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 or to go to the hospital to examine and treat a patient. As per the On-Call Specialist Agreement, specialists receive compensation for on-call services from Shared Health or Regional Health Authorities (RHAs).
Effective April 1, 2021, the basic per diem for 24 hours of off-site on-call by a “Specialist” in Winnipeg is $503.75. 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 an RHA determines them.
Frequency Premium
In addition to the basic rates, over 1 in 5 specialists who provide on-call coverage 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
| Days “On-Call” | Frequency Premium — Paid in addition to your application daily rate for days beyond the 74th day |
|---|---|
| 1st to 7th 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.