Forums
Information sharing
Publications
Newsletters, annual reports, information brochures, posters, bookmarks
Community outreach
Special events, booths, displays

30. Should we be on Facebook and Twitter?

31. Well…. it’s not about you :)
Is your audience on Facebook and Twitter?
Do you have the resources to maintain an active online presence?
… time/ability to ENGAGE with your audience

32. What makes a good spokesperson
Spokespeople
What makes a good spokesperson
Different spokespeople for different activities
Media
Annual meeting
Key messages
Q&A, rehearsal and practice
Preparation is key

33. Implementation

34. The roll-out
Tactical
Practical, easy for everyone to use and track
Flexible

35. Budget and evaluation

36. You can’t manage what you can’t measure.
However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
Winston Churchill
You can’t manage what you can’t measure.
Richard Quinn, Sears Merchandising Group

37. Evaluation methods Qualitative Quantitative Event attendance
1:1 interviews
Meeting feedback and evaluation forms
Enrollment
Phone calls, s, other inquiries
Quantitative
Media coverage
Readership surveys

38. Sample plan
Situation analysis
Goal & objectives
Audiences
Key messages
Strategy
Tactics
Evaluation
Timeline & budget

39. Questions?