Emergency Department Coverage Demonstration Project

In October 2006 the Ontario Medical Association and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) created the Emergency Department Coverage Demonstration Project (EDCDP).

Operated by HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency (HFO MRA), the program provides urgent ED locum coverage as an interim measure of last resort to designated hospitals that are facing significant challenges covering ED shifts.

Under the EDCDP, physicians from other EDs in Ontario who are able to maintain their home hospital commitments assist other designated hospitals in the province with coverage for their ED shifts. Through a password-protected portal on the HealthForceOntario website, the program posts vacant hospital ED shifts for participating physicians to book. As part of the EDCDP, HFO MRA collaborates with system partners to support comprehensive and sustainable strategies for ED Health Human Resources. 

Hospital Eligibility
Hospitals that have been designated as Tier 1 for ED recruitment assistance through the MOHLTC’s ED Recruitment Program are eligible for consideration under EDCDP.

A subset of designated Tier 1 hospitals are reviewed for EDCDP support based on relative highest needs for ED coverage assistance (e.g., the percentage of the ED complement being recruited, hospital size, degree of isolation and other factors).

At any given time, approximately 20 hospitals are on the program.  Hospitals interested in more information about the MOHLTC’s ED Recruitment Program can contact the MOHLTC’s Specialist Physicians Contract Unit.

Physician Eligibility
Acceptance for limited positions is based on physician eligibility and program needs. To be eligible, physicians must:

• Have CCFP (EM) or FRCP (EM) qualifications; or
• Have the equivalent of 1 year of full-time ED experience (with independent practice licence) within the last 3 years, and current Advanced Trauma Life Support ATLS and Advanced Cardiac Life Support ACLS training; and
• Must not be, or have been 6 months prior, on staff providing ED coverage at an EDCDP hospital/corporation.

Preferential selection is given to physicians currently working full-time in an ED in Ontario. 

Interested physicians are invited to complete the EDCDP Physician Application Form.

Common Credentialing
Participating physicians and hospitals use common credentialing that enables physicians to work at multiple hospitals after completing only one set of credentialing documentation.
The common credentialing process does not change the participating hospitals’ authority to grant privileges to physicians. Each participating hospital is responsible for its own due diligence in verifying the credentials of the locum physicians.  More information is available through EDCDP Locum Credentialing Application Program for Physicians and Hospitals.

Contact Information
If you have questions or require additional information about the Emergency Department Coverage Demonstration Project or advice if you are experiencing difficulties with physician shift coverage for your ED, please contact the EDCDP Team at emerg@healthforceontario.ca.

Last updated November 24, 2009