Tariff 8001 allows for:

• Specialists to submit claims in respect to communications from general practitioners, as well as other specialists and extended practice nurses RN(EP)
• General practitioners to submit claims in respect to communications from other general practitioners and extended practice nurses RN(EP)

Where more than one patient is discussed in a single communication, a claim may be submitted with respect to each patient discussed. The tariff reads as follows:

1. This tariff may be only claimed by:
   1. A Specialist for communications from a Specialist, General Practitioner or RN (EP) regarding a patient who is receiving medical care from the Physician or RN (EP) who initiated the communication; and
   2. A General Practitioner for communications from a General Practitioner or RN (EP) regarding a patient who is receiving medical care from the Physician or RN (EP) who initiated the communication.
2. No claim may be made until the Physician responds to the medical inquiry made by the Physician or RN (EP) who initiated the communication.
3. No claim may be made where only a proxy for the Physician e.g., nurse or clerk, communicates with the Physician or RN (EP) who initiated the communication.
4. No claim may be made where the sole purpose of the communication is to arrange a hospital bed for the patient.
5. A maximum of one claim per patient per day may be made per physician.
6. Where more than one patient is discussed in a single communication, a claim may be submitted with respect to each patient discussed
7. The claim must include the name of the Physician or RN (EP) who initiated the communication, the name of the patient concerned, and the time of day the communication was completed.
8. After Hours Premiums may not be claimed in addition, except for urgent or emergent communications.
9. Services shall be documented in the patient’s record as required by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, and such documentation is required, upon request by Manitoba Health to support the claim submitted.

Billing Notes

Communication includes telephone, fax and email. Communications may be initiated by one mode of communication (e.g., telephone) and responded to via another mode (e.g., fax).

Tariff 8001 can be claimed for communications occurring within the same facility and/​or clinic.

Physician communication involving patient hand-over for the purposes of on-call coverage does not meet the conditions to allow Tariff 8001 to be claimed. During this exchange of information, the first family physician is still responsible and caring for their own patients, and the on-call physician is receiving advice about the care of patients that they are not yet responsible for. However, if the on-call physician later calls the first family physician requesting medically relevant information, then a claim for Tariff 8001 may be made by the first family physician. At this point, the on-call physician is responsible for the first family physician’s patient and initiates communication to receive advice to better manage the patient.