What is the Business Cost Premium (BCP), and am I eligible for it?

As agreed to in the 2019 Physician Master Agreement, effective April 1, 2020 eligible physicians have been able to receive a percentage premium on MSP fees for in-person Consultation, Visit, Counselling, and Complete Examination services to help cover the rising rent, lease, or ownership costs of a community-based office.

In May 2020 the BCP was temporarily expanded to also include Telehealth (phone and video) fee items for Consultation, Visit, Counselling, and Complete Examination services. This was to ensure that eligible physicians can still take advantage of the premium during the Covid-19 pandemic, given these services would have normally been provided in-person in physician’s offices. 

Physicians meeting the following criteria are eligible for the BCP:

• You are responsible for some or all of the rent, lease, or ownership costs of a community-based office, either directly or indirectly. 
• The community-based office is in an eligible geographical location. For example: Vancouver, Victoria, Metro Vancouver, Greater Victoria, and other communities that do not receive rural retention benefits. To align with the BCP, effective April 1, 2021 the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues (JSC) introduced the Rural Business Cost Modifier (RBCM) to support physicians who reside and practice in rural communities. Rural physicians will receive an increase to their quarterly Rural Retention Program (RRP) flat fee payment disbursed via their Health Authority on behalf of the JSC. For a full list of Rural Subsidiary Agreement (RSA) communities and the corresponding flat fee/RBCM payment amounts please click here.
• You must be entitled to receive and retain payment for the eligible fees directly from MSP (e.g. payments assigned to Health Authorities are not eligible for the premium).

See eligibility FAQs

How is the BCP calculated and paid to physicians?

The percentage values and the daily maximum amounts of the BCP are based on the eligible fees and the location of the community-based office in which the services are provided:

• City of Vancouver: 5% of eligible fees up to a maximum BCP payment of $60 per day per physician.
• Metro Vancouver (excluding the City of Vancouver) and Greater Victoria: 4% of eligible fees up to a maximum BCP payment of $48 per day per physician.
• Other communities (outside Greater Vancouver and Greater Victoria) not eligible for the Rural Retention Premiums: 3% of eligible fees up to a maximum BCP payment of $36 per day per physician.

The BCP will be applied to eligible fees submitted on physician’s MSP-billing claims, and will be paid to the physician’s payee number (or assigned payee number, if applicable). The claims system will apply the percentage for the premium and calculate the daily maximum. In order to identify the physical location in which services are provided and for the correct percentage premium to be applied, physicians will need to include their assigned BCP Facility Number on their billing claims.

List of eligible fees by section.

See BCP payment FAQs

Registering for the BCP

Registering for the BCP involves two steps: 1) Obtain a BCP Facility Number, and 2) complete a Physician Attachment form.

Step 1

Register your community-based office for a BCP Facility Number, which will identify the physical location in which services are provided and allow for the correct percentage premium to be applied.

The physician responsible for administration of the office (the “Facility Administrator”) can apply for a BCP Facility Number by submitting the online application linked below. Only one BCP Facility Number is required per office, regardless if it is a solo or group practice.

Obtain BCP Facility Number forms:

Online Application
Fill and print form

Notes:

• Only the Facility Administrator should apply for a BCP Facility Number, to ensure multiple applications for the same location are not submitted.
• If you are the Facility Administrator at multiple eligible locations, a BCP Facility Number application will need to be submitted for each unique physical location.
• Ensure to check the box to request the BCP be applied to eligible fees paid to eligible physicians attached to that facility.
• The facility effective date is the date the clinic originally opened at its current location.
• If you prefer to mail the application, complete the “Fill and Print” form and mail to the Health Insurance BC address listed at the bottom of the form.

Step 2

Once your location has been assigned a BCP Facility Number you can complete the online Physician Attachment form linked below to attach yourself to your office and its Facility Number.

Practitioner Attachment forms:

Online application
Fill and print form

Notes:

• If you practice at multiple eligible offices, please complete a Practitioner Attachment form for each unique location.
• If you prefer to mail the application, complete the “Fill and Print” form and mail to the Health Insurance BC address listed at the bottom of the form.

See Registration FAQs

Cancel or Change Details for a Facility

If there are any changes to the information after the BCP Facility Number application form has been submitted, the Facility Administrator must submit the “Application to Cancel or Change Details for Facilities with an MSP Facility Number” form linked below.

Online application
Fill and print form

FAQ’s

Eligibility: Who or what is eligible for BCP?

Are the two new temporary fee codes for COVID-19 eligible for the BCP?

Yes, fee codes T13701 (Office Visit for COVID-19 with test) and T13702 (Office Visit for COVID-19 without test) are both eligible for the BCP, as Visits are considered an eligible service under the BCP criteria.

If I receive Rural Retention Premiums (RRP), do I qualify for the BCP?

No, eligible locations include the city of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, the greater Victoria area, and other communities not eligible for the RRP. There are other mechanisms in-place for funding in rural locations.

What qualifies as ownership costs?

Examples of ownership costs include mortgage, utilities, property taxes, etc.

Are walk-in clinics eligible?

Yes, if the walk-in clinic is located in an eligible geographical location, and you are an eligible physician paying towards the lease, rent or ownership costs of the clinic.

There are multiple physicians working in a group clinic, with some paying towards business expenses and others who are not. How does that work?

Only the physicians who pay towards the rent, lease, or ownership costs of an eligible office would qualify for the BCP.

I work in a clinic but do not own it, do I qualify?

Yes, if it is an eligible clinic and you pay towards the lease, rent, or ownership costs.

Information for locums:

I am working as a locum, do I qualify?

Yes, if you work in a clinic that qualifies and part of your agreement is to cover some of the lease, rent, or ownership costs. The payment will be paid to the Payee number you have assigned on the Assignment of Payment form. The payment should be distributed between the host physician/clinic and locum as per your agreement.

If I provide locum services in two different clinics on the same day, how will the BCP be paid?

The BCP may be paid on multiple facility numbers.  The BCP daily maximum though is based on an individual practitioner. The BCP will paid to a practitioner maximum on whichever eligible claims are received first, regardless of facility or payee number.  If the maximum is reached on the first clinics claims, then no BCP is paid to the second clinic.  However, if the maximum is not reached for the first clinic, the remaining amount will be paid to the second clinic.

Many locums complete an Assignment of Payment (AOP) form with a 1-year time range so that they don’t need to complete a new AOP each time they provide locum services at that clinic. Are precise dates required for the BCP form, or can locums do the same without impact on billings?

No, precise dates are not needed for locums, they can put in the same dates as their AOP.  If circumstances change and the physician cancels their AOP, they should update their registration on the APPLICATION TO CANCEL OR CHANGE DETAILS FOR FACILITIES WITH AN MSP FACILITY NUMBER form.

When working as a locum, can I apply online for the BCP and Assignment of Payment at the same time?

Not at this time. These are two separate forms. Practitioner attachment for the BCP can be completed online using a new electronic form, while the existing Assignment of Payment form must be submitted by Canada Post or fax.

Registration: Application questions

Can I still register for the BCP after April 1, 2020?

Yes. If your registration isn’t complete until after April 1, you have two options to claim the BCP:

1. Hold your billing claims from April 1 onwards. Once your BCP registration has been completed (e.g. you have been assigned a facility number and completed the Practitioner Attachment process), submit your claims and the BCP will be applied to the eligible fees.
2. Continue submitting your billing claims as you typically would, and once your BCP registration has been completed you can resubmit your claims from April 1 onwards to claim the BCP on eligible fees.

I received an error message saying the information on my application does not match MSP records. What does this mean?

This most likely means you have entered your Payee number in the MSP Practitioner Number field instead of your personal MSP Practitioner number.

The Application For MSP Facility Number asks for the Facility Effective Date. What is this?

This is the date the clinic/office originally opened at its current location. If you don’t know this date, please use April 1, 2020.

Who do I call if I experience technical difficulties with an application form?

You can call the HIBC Practitioner number for technical assistance with a form:

Vancouver: (604) 456-6950

Elsewhere in B.C.: 1-866-456-6950

What if I practice at more than one office?

If you practice at more than one eligible office (e.g. two offices) and pay towards the lease, rent, or ownership costs at both places, then you would be eligible for the BCP whenever you provide eligible services at either location. You must complete the Practitioner attachment for each unique eligible office.

What if no longer work at an office where I am attached to a BCP Facility Number?

To change physician attachment details, the Facility Administrator must submit the “Application to Cancel or Change Details for Facilities with an MSP Facility Number” form to HIBC: https://my.gov.bc.ca/bcp/update-facility/home

Premium: How will the BCP be paid?

Where will my payment notification show up?

It will show up as a Level 1 adjustment on your remittance statement.

Can facility owners retain all of the BCP?

The BCP is an MSP payment and the sharing between physicians and clinic owners should be based on your current agreement regarding overhead costs, unless you agree to an alternative arrangement. The PMA clearly states that the BCP is for physicians, and therefore clinic owners cannot automatically retain all of the BCP.

Is the daily maximum per physician per location? 

No, the daily maximum is per physician per day across all locations or facilities. 

How do I claim retroactive BCP payment?

Billing claims should be resubmitted with the exact same details, but this time add the BCP Facility Number that was assigned to your office. The claims system will automatically debit off the original claim and process your resubmitted claim, and apply the BCP to applicable fees. For claims greater than 90 days, submission code A is required. The form can be found here.

Doctors registered on August 1, 2021 or after are eligible to resubmit billing claims back to April 1, 2021.

Other questions: EMR? Claims submission?

How do I know if my EMR has the capability or functionality to process the BCP?

The Doctors Technology Office is consulting with the EMR vendor-community to gauge readiness for implementation. However, as there are 100+ Teleplan certified billing vendors, it is recommended that physicians follow up with their billing software company/EMR vendor for information regarding their specific software as soon as possible.

Can an existing Teleplan field (e.g. data centre, service location code, MSP billing #) be used for BCP identification purposes, rather than having to register for a Facility Number?

No. Existing fields do not identify the physical location of the community-based office. After registration an office will be assigned a unique Facility Number. The new Facility Number is the best field for administering the BCP given the technical parameters of the Teleplan system. It is a “mandatory field” which means that every software provider is already required to have that field built into their product, although you may not see it right now.

What information is required on my billing claim to receive the BCP?

• BCP Facility Number
• Service Location Code – please note: these have changed effective April 1, 2021
  Any of the following Service Location Codes are acceptable:
  • (B) Community Health Centre
  • (D) Diagnostic Facility
  • (F) Private Medical/Surgical Facility
  • (K) Hybrid Primary Care Practice
  • (J) First Nations Primary Health Care Clinic
  • (L) Longitudinal Primary Care Practice
  • (M) Mental Health Centre
  • (Q) Specialist Physician Office
  • (T) Practitioner's Office - In Publicly Administered Facility
  • (U) Urgent and Primary Care Centre
  • (V) Virtual Care Clinic
  • (W) Walk-In Clinic

What if I submit a procedure fee with the BCP facility number on my billing claim in error? Or, what if I submit all my claims that are a mix of eligible and non-eligible fees with a BCP facility number?

The claims system will be programmed to only apply the BCP to the eligible fee items submitted by eligible physicians. If you submit a non-BCP fee item, the system will process your claims in the usual manner and will not apply the premium.

What happens if I submit a claim with a facility number and I have not registered my practitioner attachment to the facility?

The claim will be refused with an explanation that the practitioner has not been attached to the facility number.

Online BCP webinar: Recording from March 12, 2020

Business Cost Premium Education Webinar March 12, 2020 recording 

Details covered in the session included eligibility criteria, how to register for a facility number, and EMR requirements for submitting BCP claims. 

Resources for support:

• Health Insurance BC (HIBC) administers the BCP and processes the applications on behalf of MSP. For technical support, including application submission, and registration confirmation, please contact HIBC at the phone numbers listed below. HIBC has dedicated support for the BCP, so please follow the prompts for the “Business Cost Premium” when phoning.
  • Vancouver: 604 456 6950
  • Elsewhere in B.C.: 1 866 456 6950
• If your question isn’t covered in the FAQ’s, the Doctors of BC Economics team can be reached at View Email Addresseconomics@doctorsofbc.ca