Bulletin 210603 — Negative balance from the COVID‑19 Advance Payment Program
The ministry will be removing negative balances on IHF Remittance Advices created as a result of the first recovery installment in April
To: All Independent Health Facilities
Category: Facility Fee Services
Published by: Claims Services Branch, Ontario Health Insurance Plan Division
Date Issued: June 22, 2021
COVID-19 Advance Payment Program
As communicated in INFOBulletins 210406, 210104 and 210311, advance payments made under the COVID-19 Advance Payment Program were scheduled to be recovered in six equal installments from monthly OHIP payments beginning on the April 2021 Remittance Advice (RA) and ending with the September 2021 RA. The first recovery was applied to the April 2021 RA.
As the province continues to address the impacts of COVID-19, the ministry has paused the additional monthly recovery process beginning in May until further notice. Resumption of repayments will be communicated as information becomes available.
Negative balances
If an Independent Health Facility (IHF) does not have sufficient earnings on their group RA to set off the recovery, the RA will show a negative balance (amount owing).
Negative balances do not accumulate interest and cannot be deducted directly from the group’s bank account. In the Medical Claims Payment System, when a negative balance is generated on the RA, it carries over to the following month’s RA and any payments on that RA will automatically be applied against the negative balance. This will continue until the negative balance has been repaid.
As a result of discussions with the OMA, the ministry will be removing any negative balances on IHF group RAs that were created as a result of the April recovery. Any outstanding April recovery amounts being returned will be reconciled with the IHF at the end of the recovery period. This reversal will be reflected on the June RA, and no further negative balance recoveries related to the April recovery installment will occur.
IHFs with financial difficulties resulting from the amounts recovered on their May Remittance Advice can apply to get these amounts temporarily reversed by contacting the Service Support Contact Centre or calling
Keywords/tags
COVID-19; Advance Payment Program; APP; EMERG ADVANCE; negative balance
Contact information
Do you have questions about this INFOBulletin? Email the Service Support Contact Centre or call