Fee-for-Service
Most doctors in Nova Scotia are paid through a fee-for-service model. Under this model, doctors bill the government, through Medical Service Insurance (MSI), for each service provided to a patient. There are thousands of fee codes used to cover the various services provided by doctors.
All of the fee codes and billing rules are public
information and contained in the MSI Physician’s Manual, which is available through MSI.
The values of all fee codes are negotiated within a contract, called the Master Agreement. Doctors Nova Scotia negotiates the
funding for the Master Agreement with the provincial government, every three to five years. The next contract is up for
negotiation in March 2013.
he most common fee code a family doctor would use would be an office visit. Using this fee code, a family doctor gets paid $29.38 every time he or she sees a patient under 65 years of age.
If the service doesn't have a fee code, the government won't pay the doctor for providing it. These are called
non-insured services for which the doctor may charge the patient or a third party.
Questions regarding the MSI Physician’s Manual, insured medical services and/or doctor’s fees should be directed to MSI at (902) 468-9700.