About Us

The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) works on behalf of specialist physicians and is focused on the following three areas: 

  1. Develop Physician Capability: Helping specialist physicians develop leadership and quality improvement skills to effectively lead and champion change.

  2. Engage Physicians & Partners: Strengthening relationships between physicians, health authorities and partners, so that collaboratively we can address health system challenges and support quality patient care.

  3. Transform Care Delivery: Improving key patient care and health system priorities as delivered by specialist physicians.

FACILITY ENGAGEMENT funds and supports facility-based Medical Staff Associations (MSAs) to increase engagement among members and with their health authority, to improve care delivery. IMPROVING SPECIALIST JOB SATISFACTION works to address physician burnout and improve provider experience of care delivery. PHYSICIAN QUALITY IMPROVEMENT provides quality improvement training to physicians and supports their Learning Action Projects. PHYSICIAN QUALITY IMPROVEMENT provides quality improvement training to physicians and supports their Learning Action Projects. UBC SAUDER PHYSICIAN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM empowers physicians by providing them with accredited leadership training by the University of British Columbia. PHYSICIAN LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP empowers physicians by providing them with leadership training of their choosing as approved by the SSC. SSC FEES compensates specialists to provide coordinated and timely care to patients and to consult other clinicians on complex cases. QUALITY & INNOVATION PROJECTS enables individual and team projects by specialists across the province to address system and patient health challenges. ENHANCING ACCESS INITIATIVE improves patient access to consult and care by enabling specialist groups to implement a pooled referral model of service delivery. SURGICAL PATIENT OPTIMIZATION COLLABORATIVE works to optimize patient health before major surgery for improved surgical outcomes.

See SSC brochure for more information.

 Click here to download our new one-page Strategic Framework for 2020-22.

Our Structure and Funding

The Specialist Services Committee (SSC) is one of four joint collaborative committees that represent a partnership of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC,  and includes regular representation from health authorities. SSC formed in 2006 under the Physician Master Agreement to help Doctors of BC, BC government and health authorities collaborate on the delivery of specialist services and support improvement of the specialist care system in BC. 

Click on each of the Joint Collaborative Committees below to learn more:

Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC)
Shared Care Committee (SCC)
Specialist Services Committee (SSC)
Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues (JSC)

What’s New

Mar 17, 2023

Development of HIV/STI guidelines on partner notification through Health System Redesign project improves patient experience journey

Jan 24, 2023

Spoken interpretation services available to community specialists

Nov 25, 2022

Health System Redesign Project leads to improved cancer care for BC patients

Three physicians compare and discuss notes
Nov 24, 2022

SSC Supports Physician Leadership to Improve Health Care in BC

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