Hours Reporting and After Hours Premiums

2022 – 2025 Physician Master Agreement

The Physician Master Agreement (PMA) covers the relationship and economic arrangements between the Government of British Columbia and the Doctors of BC. In January 2023, Physicians across the province accepted the proposed 2022-2025 PMA with a total of 5,591 votes cast and 94.15% accepting the agreement.

The 2022-2025 PMA has a number of new provisions and changes that are required to be implemented by regional health authorities. This page will serve as a resource and information hub in regards to Island Health implementation activity.

Hours Reporting and After Hours Premiums Implementation:

As per the recently negotiated PMA, effective April 1, 2023, all new or renewed service contracts include mandatory daily hours reporting, and after-hours premiums (AHPs) became payable to physicians on Alternative Payment Subsidiary Agreement (APSA/APP) service contracts or salary agreements.

APSA Service Contract Hours Reporting

Hours must be reported by:

Day of service;
Location of service,
An indication if services are provided “on-site” or “off-site”;
Scheduled time (start and stop times rounded to the nearest 15-minutes, and must report multiple blocks if separated by periods longer than 30 minutes); and
non-scheduled time (daily hours rounded to the nearest 15-minutes).

Direct, in-direct, and non-patient hours will continue to be required.

After-Hours Premiums

AHPs will be paid for clinical services provided within a Health Authority facility evenings (1800-2300), nights (2300-0800), and weekends/holidays (0800- 2300). AHPs are $25/hr for evenings and weekends/holidays and $35/hr for nights.

Hours Reporting Tool

While we work towards a more sophisticated and user-friendly tool to capture the information required under the PMA, we are asking all physicians under APSA/APP service contracts or salary agreements, to please use the interim excel-based invoice template that has been developed as this facilitates faster processing times. There are three versions available for use:

NEW: Simplified version for all users (macro-free)
For MAC Users
For PC Users

Payment Processing

While we will continue to prioritize and pay regular contract payments within the usual timelines, the implementation of this PMA-mandated requirement has impacted our processing times for AHPs. For invoices submitted using the interim excel-based template, payments will be issued within 30 days of receiving the approved invoice; for those submitted using older/other invoices templates, payments may take up to 90 days after receiving the approved invoice.

We appreciate your collaboration and cooperation as we implement this change. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at Physician_comp@islandhealth.ca.

Frequently Asked Questions, and Tips for Completing the Invoice Template:

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Do I need to use the Island Health excel-based invoice template for submitting my hours?

Answer: Yes, please use the interim excel-based invoice template that has been developed as it facilitates faster processing times of the After-Hours premiums (AHP). For invoices submitted using the new excel-based template, AHP payments will be issued within 30 days of receiving the approved invoice; for those submitted using older/other invoices templates, payments may take up to 90 days after receiving the approved invoice. We will continue to prioritize and pay regular contract payments within the usual timelines.

Question: There are three invoice templates to pick from on the Medical Staff website. Which one should I use?

Answer: We encourage you to use one of the first two invoice templates listed under “Resources”. One is for MAC users and one is for PC users. Using either of these, and fully completing all fields, will reduce delays for processing submissions. However, if you are unable to use either of these versions, the third option is a simplified version for all users.

Question: Where can I find more information regarding how to complete the invoice template?

Answer: You should review all the information tabs (colour coded yellow) within the invoice template as they provide further guidance for the user.

Question: When I open the template a security warning appears at the top of the template.

Answer: If the security warning is asking you to enable content, click on the button “Enable Content” to unlock the file. If you continue to have issues unblocking the file, please review the cheat sheets below.

Question: How do I submit the invoice template?

Answer: All submissions must be sent to the Certification Authority for approval. Once approval is provided, the Certification Authority will forward the approved submission to the Physician Compensation team for processing. Please note that if there are any errors or omissions identified by the Certification Authority or the Physician Compensation team, these will require correcting before the submission can be processed.

Question: Do I need to send my submission using an Island Health email address?

Answer: Using an Island Health email address provides an extra layer of security for your submission as it is submitted from behind the secure Island Health firewall. For users of the MAC or PC invoice templates, which are macro enabled templates, you must use an Island Health email address as other email addresses will be blocked. For the simplified excel template it is possible to use a non-Island Health email address.

Question: Is it required to indicate if my hours are “scheduled” or “unscheduled”?

Answer: Yes, reporting hours as “scheduled” or “unscheduled” is a mandatory requirement. If you do not indicate this, your submission will cannot be processed, resulting in delays.

Question: What is meant by “scheduled” and “unscheduled” physician services?

Answer: There is no definition of “scheduled” services within the Physician Master Agreement; it may depend on what has been agreed and understood at local program level. Examples of unscheduled services may include charting at home or getting called in after hours for an urgent issue.

Question: I do not always work at an Island Health site. What do I enter for a site?

Answer: To be eligible for After Hours Premiums, the service must be delivered at an Island Health facility. The only exceptions to this are:

Community Health Clinics (CHCs)
Other third-party operated primary care clinics (e.g., Gulf Islands, Foundry clinics)
Physician and/or corporate owned UPCCs (e.g. Nanaimo)
FNHA-operated clinics
First Nations clinics
Patient’s home when in-person services are provided after-hours (e.g., Palliative Care, Hospital at Home). Please note that in-person services provided at a patient’s home must be an agreed service for the program and clearly captured in the contract deliverables.

Question: The Island Health site I am working at, and trying to enter, is not on list. What do I do? (Applicable when using the macro enabled for MAC and PC users invoice template)

Answer: Follow the instructions in the invoice template to add the site manually.

Question: I work at multiple Island Health sites as part of my contract. How should I list these multiple sites on the invoice template?

Answer: Follow the instructions in the invoice template to enter multiple sites. For clarity, when entering site Facility Names, please avoid using acronyms, or if you do, please only use commonly known Island Health acronyms.

Question: The Island Health site I am working at, and trying to enter, is not on list. What do I do?

Answer: Follow the instructions in the invoice template to add the site manually.

Question: I work at multiple Island Health sites as part of my contract. How should I list these multiple sites on the invoice template?

Answer: Follow the instructions in the invoice template to enter multiple sites.

Question: I am working at more than one site in a day. How should I record this information in the invoice template?

Answer: Services delivered on the same day but at different sites must relate to the same contract to be entered into the same invoice template. In the invoice template, enter a row for each site and split the hours of service delivered on the same day between those sites (e.g. shift 0800-1200 at VGH and shift 13:30-16:30 at RJH).

Question: I have taken a break during my shift. How should I enter this information on the invoice template?

Answer: Where there are interruptions in the shift of 30 minutes or more (e.g. for a break or change of location), you should add an additional line in the invoice template for the same day (e.g. 0800 – 1200 and 1400 – 1600).

Question: I am receiving payments but I am not receiving a payment statement. Should I be receiving a payment statement from Island Health?

Answer: When payments are made, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) send a payment statement to recipient using the preferred email address held on file. To change this email address, or to provide it for the first time please complete a new direct deposit form. These are available from the Physician Compensation team at: Physician_Comp@islandhealth.ca

Question: I use Numbers software on an Apple MAC / iPad. Can I make my submission as a Numbers file?

Answer: No. We need to receive the submission in an Excel file format. You can easily convert your saved file from Numbers format to Excel format. For details on how to do this, click on this link which takes you to the Apple support website.

Question: I have issues or further questions. Who can I contact for help?

Answer: Please contact: Physician_Comp@islandhealth.ca

Tips for Completing the Invoice Template to Avoid Delays in Processing

Completing the invoice template as accurately as possible will help to improve processing times for your payment. Below are tips to avoid common issues that require additional time to review, correct, and validate before payment can be issued.

Ensure that the Certification Authority Approval is provided

Once completed, send the invoice template to the Certification Authority who will forward to the Physician Compensation team with their approval. If there is no Certification Authority applied, the invoice cannot be processed and will be delayed while approval is requested.

Facility Name – avoid acronyms

Where possible use the full name of the facility or only common Island Health acronym’s. If the facility acronym is unknown to the Physician Compensation team they will need to follow up to identify the site causing delays.

Ensure Total Hours Add Up

The sum of Shift Start Time and Shift End Time in column L, must be equal to the sum of the hours entered for Direct, Indirect, Non-Patient, and Other hours.

Indicate if Shifts are Scheduled/Unscheduled and/or On/Off Site

You must indicate if shifts are scheduled or unscheduled (in column H), and if they are on or off site (column I).

Ensure that entries are entered in sequential date order

Enter Date of Service (column E) in sequential date order for the pay period.

No empty rows between entries

Do not leave empty rows between entries.

Only submit one invoice per contract

Do not enter hours for different contracts onto one invoice template. Submit a separate invoice for each contract.

For each contract, only submit one invoice per pay period

Only submit one invoice per pay period which should cover the whole pay period. Invoices are typically submitted after the end of the month.

If there are any issues or questions regarding the completion of the invoice template, please contact: Physician_Comp@islandhealth.ca

Resources:

Negotiated Agreements with the Doctors of BC

APSA Hours Reporting and After Hours Premium Invoice Templates:
Instructions: download and save the file to your computer prior to completing your submission. See the cheat sheets for help with enabling and unblocking content. Submissions must be in Excel – a PDF or Apple Numbers format cannot be accepted.