Long Term Care Initiative
Long Term Care Initiative
The Long Term Care Initiative (LTCI) supports Richmond Family Physicians to build local, scalable, and sustainable solutions that improve the care of patients who live in long-term care homes throughout Richmond.
Richmond’s LTCI team encourages Family Physicians to explore ways they can enrich their practice by spending a portion of their time caring for residents in one of five Richmond long-term care homes.
History of the LTCI
By 2015, long-term care homes throughout British Columbia were struggling to find Family Physicians who would provide care to long-term residents. In response, the B.C. Ministry of Health launched the Long Term Care Initiative (LTCI), which aims to standardize medical care across the province’s long-term care homes while attracting more physicians into long-term care environments. LTCI Physicians agree to provide the Five Best Practice Expectations of care and to promote system-level outcomes.
Richmond’s LTCI program launched on May 1st, 2017 and is led by the Richmond Division of Family Practice in close collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health.
Five Best Practice Expectations
- 24/7 availability and on-site attendance, when required
- Proactive visits to residents
- Meaningful medication reviews
- Completed documentation
- Attendance at case conferences
System-Level Outcomes
- Reduced unnecessary/inappropriate hospital transfers
- Improved patient-provider experiences
- Reduced cost per patient as the result of higher quality of care