These OHIP services will be impacted in a Canada Post labour disruption

To: Health Care Providers   
Category: Dentist services, Fertility clinics, Community surgical and diagnostic centres, Midwife services, Optometrist services, Physician services, Physiotherapy facilities, Podiatrist services, Registered Nurse with Extended Class, Primary health care services   
Written by: Claims Services Branch / Health Insurance Branch, Health Programs and Delivery Division   
Date issued: November 15, 2024   
Bulletin Number: 241102

Overview

The following OHIP services will be impacted as a result of the Canada Post service disruption effective November 15, 2024.

Ontario Health Cards

Use Health Card Validation (HCV) services to determine a patient’s eligibility and validity at the time a service is rendered. Patients may present expired cards with a transaction record for use in getting medical care. Health care providers can accept transaction records and validate at point of service.

All health cards will be held securely and will not be sent to Canada Post for delivery. As health cards are not being mailed, patients may appear for services with expired health cards along with a transaction record following the renewal of their health card.

Customers who have a health card that will expire soon or one that has already expired should:

  • complete a health card renewal at a ServiceOntario location or, if eligible, renew online
  • keep the transaction record for use in obtaining medical care until the new card arrives

The automated Health Card Validation (HCV) services will assist providers in determining a patient’s eligibility and the validity of an Ontario health card status at the time a service is rendered. As is normal practice, providers have 3 months to bill for insured services.

When regular postal services resume, health cards will be released to Canada Post for delivery.

OHIP Claims Reporting & Payments

All mailings from the ministry with regard to OHIP medical claims payments and reporting will be held until normal postal operations resume. Requests to have items couriered will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The ministry encourages all health care providers who have not registered for electronic submission of OHIP medical claims, access to payment reports or direct deposit do so immediately to avoid any service disruption.

Please contact the Service Support Contact Centre at 1-800-262-6524 to register for the Medical Claims Electronic Data Transfer service. Providers who would like to submit supporting documentation to assist in claims submission are asked to use the eSubmit services.

To set up direct deposit for payments, please complete the Application for OHIP Direct Bank Payment for Health Care Professionals form and send by email to ProviderRegistration.MOH@ontario.ca or Fax: 1-613-545-5848

If you are still eligible to use paper claims, they can continue to be couriered to:

Ministry of Health
Claims Services Branch - Oshawa
33 King Street West, 4th Floor
Oshawa ON L1H 1A1

Provider Registration

Follow the instructions located on the OHIP billing number registration web page.

You may fax or scan and email your requests to:

All mailings from the ministry with regard to provider registration will be held until normal postal operations resume. Requests to have items couriered will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Medical Liability Protection Reimbursement Program (MLPRP)

Follow the instructions located on the Medical Liability Protection Reimbursement Program web page.

You may fax or scan and email your requests to:

All mail from the ministry with regard to MLPRP will be held until normal postal operations resume. Health care providers who receive reports electronically will continue to be able to access these through their Medical Claims Electronic Data Transfer (MCEDT) account. The ministry encourages all health care providers who have not registered for the Medical Claims Electronic Data Transfer service or direct deposit to do so immediately to avoid any service disruption.

Registered Third Party Billing Agents

All mail from the ministry with regard to Registered Third Party Billing Agents will be held until normal postal operations resume.

Northern Health Travel Grants (NHTG)

Applications for the NHTG can either be sent via courier or dropped off at:

Ministry of Health
Claims Services Branch - Sudbury Office
Northern Health Travel Grant
159 Cedar Street, 7th Floor
Sudbury, ON P3E 6A5

Any ServiceOntario North Service Centres Branch public office. ServiceOntario Private Issuers offices are not included.

If applicant is unable to attend any of the available locations, they should call 1-800-262-6524 to request alternate arrangements.

Patient Out-of-Country or Out-of-Province Claims

Applications can either be sent by email to CSBOttawa@ontario.ca or by courier to the Ottawa Claims office:

Ministry of Health
Claims Services Branch
347 Preston Street, 4th floor
Ottawa, ON K1S 3J4

See OHIP coverage while outside Canada or OHIP coverage outside Ontario for details.

Letters and cheques will be held until postal services resume.

Enrolment/Consent Revokes

If patients currently have a family health care provider and wish to take themselves off the patient list of their current one, there are 2 ways to do this:

  1. Contact your family health care provider directly
  2. Call ServiceOntario - 1-888-218-9929 (TTY: 1-800-387-5559)

Personal Health Information Requests

Personal Health Information requests will continue to be processed and sent electronically in most cases. Please see OHIP Personal Health Information.

For persons who are not able to submit electronically, requests may be couried:

Ministry of Health
Personal Health Information Office
3rd Floor, 49 Place d’Armes
Kingston, ON K7L 5J3

Requests will be processed and held until the resumption of postal services. If your request is time sensitive due to a pending court case please call 1-800-262-6524.

OHIP Third Party Disclosure Requests

Personal Health Information requests will continue to be processed and sent electronically in most cases. Please see OHIP Personal Health Information.

You may courier your request and $74 payment to:

Ministry of Health
Personal Health Information Office
3rd Floor, 49 Place d’Armes
Kingston, ON K7L 5J3

Requests will be processed and held until the resumption of postal services. If your request is time sensitive due to a pending court case please call 1-800-262-6524.

Visit Ontario.ca to find out more information regarding government services during the Canada Post mail delivery disruption.

Keywords/Tags

Mail; Canada Post; mail disruption

Contact information

Do you have questions about this INFOBulletin? Email the Service Support Contact Centre or call 1-800-262-6524. Hours of operation: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Monday to Friday, except holidays.