New Fee Items/Tariffs

The Saskatchewan Physician Payment Schedule lists service codes that physicians use to bill the Medical Services Branch (MSB) for the provision of insured medical services in Saskatchewan.

The Payment Schedule is updated every six months (April 1st and October 1st) with new service codes and/or other applicable revisions/deletions to existing codes or rules. As required by The Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act, MSB consults the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) prior to making a decision to proceed with the updates.

Any fee schedule changes are subject to final recommendation by the Payment Schedule Review Committee (PSRC). PSRC is the Minister’s committee with representatives from the SMA and the Ministry of Health. This committee reviews all proposed recommendations, and the Minister of Health has final approval on all changes.

The initiation of any request starts with an application to the SMA Tariff Committee.  The New Fee Item Request Form must be completed and submitted to the Tariff Committee in order for a request to be considered.  Physicians are encouraged to first discuss their ideas with their specialty section representatives.

Click here view and download (save to your computer) the New Fee Item Request Form

The Tariff Committee works closely with Ministry of Health representatives who attend its meetings.

Several considerations guide Tariff Committee’s review:

  • Do all relevant specialty sections support the proposal?
  • Is the service medically required?
  • Is the procedure supported by medical evidence?
  • How does the requested fee amount compare with another existing service code of similar complexity, time, effort?
  • What is the expected annual utilization by all relevant physician groups?
  • Is there a similar service paid in other jurisdictions (provinces)?

After these considerations, available budget, and other requests and priorities in the queue, the Tariff Committee will make a recommendation to either adopt, adopt with changes, reject, or defer the proposal for consideration in subsequent years. Price changes may be passed to the appropriate specialty section for inclusion in their next payment schedule micro allocation.

If accepted, the Tariff Committee will send the proposal forward to the Minister’s Payment Schedule Review Committee (PSRC) for final recommendation on whether to add a new service code or make a change to an existing service code or a rule. The Minister of Health has final approval on all changes.

The Tariff Committee and PSRC meetings are held months in advance of the actual Payment Schedule release to allow for consultation with impacted stakeholders, analysis, policy development, Minister’s approval, MSB claims system updates, EMR Vendor updates, as well as Payment Schedule document updates among other considerations.

Click here for the Process Timeline

It may take at least 1 year to see a change implemented in the Payment Schedule for requests that submitted and consequently selected for that cycle’s review.

Per the provision #6 of the Introduction to the Payment Schedule:
When a physician service is not listed in the Physician Payment Schedule, the physician should write to Medical Services Branch and request advice on the correct submission of the account:

Medical Services Branch, 3475 Albert Street, Regina SK, S4S 6X6 or fax 306-787-3761.

Your correspondence must outline:

  1. The nature and description of the service;
  2. The frequency of the service;
  3. The length of time spent performing the service; and
  4. The suggested fee and rationale.

Per the provision #7 of the Introduction to the Payment Schedule:
When unusual time, skill or attention is required in the management of any medical condition, a payment greater than the amount indicated in the Physician Payment Schedule may be authorized upon receipt of a written report.

To request consideration of payment, please write to:

Medical Services Branch, 3475 Albert Street, Regina SK, S4S 6X6 or fax 306-787-3761.

Your correspondence must outline:

  1. The nature and description of the service;
  2. The frequency of the service;
  3. The length of time spent performing the service; and
  4. The suggested fee and rationale.

To submit a completed New Fee Item Request form or if you have any further questions about this process, please contact us at tariff@sma.sk.ca.