BMJ 1995;311:1317-1318 (18 November)

Editorials

Registering patients and paying capitation in family practice

Lessons from Canada

It may surprise British doctors to learn that universal registration of citizens for primary care is controversial and exists almost nowhere else in the world. They might ask: "How can one take responsibility for a patient's preventive care, and for facilitating appropriate use of community services and referred care, without a defined list of patients?" Indeed, unsatisfactory answers to such questions, implying a less than adequate primary care system, have provided impetus for considering patient registration in other countries.1 We use the current controversy in Canada to explore the issue.

Currently, primary care in Canada is delivered on a fee for service basis by doctors operating privately in solo or group practices. These doctors have no contractual obligations to government payers with regard to location, the mix of services provided, or the organisation of the practice. Although some special arrangements exist to improve the geographical distribution of . . . [Full text of this article]


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Katz, S. J., Charles, C., Lomas, J., Welch, H. G. (1997). Physician Relations in Canada: Shooting Inward as the Circle Closes. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 22: 1413-1431 [Abstract]  
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