QEII Halifax Infirmary Emergency Department is working with reduced space, which may lead to delays for those with less urgent concerns. Learn more here.
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Taking over a family practice can be a challenging task for physicians. It comes with a large number of patients who have varying needs, and some with complex medical histories that go back decades. It takes time to learn patient history and get your bearings in a new role.
The Transitioning into Practice, Transitioning Out of Practice (TIP-TOP) program is designed to help doctors who find themselves taking over an existing family practice. The program allows the new physician and the retiring physician to overlap their practice for up to two years. This gives the retiring physician the time to pass on knowledge and help the new physician build skills to ensure that patients get continuity of care. Stable funding is provided to both the incoming physician and retiring physician for the period of overlap.
With help from the TIP-TOP program, the Bedford Waterfront Health Clinic recently said farewell to their longtime physician, Dr. Kathy Gallagher as she moved on to retirement. But her patients had no gap in care as the clinic welcomed Dr. Allison Verge, who has taken over Dr. Gallagher’s practice.
Dr. Gallagher began practicing family medicine in Bedford in 1992 and had been caring for some of her patients for 30 years. “Nova Scotia is my home and I enjoyed being close to family and friends while practicing here,” she said. “I think there’s certainly an opportunity in a smaller province like ours to get involved in the community and make a big impact.”
Dr. Verge is originally from Nova Scotia and wanted to practice medicine here as well. “It’s a beautiful place to live. I enjoy the people and the camaraderie among family physicians,” she said.
After completing her undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s University, Dr. Verge attended Dalhousie Medical School. She completed her Family Medicine residency training in Spryfield and then joined the Bedford Waterfront Health Clinic as her first official family physician role.
During the TIP-TOP program, Dr. Verge worked full time at the clinic while Dr. Gallagher went from full-time to part time, slowly reducing her hours during the transition period. Dr. Gallagher helped Dr. Verge in many ways including explaining various roles in the clinic, building a schedule, submitting paperwork to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia (CPSNS), setting her up in their continuing medical education group, teaching her how to correctly bill for services and introducing her to patients with complex medical histories.
“Starting practice is a steep learning curve and having someone available who has done the job for years saved me a great deal of stress and countless hours of trying to figure things out on my own,” said Dr. Verge.
Dr. Gallagher believes the TIP-TOP program is great for the mentorship aspect, and she noted it is especially helpful when it comes to transitioning patients.
“I have had some of my patients for decades and while their information is in their files, I know my patients personally and I have a lot of background knowledge to share,” she said. “I also introduced some patients with complex needs to Dr. Verge and did joint consultations with them to start. Overall, I think it was extremely helpful for the patients, for Dr. Verge and for me to be able to help with the transition and provide support.”
Dr. Verge said that TIP-TOP made it sustainable to take on a full panel of patients. “I would not have been able to care for the large number of patients I have assumed if it wasn’t for the teaching Dr. Gallagher provided and the ability to take more time with patients and tasks as I started,” she said. “On top of everything else, she was able to teach me the aspects of running a business and being self-employed.”
In her retirement, Dr. Gallagher plans to spend time on hobbies like hockey, soccer, softball, biking, going to the gym and travelling. “The TIP-TOP program helped give me peace of mind knowing my patients are taken care of, and it allows me to enjoy my retirement,” she said.
And while Dr. Gallagher plans to keep busy in her retirement, she also has plans to pop into her old clinic and help out from time-to-time to cover vacations or short-term leave.
"I’m looking forward to the future of working with all my new patients,” said Dr. Verge.