Government of New Brunswick

Practitioners wishing to provide emergency room roster replacement coverage in New Brunswick must obtain their own billing number through New Brunswick Medicare by contacting the Practitioner Registrar. All services must be billed under the practitioner’s billing number. Payment for services is made directly to the practitioner providing the service.

This information applies only in cases where the practitioners being replaced participate in a regular hospital emergency department “on call” roster and is limited to that part of their practice.

A physician who replaces another physician by covering any other part of that physician's practice, including office work, in-patient coverage or operating room assists, is considered to be a locum.

Should a need for emergency room replacement practitioners be identified, and replacement physicians found, the medical staff in a given facility will apply to their Regional Health Authority to credential roster replacement physicians.

A practitioner who is presently providing locum replacement services for another practitioner who is on the "on call" roster can cover for other practitioners on that roster during the locum period as part of the normal "trade off" of shifts that occurs.

The practitioner being replaced must guarantee to the Regional Health Authority that he/she will not undertake to bill New Brunswick Medicare for any work done during the time period for which he/she has arranged for a replacement practitioner.

A practitioner who wishes to be replaced by a roster practitioner must notify New Brunswick Medicare prior to the commencement of the replacement period. In situations where notification in advance is not possible, New Brunswick Medicare must be notified at the earliest possible date following the replacement period and prior to submitting claims for payment.

The types of remunerations available for emergency room roster replacement practitioners include:
Fee-for-service
salary or Sessional