June 29, 2023

Updated LFP Payment Schedule with expanded eligibility for locums

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide the latest updates on the implementation of the Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) Payment Model. To submit questions or feedback on the payment model, please email LFP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca.

Doctors of BC and BC Family Doctors continue to work to improve and expand the LFP Payment Model. We continue to listen to your feedback, meeting regularly with the provincial government to address concerns.

Today we are providing the following updates:

Payment schedule updates relating to locum eligibility
Next steps on stabilization funding
Panel cleanup resources
Billing tips

Updated LFP Payment Schedule

An updated LFP Payment Schedule is now available, effective July 1, 2023. The changes address some of the concerns we heard from physicians about locum eligibility and billing. We recommend reviewing the updated LFP Payment Schedule in its entirety as changes have been made in multiple sections of the payment schedule. Locum services provided before July 1 are subject to the eligibility criteria and billing rules in the previous LFP Payment Schedule.

BC Family Doctors’ web resources, including the Simplified LFP Guide and Billing Question Library, have been updated to reflect the changes below.

Locum eligibility

Locum eligibility has been expanded to enable locums to bill under the LFP Payment Model when providing services on behalf of:

One or more host physicians at a longitudinal family medicine clinic:
- A locum can provide services at the same time as a host physician is providing care, or while the host physician is away from practice.
A host physician who provides community longitudinal family physician services and is compensated under one of the following payment models:
- LFP Payment Model;
- Fee-for-service with submission of 14070 in the same calendar year;
- Group Contract for Practicing Full-Service Family Physicians; or
- Individual Contract for New-to-Practice Family Physicians

Conversations are continuing about longitudinal physicians compensated under other payment models. We will continue to keep you updated as these progress.

Locum registration form

A physician who meets the Locum Eligibility Criteria may enrol in the LFP Payment Model as an LFP locum by doing both of the following:

Submitting both the 98000 Registration Code and 98005 Locum Registration Code to HIBC via Teleplan; and
Submitting an LFP locum registration form.

The new locum registration form will be shared with physicians by July 7. This should be completed as soon as possible by all physicians who will be billing under the LFP Payment Model for locum services.

Immunizations and injections

New language has also been added to provide additional clarity around the types of immunizations that are covered by the LFP Payment Model.

The ‘Minor Procedure or Diagnostic Test in addition to an In-person Interaction’ codes (98022, 98052) have been updated to indicate that they are payable for “injection of a medically necessary drug, allergy serum, or vaccine (with the exception of a vaccine for the indication or travel).”

For more information, please see Which immunizations and injections are payable under the LFP Payment Model?

Stabilization funding next steps

Recently, the co-chairs of the Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) announced $29 million in one-time funding to stabilize maternity and inpatient care in hospitals, as well as care in long-term care facilities.

For inpatient care funding, the Divisions of Family Practice are currently consulting their local members and partners to develop their applications, which will align with FPSC’s funding parameters and provincial payment standards for inpatient care. The deadline for applications is July 31, 2023.

Online applications are now open for maternity and long-term care grants. In June, FPSC emailed eligible family physicians information about applying for these grants. The application deadline is July 31, 2023.

For more details, including Q&As, please see the FPSC website and the recent news article.

Panel cleanup resources

A reminder that when enrolling in the LFP Payment Model, physicians commit to develop and submit an accurate list of empanelled patients for whom they have accepted responsibility. Panel uploads will commence in July and should be completed by October 31, 2023. Submissions will be done as a staged process over the next few months with physicians uploading their panel lists as they are ready; EMR vendors or Doctors of BC will provide physicians with instructions based on their EMR.

Self-serve guides and videos outlining how to prepare your accurate and up-to-date list of empanelled patients through your EMRs can be found here. You can also submit a service request to join the queue for additional support or email psp@doctorsofbc.ca for more information.

Upcoming EMR-specific webinars and drop-in sessions:

OSCAR webinar:
• Tuesday, July 11, 8:00-9:00 a.m. PT. Register now.

Profile drop-in session:
• Thursday, June 29, 6:00-7:00 p.m. PT. Register now.
• Thursday, July 13, 8:00-9:00 a.m. PT. Register now.

Visit this webpage regularly for the latest schedule of EMR-specific webinars and drop-in sessions.

Empanelled patients

Under the LFP Payment Model, physicians are required to have a patient panel of at least 250 empanelled patients by four months after enrollment. If you are nearing the four-month deadline and are concerned that you may not meet the requirement, please reach out to LFP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca with any questions.

Billing tips

BC Family Doctors continues to update the LFP Billing Question Library in response to your billing questions. The Simplified LFP Guide is also updated regularly.

Some recent additions to the LFP Billing Question Library include:

We encourage physicians who are enrolled in the LFP Payment Model to check the BC Family Doctors website on a regular basis. If you are not yet a member, you can join at any time.

Please continue to reach out to LFP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca with your billing questions.

Need more information about the Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model?

Write us

Email: LFP.Billing@doctorsofbc.ca

View our information online (member login required)

Doctors of BC: doctorsofbc.ca/new-payment-model
BC Family Doctors: https://bcfamilydocs.ca/lfp-payment-model/
BC Government website: gov.bc.ca/MSP/LFP (login not required)