Medical Staff Contract Management (MSCM) works collaboratively with clinical operations programs and medical leadership to develop and manage contracts for medical staff services required by the Health Authority. These contracts ensure alignment with Ministry of Health policies and support effective implementation of medical staff agreements.
MSCM partners closely with other Medical and Academic Affairs teams—including Practice Design (focused on designing and developing new medical services), Credentialing and Privileging, and Recruitment—to facilitate the development and execution of medical staff contracts.
MSCM is responsible for the following:
- Negotiates, drafts and issues contracts to Medical Staff for Clinical, On-Call, Sessional, Medical Leadership and Administrative services
- Responsible for all stages of the Medical Staff Contract Lifecycle including execution, contract management and renewal of contracts
- Provides advice and expertise on Medical Staff contract language, service parameters and reporting requirements
- Ensures compliance with Provincial and Health Authority contracting requirements
- Provides stewardship for Ministry and Health Authority funds for Medical Staff contracted services
MSCM also collaborates closely with Physician Compensation to ensure that contracted medical staff are paid through authorized invoices and that required utilization data is accurately submitted to the Ministry of Health.
Physician Compensation
The primary function of the Physician Compensation team is to ensure timely and accurate payments to medical staff working under contracts and other arrangements within Island Health. The team also provides contract and financial analysis and supports financial planning and reporting. In addition, it serves as the first point of contact for physicians with questions about Island Health payments.
Physician Compensation is responsible for the following:
- Developing and maintaining operating budgets
- Forecasting for physician compensation contracts and Ministry of Health funding
- Monitoring and analyzing contract spending against contracts and Ministry funding targets
- Preparing Financial Performance Reports for leadership, the board of directors and external funders
- Providing detailed reporting to Ministry of Health in compliance to Physician Master Agreement (PMA)
- Providing specialized financial analysis and advice for contract management
- Maintaining knowledge of current physician contracts, including Ministry of Health policy
Physician Master Agreement
The Physician Master Agreement (PMA) is a binding, negotiated contract between the Government of British Columbia and Doctors of BC that sets compensation, benefits, and working conditions for physicians in the province. The PMA is typically renegotiated every three years and covers both fee-for-service and alternative payment models, serving as the foundational agreement for doctor remuneration and system-wide collaboration.
Contained within the 2022 Physician Master Agreement is the Alternative Payments Subsidiary Agreement (Appendix D). This appendix defines the compensation and the general terms and conditions that apply to all Salary Agreements, Service, MOCAP and Sessional Contracts between contracted Physicians and Island Health.
The Alternative Payments Program provides funds to BC Health Authorities for specific physician services using a compensation model that is alternative to Fee-For Service and is implemented via the above referenced contracts using templates provided in the PMA
Medical Staff Contracting Process
Requests for new contracts for clinical services undergo the following considerations and approvals:
- Confirmation of funding source for the proposed contract
- Confirmation of the contract deliverables / services, and location(s) where the services are provided
- Confirmation of the Medical Staff contracted to provide the services and their credentials
- Validation of a compensation model that is supported by the Physician Master Agreement or approved Health Authority rates
- When applicable to the service location(s), verifying the Medical Staff contracted to provide the services have privileges to work at the site(s)
Pre-Approvals include
- Approval by Island Health Operational Program and Medical Leadership via a Practice Description
- Approval of a Medical Contract Pre-Approval Form (MCPAF) for contracts funded by Global Operating dollars
- Approval by the Ministry of Health for issuing a new clinical service contract
- Approval of an Impact Assessment
- Approval of new or changes to existing MOCAP contracts (add link to template)
Request for new Leadership, Non-Clinical or Administrative Contracts undergo the same considerations listed above apply however contract pre-approvals are determined by the funding source and scope of work
If you are leaving your position or would like more information, please reach out to the Physician Contracts team by emailing PhysicianContracts@islandhealth.ca