Skip navigation.

Financial Information

Where does the money go?

See a summary of funding allocation

BCPRA works hard to ensure that all kidney patients receive equitable access to care regardless of where they live and what level of care they need.

In partnership with health authority renal programs, we manage an annual budget of approximately $141 million – funding allocated by the BC Ministry of Health on a per patient/per year basis to BCPRA via the Provincial Health Services Authority.

Our renal funding model

Renal care is expensive. To ensure rigour and fairness in allocating funds, BCPRA has developed a patient-focused model that provides an accurate assessment of costs and enables flexible care based on each patient’s needs.

Unique in Canada, our funding model is a combination of centralized (at the agency level) and decentralized (at the health authority level) functions. It has attracted the attention of other provinces for its focus on the patient and its ability to accommodate changing healthcare needs. 

Benefits of our model:

  • Accounts for all the variables that affect the cost of services, for instance the different roles of care providers and the time needed for clinical care
  • Provides an accurate assessment of all costs rather than simply an estimate
  • Provides for incentives to promote early intervention and patient self-care
  • Ensures that all patients, irrespective of where they receive treatment, have access to resources they need (for instance nurse, dietitian, social worker)
  • Promotes best practices
  • Assists BCPRA and health authority renal programs with planning and with business case development – and facilitates creative solutions

The success of our approach shows in the results: year after year, BCPRA and the health authority renal programs deliver accurate projections of funding needs and consistently deliver on budget.

We also continue to expand our services, including a 25 percent increase in dialysis chairs and significant expansions to chronic kidney disease (CKD) clinics. Since 2001, funding for CKD clinics has increased by almost $3.5 million, and the number of patients seen has grown four-fold.

For more information on BCPRA’s funding model and guidelines, contact the Renal Agency office, at 604-875-7340 or by email.