Rural Family Medicine Locum Program
The Rural Family Medicine Locum Program (RFMLP) maintains ongoing primary medical care in eligible communities by providing temporary, short-term replacement coverage for practicing rural family physicians.
Since April 2008, the RFMLP has been administered by the Ontario Physician Locum Programs (OPLP) through HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency. The program was formerly known as the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Rural Respite Locum Program, prior to its transfer to OPLP by the Government of Ontario and the OMA.
Physicians interested in locuming in Ontario may refer to:
Physician Employers
Physician employers are welcome to contact us with any questions including eligibility or posting OPLP family medicine locum positions at locum@healthforceontario.ca or 1-800-596-4046, ext 3
The RFMLP serves Rural Physicians and Locum Physicians:
Rural Physicians
Entitlements
The number of days of locum coverage a rural physician is entitled to vary according to his/her payment model:
| Fee-for-service (FFS), Family Health Group (FHG), Blended Salary Model Family Health Team (BSM FHT) |
21 days |
| Blended payment models: Family Health Network (FHN), Family Health Organization (FHO) |
21 days |
| Rural Northern Physician Group Agreement (RNPGA) 1 or 2 |
37 days plus 5 days for continuing medical education (CME) |
Note: RNPGA physicians are entitled to carry forward up to 5 days of unused locum coverage per year, to a maximum of 25 days. None of the other payment models allows carry-forward of unused coverage.
Eligibility Requirements
- Practise Family Medicine full-time
- Practice in a community with:
- Rurality Index of Ontario (RIO) score ≥ 75; or
- RIO ≥ 45 and < 75 and with either 7 or less GP/FPs or
- 30% vacancy rate in the UAP designated complement; or
- Rural Northern Physician Group Agreement (RNPGA)
Check your community's Rural Index of Ontario (RIO score)
Access the List of Areas Designated as Underserviced (LADAU)
Responsibilities
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Submit online or by fax an Application to Acquire Locum Service Form. Indicate whether the a request has made to post on HFOJobs or if a locum has been pre-arranged.
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If rural physicians post their locum assignments on HFOJobs directly, HFO MRA still requires an Application to Acquire Locum Service Form to initiate contract;
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Verify locum physician possesses the proper qualifications to practise in the community;
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Ensure the identified rural physician and the locum physician sign the contract from HFO MRA, and return promptly by fax;
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Complete the Rural Physician Evaluation Form. Forward to the RFMLP promptly at the end of an assignment.
Locum Physicians
Eligibility Requirements
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Have a valid licence for the independent practice of family medicine in the province of Ontario;
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Have his/her own active OHIP billing number;
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Be a member in good standing in the Canadian Medical Protective Association;
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Possess a valid certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and/or Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS);
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Eligible locum physicians may be reimbursed for ACLS and ATLS fees by:
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Committing to and providing at least one locum assignment in the current program year and
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Submitting the ACLS/ATLS certificate and original receipt to the RFMLP for payment processing
Responsibilities
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Arrange their own hospital privileges when providing hospital on-call coverage;
- Received pre-approval (contract issued) from the HFO MRA prior to commencing the assignment to be eligible for funding.
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Forward the rural physician's portion of the billings to him/her within 60 days of completion of the assignment;
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Make own arrangements regarding the assignments including travel, meals, accommodation, working hours, on-call schedules, etc.;
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Complete the Locum Physician Evaluation Form and the Locum Physician Expense Form. Forward the forms to the RFMLP promptly at the end of an assignment;
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A locum physician who completes an assignment for a rural physician associated with a Family Health Network (FHN) or Family Health Organization (FHO) will be required to complete the appropriate forms, Appendix C and Appendix G-2 (see below), in order to assure no disruption of contractually agreed upon remuneration and/or OHIP requirement. For more information, contact the assignment area’s LHIN Project Analyst at 1-866-766-0266:
For FHN Agreement — Appendix C
For FHN Agreement — Appendix G-2
For FHO Agreement — Appendix C
For FHO Agreement — Appendix G-2
Contact Information
If you have any questions or requests for additional information about the Rural Family Medicine Locum Program, please contact:
HealthForceOntario Marketing and Recruitment Agency
Ontario Physician Locum Programs
Rural Family Medicine Locum Program
163 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 1S1
Toll-Free Tel: 1-800-596-4046 ext: 3
Local Tel: 416-862-2200 ext: 3
Toll-Free Fax: 1-866-535-2694
Local Fax: 416-874-4075
E-mail: locum@healthforceontario.ca