Notice: Effective March 2020, the Ministry of Health no longer accepts mailed or couriered documents related to application-based programs. Only applications that are sent by email to a ministry-designated account or via fax (705-564-7493) will be accepted. Applications that include electronic signatures (such as, scanned original, electronic device applications, or digital) will be accepted in lieu of original, signed documents.

The submission deadline for the Northern Physicians Retention Initiative (NPRI) Application is March 31, 2024.  Applications received or post-marked after March 31, 2024 will be denied.

Overview

The purpose of the Northern Physician Retention Initiative (NPRI) is to support the retention of physicians in Northern Ontario and to encourage physicians to maintain active hospital privileges.

The NPRI was established as an initiative under the 2000 Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Framework Agreement to enable eligible physicians in Northern Ontario to receive the equivalent of a $7,460.95 retention incentive paid at the end of each fiscal year in which they continue to practice full-time in Northern Ontario.

The NPRI is targeted to general or family practitioners and specialists who continue to practice full-time in Northern Ontario after completion of their fourth year of the financial recruitment incentive duration.

Northern Ontario is defined as the districts of:

  • Algoma
  • Cochrane
  • Kenora
  • Manitoulin
  • Nipissing
  • Parry Sound
  • Rainy River
  • Sudbury
  • Thunder Bay
  • Timiskaming

NPRI funding is subject to the physician meeting eligibility criteria, and subject to the consent of all parties concerned.

Eligibility

Eligibility for the NPRI is determined annually for fiscal years ending March 31, based upon the submission of a complete application package.

To be eligible for NPRI, the physician must:

  • at the time of application, have completed a minimum of four years of continuous full-time practice in Northern Ontario after completion of their financial recruitment incentive duration, and must continue to practise full-time in Northern Ontario until the end of each fiscal year
  • maintain a full-time fee-for-service practice, work full-time in a Community Health Centre (CHC) or approved alternate payment plan arrangement, or work full-time as a hospitalist
  • hold a valid certificate of registration to practice medicine in Ontario from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
  • hold a certificate from The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in a specific speciality (if applicable)
  • hold an OHIP billing number and have billing privileges
  • hold current active hospital staff privileges

    or

  • have been in practice in Ontario for more than 25 years, during which time he or she held active hospital privileges; maintain another recognized medical staff category in the hospital; continue to maintain a full-time community practice and fulfill all of the other requirements of the NPRI

Exceptions for eligibility

Physicians who practise in communities where there is no hospital, but who meet all the NPRI criteria except those who hold current active hospital staff privileges are eligible to receive the NPRI incentive.

Physicians who are receiving funding through the Northern Health Programs' Northern and Rural Recruitment and Retention Initiative, are not eligible to receive the NPRI retention incentive until their financial recruitment incentive duration is completed.

Payment

The NPRI funding year is aligned with the Ministry of Health’s fiscal year, which is April 1 to March 31.

The Northern Physician Retention Incentive will be paid at the end of each fiscal year through the OHIP claims payment system.

How to apply for the NPRI funding

The deadline for submitting an Application for the Northern Physician Retention Initiative is March 31, 2024. Any application received or post-dated after March 31, 2024 will be denied.

To apply for the Northern Physician Retention Initiative, the physician must submit the following documents and information:

  • a completed, signed and dated application for the NPRI grant
  • proof of active hospital privileges at a hospital located in the community, or if there is no hospital in the community, in an adjacent area (as required by the community)

Approval process

  1. The physician submits to Northern Health Programs (NHP) a completed application and a letter from a hospital official confirming proof of active hospital privileges at a hospital located in the eligible community where the applicant is a member of a primary care model if a family physician, and practise full-time, or if there is no hospital in the eligible community, in an adjacent area as required by the community.
  2. The application is reviewed for eligibility.
  3. If NHP approves the application, an approval letter is sent to the physician.
  4. If the physician does not meet program criteria, a letter is sent to the physician advising him/her of the reason for the denial.
  5. NHP will pay the NPRI funding in a lump sum payment through the OHIP claims payment system by the end of the first quarter of the following fiscal year.

It takes approximately eight to twelve weeks to process an application, once a physician has provided all the required information. Physicians who are interested in the program are encouraged to provide as much lead-time as possible to ensure appropriate review/processing time.

Additional Northern Physician Retention Initiative (NPRI) information

Physicians who send their application by fax are encouraged to keep the original for their records once the application has been successfully transmitted. It is not necessary to submit the original application if it has already been faxed to program staff.

Re-locating a practice

As soon as the physician is aware of a change in address or practice location, it is the responsibility of the physician to advise NHP immediately.

Northern Ontario

For the current funding year, we continue to define northern Ontario as the districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin, Muskoka, Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.

Although the District of Muskoka was removed from the Ministry of Health's definition of Northern Ontario effective January 1, 2005, physicians who practised in this district and who meet all of the NPRI eligibility criteria are still entitled to receive the NPRI funding for the current fiscal year.

Approved APP

Physicians who have signed most ministry-approved alternate payment plans (APPs) in the North, including Community Health Centres (CHC), and who meet all the other program eligibility criteria, will be eligible for the $7,460.95 incentive payment.

NPRI and Northern and Rural Recruitment and Retention Initiative (NRRRI)

Physicians cannot receive the NRRRI and NPRI funding for the same fiscal year.

NPRI payment

Eligibility for NPRI will be communicated to physicians upon review of their NPRI application for the current fiscal year. Payments will be processed and paid through the OHIP claims payment system by the end of the first quarter of the following fiscal year.

Taxes

Physicians should direct any questions regarding tax implications to their accountant.

Moving

Physicians who leave northern Ontario prior to the end of the NPRI fiscal year they are applying for will not receive the NPRI incentive for that year. The Program does not prorate the funding for the time physicians practice in northern Ontario.

Maternity or parental leave

You are eligible for NPRI funding provided the maternity or parental leave does not exceed the allowable 17 weeks under the OMA Agreement and does not carry over from one fiscal year to the next. Physicians will need to indicate on the application form the start and end dates of any maternity/parental leaves taken within the current fiscal year.

If an applicant takes a leave-of-absence (maternity, parental or otherwise) where the leave is longer than 17 weeks in any given fiscal year (April 1 – March 31), they would be ineligible for the NPRI grant in that particular year. That is:

  • in any fiscal year where the applicant’s leave of absence is 17 weeks leave or less, they are eligible for the full NPRI grant
  • in any fiscal year where the applicant’s leave of absence exceeds 17 weeks, they are ineligible for the NPRI grant
  • NPRI grants are not prorated for partial years of service

Please refer also to the Pregnancy and Parental Leave Benefit Program (PPLBP) for additional information.

Any leave-of-absence duration is not counted against the eligibility requirement above that states “physicians must, at the time of application, have completed a minimum of four years of continuous full-time practice in northern Ontario and must continue to provide full-time practice in northern Ontario until the end of the current fiscal year.” That is, physicians who are on a leave-of-absence are still considered to be continuously practicing full-time for the purpose of NPRI eligibility and are encouraged to apply in the years following a maternity/parental leave.

Contact Us

For more information, you can contact the Ministry of Health, Primary Health Care Branch by: