Assignment of Payment

The locum physician agrees to assign payment to the host physician’s payment number for services provided while on assignment, including on-call, as per health authority requirements. The host physician is responsible for submitting claims to MSP within two weeks after the end of the locum assignment and refused claims within two weeks of the refusal date.

An Assignment of Payment is a legal agreement through which a practitioner designates that MSP payments for  their services be made to another practitioner or group such as a clinic or hospital.

The Assignment of Payment needs to be submitted to the Locums for Rural BC office prior to the commencement of the locum assignment. 

Application for Payment of Daily Rate

Locum physicians are paid a daily rate from $1,275 to $1,658 dependent upon the community. In general, the higher the number of rural points a community receives, the higher the daily rate. For more information regarding specific rates for rural communities, please contact Locums for Rural BC.

  • A & B Communities – $1,412 – $1,658
  • C communities – $1,275
  • D communities – $1,275

The daily stipend for Obstetrics/Gynecology, General Surgery and Anesthesia is $100/day. If more than one enhanced skill is provided, the maximum daily stipend is $100/day.

To be eligible for the Emergency On-Call stipend, the community must be eligible for the Medical On-Call Availability Program (MOCAP). Emergency On-Call Stipend is paid for the days the locum physician appears on the call rotation to provide emergency care. A copy of the call rotation must be provided to LRBC in order for the stipend to be paid. The stipend for 24 hours of call is $300/day and for less than 24 hours is $135/day.

The maximum of $300 per day will be paid for the enhanced skills and the ER stipend.


WEEKEND LOCUM ASSIGNMENT ON-CALL STIPEND

For weekend assignments, a locum will be paid 2.5 days of the guaranteed daily rate from Friday at 18:00 to Monday at 08:00. In A and B designated communities, the RRP Fee Premium % will be added.

If a statutory holiday is part of the weekend locum assignment, the locum physician will be paid 3.5 days of the guaranteed daily rate from Friday at 18:00 to Tuesday at 08:00. In A and B designated communities, the RRP Fee Premium % will be added.

*A daily rate may not be applicable if a locum physician is receiving payment elsewhere (i.e. LFP, income guarantee contract, other).

The locum physician will normally assume the host physician’s on-call responsibilities and will receive reimbursement from the health authority for medical on-call availability services provided during the assignment (if applicable).

The host physician should pay the locum physician directly for services not covered by MSP (i.e., private, Insurance Corporation of BC, WorkSafe BC, reciprocal billings). Payment should be made prior to the locum physician leaving the assignment, less the 40% overhead deduction.

Please note: Communities funded under an Alternative Payment Program (APP) clinical service contract stipulate a 50/50 split for all third-party payments (50% of the claim paid to the Health Authority/agencies; 50% of the payment returned the APP). Rural FP Locums will receive their daily rate, plus 60% of the 50% third-party payment(s) received by the Health Authority. Any third-party payments will be paid directly to the locum by the Host Physician/clinic or Health Authority.

Note: All locum physician financial forms are located online in your LRBC account effective April 1, 2023.

Submission Deadlines: Effective April 1, 2024, RFPLP Application for Expense, Travel Time Honorarium and Daily Rate claims must be received by LRBC within 90 days from the date the travelling physician arrives home to receive reimbursement. Physicians who fail to submit within 90 days will forfeit eligibility for the reimbursement of travel time honorarium. Physicians who submit after 90 days are still eligible for daily rate and travel expense reimbursement up until March 31st of the next fiscal year. For example, a FP who submits a claim after 90 days for Fiscal 2023/24 will have up until March 31, 2025, to receive reimbursement for their travel expenses and the daily rate only.