Specialist On-Call
On-call is a service where a specialist (or otherwise qualified medical practitioner) has agreed to remain on standby to respond to urgent or emergent telephone calls from hospital staff, residents and other physicians requesting advice about a patient and/or requesting attendance at a designated hospital to examine and treat a patient. The specific responsibilities of the on-call specialist, including but not limited to patient type and volume of cases, shall be determined by Shared Health and/or the Health Authority in consultation with the on-call specialist.
The on-call specialist must ensure their status is set to “active” on the provincial secure medical messaging app while they are on-call and respond to urgent or emergent calls and messages within 20 minutes or as soon as reasonably possible if they are providing urgent or emergent care to another patient.
As per the On-Call Specialist Agreement, specialists receive compensation for on-call services from Shared Health or Health Authorities (HAs).Effective The basic per diem for 24 hours of off-site on-call by a “Specialist” in Winnipeg is currently $580.36. Physicians who provide specialist on-call coverage in Brandon, rural and northern regions will receive this fee plus the appropriate Fee Differentials.
The On-Call Specialist Agreement sets out the terms and conditions for this service. The per diem applies to on-call coverage requirements as Shared Health, or a HA determines them.
Frequency Premium
In addition to the basic rates, specialists providing call at a ratio exceeding 1 in 5 are eligible for a frequency premium of 5% — 15%.
A premium will apply to the 75th day of on-call and each day of on-call after that provided during the same fiscal year (April 1 through to March 31 of the following calendar year).
No premium is payable for the first seventy-four (74) days of service.
See below for the Frequency Premiums
Questions?
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| Days “On-Call” | Frequency Premium — Paid in addition to your application daily rate for days beyond the 74th day |
|---|---|
| 1st to 74th day on-call coverage | No premium — Paid the applicable daily rate |
| 75th to 91st day of on-call coverage | 5% |
| 92nd to 122nd day of on-call coverage | 7.5% |
| 123rd to 183rd day of on-call coverage | 10.0% |
| Greater than 183 days of on-call coverage | 15.0% |
Billing Note:
Frequency premiums apply only to on-call services provided under the On-Call Specialist Agreement for the same RHA. Services provided to other RHAs, or according to other agreements where on-call is a component of the service (e.g., CTUs, ICUs, In-house Obstetrics, Trauma Services, Anesthesia, Personal Care Home On-Call), do not count towards an individual’s on-call frequency.