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How to use the Provincial Attachment System:
Information for NPs

Step-by-step guidance for nurse practitioners using B.C.’s Provincial Attachment System, including patient attachment, panel management, transfers and support.

This information was developed by the Ministry of Health and is shared by NNPBC to help relevant nurse practitioners understand and use the program.

Submitting an endorsement in the PAS

All nurse practitioners providing longitudinal primary care are expected to use the Provincial Attachment System (PAS). Nurse practitioners are encouraged to build the PAS into their clinic workflows and delegate responsibilities in the PAS to staff in their clinic, such as their medical office assistant (MOA) or clinic manager. Endorsed staff can complete PAS panel management activities including reviewing patient attachments from HCR on behalf of a provider.

To delegate responsibilities in the PAS to someone in your clinic such as an MOA, you will need to complete the endorsement process in OneHealthID once for each delegate. More information on the endorsement process can be found in the Complete Endorsements to Access PAS User Guide (PAS login required).

Both the request initiator (e.g., an MOA) and request receiver (e.g., a nurse practitioner) must log into the OneHealthID Portal and complete the log-in steps before starting the endorsement process. The request initiator can be either the licensed or unlicensed user. The request receiver must be a licensed user.

Step 1: Request initiator

The request initiator (e.g., an MOA) should log into the OneHealthID Portal with the BC services card app and click ‘Give Access’ on the Home Page.

Enter the email address of the request receiver (e.g., a nurse practitioner).

Step 2: Request receiver

The request receiver will receive an email from the OneHealthID Portal sent by the request initiator. Click the link in the email and log in to the OneHealthID Portal.

Click on ‘Give Access’ on the Home Page to approve the endorsement request.

Step 3: Add the request initiator to the clinic

After an MOA or clinic staff member has logged into the PAS for the first time, the PAS system director, which is the provider in a clinic who is responsible for ensuring that clinic details are accurate in the PAS, can add them to the clinic. More information can be found in the Add and Remove Users for a Clinic User Guide (PAS login required).

Step 4: Designate the request initiator as a Panel Manager

After the MOA or clinic staff member has been added to the clinic, you can designate them as a Panel Manager. More information can be found in the Designate a Panel Manager User Guide (PAS login required).

Attaching patients in the PAS

Nurse practitioners who have capacity to attach new patients – today or in the future – can indicate their capacity and digitally review patients for attachment directly in PAS. Visit the PCN Toolkit | PAS Attachment Process for more information.

Once a nurse practitioner or their delegate (e.g., an MOA) has indicated their capacity, an attachment coordinator in their community will engage with them or their clinic to coordinate the digital attachment process. This approach reduces the burden on primary care clinics by making the process easier, faster and more efficient; and accelerates the time it takes to be attached for patients.

Step 1: Advise if you can accept new patients

If you have capacity to expand your panel, you or your delegate (e.g., an MOA) can advise how many new patients you anticipate being able to attach per month, and your overall desired panel size. The ‘Monthly Capacity Rate’ and ‘Desired Panel Size’ can be changed at any time.

Visit the PCN Toolkit | Updating your Capacity in the Provincial Attachment System for more information on updating your capacity in the PAS.

  • The Monthly Capacity Rate is the number of new attachments you can accept each month (e.g., if you want to accept 5 new patients this month, you should write ‘5’). If you are not accepting new patients currently, enter ‘0’ in this field.
  • The Desired Panel Size is the total number of patients you would like on your patient panel (e.g., if you need to have a total of 400 patients on your panel to meet your contracted attachment target you should enter ‘400’ here. If you do not have a contracted attachment target, you should enter the total panel size your employer requires).
Step 2: Connect with an attachment coordinator

Attachment coordinators will review the capacity information you have shared, the registration information of patients registered on the HCR, and their knowledge of your clinic and panel preferences. They will use this information to digitally recommend patients for attachment through the PAS Panel Registry.

An attachment coordinator will contact you once you have identified capacity. To connect with the attachment coordinator in a Primary Care Network community in advance, contact your local Division of Family Practice.

Step 3: Review the list of possible patients

Health Connect Registry patient information will be shared with you for patients that are recommended for attachment including demographics, complexity (high, medium, or low), and information patients have shared about their health needs. Once you have received the list of potential patients to attach in the PAS, review and consider which patients would be a good fit for you and your practice.

For those that you would like to attach, select ‘Accept’. The patient will now be on your Clinic Intake list. Your clinic should now contact these patients to discuss the attachment with them. The patient will receive a notification that a clinic will be contracting them. After meeting the patient, if both you and the patient feel that the attachment is a good fit, you can use the PAS to indicate ‘Attach’ or you can bill the 98990 $0 attachment code to attach the patient to your panel.

If either you or the patient feel that the attachment is not a good fit, use the PAS to ‘Decline’ the patient attachment. The patient will be returned to the HCR, at their original position on the registry, while an attachment coordinator finds them another match.

Most Responsible Provider (MRP) in the PAS

Nurse practitioners can view the Most Responsible Provider (MRP) Status for each patient on their PAS panel in a ‘PAS MRP Status’ column within the Panel Registry. For more information on the PAS MRP Status visit the PCN Toolkit | Most Responsible Provider.

The definition of each status, and potential actions that may be required, include:

  • Confirmed: The patient is confirmed as attached to you (i.e., you are the MRP for this patient).
  • Not the MRP: The patient is confirmed as attached to a different primary care provider, or the patient has indicated that they are not attached to you (i.e., you are not their MRP). If you are certain that they are your patient and that you provide their longitudinal care, please bill the 98990 $0 attachment code along with your facility ID to add them to your panel. If you agree that the patient is not yours, you can ‘Remove’ them from your PAS panel.
  • Pending: The patient’s MRP status is pending confirmation. If you are certain that they are your patient and that you provide their longitudinal care, please bill the 98990 $0 attachment code along with your facility ID to add them to your panel. If you are unsure whether you are the patient’s MRP, please have the patient confirm who their MRP is by asking them the next time you see them. Alternatively, you can ask the patient to make their choice by at HealthLink BC | Confirm your Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner or by calling HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.

Transferring a patient or panel in the PAS

Nurse practitioners who are accepting the transfer of select patients or a full panel from another primary care provider can accept the transfer of those patients directly in the PAS. Likewise, if a nurse practitioner would like to refer patients to another provider (e.g., because they are leaving the clinic or retiring), that transfer can be completed in the PAS using the Transfer Panel feature.

An individual patient transfer or full panel transfer in the PAS must be accepted by the receiving provider for the changes to reflect on both providers’ PAS panels. More information can be found in the Complete a Panel Transfer User Guide (PAS login required).

Accessing the PAS for the first time

If a nurse practitioner has not yet participated in the PAS, they should follow the steps below to access and begin using the PAS.

Step 1: Access the PAS
  • Download the BC Services Card App on your mobile device and verify your identity. The BC Services Card App is used to access multiple services with the Government of BC so you may have already completed this step.
  • Create your BCProvider Account through OneHealthID on your desktop and follow the system prompts. This is a one-time setup, reusable across multiple systems and reduces the number of accounts needed to access services. For more information on registering for a BCProvider account you can watch the Register for Your BCProvider Account Video.
  • Login to the PAS using your BCProvider Account username and complete the Multifactor Authentication process with your desktop and mobile device. This adds an additional layer of security when logging in.

For more information on registering for and accessing the PAS you can watch the Access the Provincial Attachment System Video.

If you need help registering for your BCProvider account, please contact OneHealthID directly:

Step 2: Confirm the facility ID

A Facility ID is required to complete your initial panel upload to the PAS, and when submitting the 98990 0$ attachment fee code for any new attachments or to resolve MRP Status discrepancies.

If you are unsure whether your clinic has a facility ID, reach out to your clinic director. If the clinic is health authority owned and operated, reach out to your NP lead for this number or information on how to request one.

If your clinic does not have an existing facility ID, you may need to request one from Health Insurance BC (HIBC). Have your clinic director fill out the MSP Facility Number Request Form and submit it by fax. Select “BCP not to be applied” in section B, when completing the request. It will take 15-20 business days to process this request.

For support requesting a facility ID, please reach out to HIBC directly by phone at:

  • Toll-free: 1 800 663-7100
  • Lower Mainland: 604 683-7151
Step 3: Submit your panel to the PAS

If you are a new provider or have not yet uploaded your panel to the PAS, please reach out to PAS support for guidance on how to submit your panel to the PAS.

If you are taking over an existing panel from another provider, you do not need to submit a new panel. Instead follow the instructions on how to transfer a panel in the PAS.

Step 4: Review your provider profile in PAS

Login to the PAS and navigate to the Clinic and Provider Registry. Ensure that you are added to all relevant clinics. If you are not, speak to your clinic director and ask them to add you.

If you are a PAS system director, which is a provider in a clinic who will is responsible for ensuring that clinic details are accurate in the PAS, there are some additional steps you will need to complete:

  • Add yourself as a director at the relevant clinics.
  • Confirm that all clinic details are correct such as type of care provided, address, phone number, and fax number.
  • Ensure all providers and staff members who should have access to the PAS for your clinic have been added.
  • If applicable, assign director level permissions to other members of your team. You can enable that access through the member’s profile using the Manage Facility checkbox.
  • Please review clinic and provider details on a quarterly basis to ensure that they remain up to date. More information can be found in the Update Clinic Details User Guide (PAS login required).

Technical and training support

If you have questions about using and accessing the PAS, including technical concerns, please contact PAS support by email: healthbcsupport@phsa.ca

Or connect with live virtual support via Microsoft Teams

  • Meeting ID: 253 771 415 278 0
  • Passcode: LB9Zo3P7

Please note that you do not need a Microsoft Teams account to reach virtual support. You can join as a guest by clicking the meeting link or dialing-in by phone.

Dial in by phone:

PAS Support is available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding stat holidays.

Additional resources

Additional support resources for using the PAS can be found at: