PITO Local Physician Champions

October 28, 2007

As part of PITO's mandate to "co-ordinate, facilitate and support information technology planning and implementation for physicians", PITO is inviting expressions of interest from BC physicians to support their colleagues in EMR and IT adoption by becoming PITO Local Physician Champions.

PITO Local Physician Champions will:

Lead local physician user groups (PUGs) that provide a venue to share experiences, disseminate new information, and gather feedback on EMR and IT adoption;
Be a resource to local physicians interested in adoption of EMRs and information technology;
Help to identify demonstration sites for physicians interested in better understanding the use of EMR in clinical practice; and,
Provide a liaison between PITO and the local physician community.

The Local Physician Champions will be reimbursed for their time and will gain opportunities to network with their peers, pursue their interest in clinical use of information technology, take on related opportunities as physician experts in other information technology clinical advisory groups, and take on a leadership role in their local medical community.

Local Physician Champions will receive support from the PITO Local Relationship Manager in their area, who will assist with coordination, scheduling, documentation, etc. PITO will provide the Local Physician Champions with information and tools to help them in their role, and bring the Local Physician Champions together on a regular basis for collaboration and ongoing learning to help them be on the forefront of IT adoption and use.

The closing date for expressions of interest in the PITO Local Physician Champion program has been extended to February 15, 2008.

PITO Local Physician Champions will be reimbursed for time committed to this role. Initial allocations will be for up to 2 days per month (average one half day per week) per local champion at standard honorarium rates and may be adjusted from time to time as the program proceeds. The hours will be flexible to the Local Physician Champion's schedule to minimize impact on clinical time.

PITO is seeking physicians as Local Physician Champions who are:

Available 2+ days per month;
Active EMR users, have used an EMR extensively in the past, or are in the process of implementing an EMR;
Engaged in use of the EMR for practice optimization (clinical quality improvement, practice management);
Advocates of "eHealth" adoption; and,
Comfortable serving as leaders and facilitators amongst their peers.

PITO is interested in hearing from physicians in all areas of the province. PITO has identified a tentative list of areas of coverage for PITO Local Physician Champions, listed below, based approximately on "Health Service Delivery Area" boundaries (with some modifications). Each PITO Local Physician Champion will cover a community of approximately 200-300 physicians on average, not all of which will be engaged in EMR/IT or the local Physician User Groups (PUGs).

PITO Local Physician Champion Region List (tentative)

1. East Kootenays (Creston to Windermere and Fernie)
2. Kootenay Boundary (Grand Forks to Trail and Nelson)
3. South Okanagan (Princeton to Summerland and Osoyoos)
4. North Okanagan (Kelowna to Enderby)
5. Thompson-Cariboo-Shuswap
6. Fraser Valley East (Abbotsford/Mission to Hope)
7. Fraser Valley North (Burnaby/New West to Maple Ridge)
8. Fraser Valley South (Delta/Surrey/Langley)
9. Richmond
10. Vancouver - North Shore
11. Vancouver - Downtown
12. Vancouver - West Side & East End
13. Vancouver - South
14. Sea-to-Sky & Sunshine Coast (Bowen to Pemberton & Powell River)
15. Victoria - Western Communities
16. Victoria - Esquimalt to Gordon Head
17. Victoria - Saanich Peninsula (Saanich to Gulf Islands)
18. Cowichan Valley (Mill Bay to Ladysmith)
19. Nanaimo Region (Nanaimo to Qualicum & Tofino)
20. Central Island (Cumberland to Campbell River)
21. North Island (Sayward to Port Hardy)
22. Prince Rupert to Stewart and Smithers, including Queen Charlottes
23. Northeast (Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, and north)
24. Northern Interior (Prince George, Quesnel, Burns Lake)
25. Specialist-specific community (with subsections)

If you are interested in becoming a PITO Local Physician Champion, please email the following to info@pito.bc.ca:

Name
Community
Brief description of EMR/IT experience
Brief description of interest in being a PITO Local Physician Champion

PITO may follow up with you to gain further insight prior to matching individuals to each local area.

For more information please contact the PITO office at:

Phone: (604) 638-2946
Email: info@pito.bc.ca
Fax: (604) 638-2949