Dr. Serge Melanson, President of the New Brunswick Medical Society. (submitted)
The provincial government is eliminating the physician billing number system.
Health Minister Hugh J. Flemming says The physician billing number system no longer works for the province because it restricts the number of physicians practicing, restricts the mobility of physicians and impedes recruitment.
Flemming made the announcement during yesterday’s New Brunswick Medical Society’s annual general meeting in Moncton.
Dr. Serge Melanson, president of the Medical Society says the billing number system has not proven effective in recruiting physicians and a more robust resource plan will signal to interested physicians that New Brunswick is a great place to set up a practice.
The Department of Health will phase out the billing number system for both general practitioners and specialists over the next few months, aiming to complete the process by the 15th of December.
A new physician resource management plan is being developed that will focus on establishing an alternative to the billing number system, a rural recruitment strategy and an accountability framework to support improved access to primary care.
