2024/2025 holiday season and billing A888A and Q888A

To: All physicians 
Category: Physician Services; Primary Health Care Services    
Written by: Physician Relations and Contract Oversight Branch, Physician and Provider Services Division 
Date issued: December 13, 2024 
Bulletin Number: 241201

As the holiday season approaches, the ministry would like to remind providers that the definition of “holiday” can be found on page GP3 in the General Preamble of the Schedule of Benefits for Physician Services (schedule).

Eligible holidays for the 2024/2025 holiday season for Fee for Service billings, other than H prefix emergency department listings and A888, are Wednesday, December 25, 2024; Thursday, December 26, 2024; and Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

When billing H prefix emergency department listings or providing emergency department equivalent services over the holiday season (fee schedule code (FSC) A888A “emergency department equivalent”), eligible holidays are Wednesday, December 25, 2024 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025 inclusive.

The definition of emergency department equivalent can also be found on page GP3 in the schedule.

Family Health Organizations (FHO)

Per the 2021Physician Services Agreement, when FHO physicians are providing weekend/holiday after-hours blocks, FSC Q888A “weekend access for FHO patients” can be billed for unscheduled visits with enrolled patients so long as the physician is offering at least three scheduled visits for each three-hour block.

For the 2024/2025 holiday season, eligible holidays for the purpose of billing Q888A are Wednesday, December 25, 2024 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025 inclusive.

Please keep in mind that after-hours blocks must still be done after 5pm and before 8am as per the FHO contract requirements. The timing of after-hours blocks cannot be shifted to daytime hours except on recognized statutory holidays or weekends.

For more information on Q888A and eligibility criteria, please see previous INFOBulletin 220605.

After-Hours billing on a statutory holiday

Please note that the After-Hours code eligible in your Primary Care Enrolment Model (Q012A, Q016A, Q017A, and Q018A) is allowed to be billed with A888A for all rostered patients seen on a statutory holiday regardless of time of visit.

The Q012A After-Hours code is also eligible to FHO physicians billing the Q888A.

Keywords/Tags

Holiday; FHO; Q888; A888; After-hours; Q012; Q016; Q017; Q018

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.