Keeping Health Care Providers informed of payment, policy or program changes

To: Blended Salary Model (BSM), Family Health Network (FHN), Family Health Organization (FHO), Group Health Centre (GHC)
Published by: Negotiations Branch, Ministry of Health
Date Issued: April 2, 2020

Enhanced outside use report available in April 2020

This bulletin contains information related to the Ministry of Health's (ministry's) Virtual Care Program (previously called the Telemedicine Program).

The Ministry of Health (ministry) is improving the Outside Use Report. The Outside Use Report will now include reporting of services provided through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) in the Service Location Indicator (SLI) field.

With modernization of virtual care currently underway in Ontario, Patient Enrolment Model (PEM) physicians in BSM, FHN, FHO and GHC models will now be able to track the outside use for patients accessing services via virtual visit.

The SLI column on the Outside Use Report will now show "OTN" for any core service accessed by an enrolled patient through a virtual visit.

Virtual care program

The Virtual Care Program allows for Hosted Video Visits and Direct-to-Patient Video Visits.

As of November 15, 2019, Direct-to-Patient Video Visits are eligible for delivery by the following physicians once they are registered with the ministry's Virtual Care Program for billing privileges:

  • all specialists
  • GP focused practice designated physicians when providing services associated with their designation
  • primary care PEM physicians who are delivering care to a rostered patient

For more information see INFOBulletin #4731.

For further details relating to Ontario's Virtual Care Program, please see the related INFOBulletins found on the Virtual Care Program site.

Physicians who do not meet the criteria required for the Virtual Care Program, are eligible to claim the temporary K-codes released on March 14, 2020.

  • INFOBulletin #4745 Changes to the Schedule of Benefits for Physician Services (Schedule) in response to COVID-19 influenza pandemic effective March 14, 2020
  • INFOBulletin #11229 Primary Care Changes in response to Corona Virus (COVID-19) effective March 14, 2020

For any further inquiries, please contact the Service Support Contact Centre at 1-800-262-6524.