Renewal of Master Services Agreement - The Physician-Vendor Contract VCUR 2008

March 21, 2011

The Physician Office System Program (POSP) advises that Alberta Health and Wellness (AHW) has extended the Master Service Agreement (MSA) with the three qualified service providers (QSPs) by one year. As such, clinics now have the opportunity to extend their physician-vendor agreement with a QSP to March 31, 2012.

Your QSP will have contacted you about the renewal. It is very important that clinics respond to the QSP promptly with your answer. If no answer is received by March 31, 2011, the physician-vendor agreement will expire.

The process for renewal and signoff is designed to maximize physician control by providing clinics with an important right -- the ability to renew the agreement or opt out on a yearly basis. However, if a clinic intended to renew but fails to notify the QSP by the deadline, they could inadvertently end up without a contract. If a physician is considering opting out, they should contact their POSP change management advisor to discuss the implications of this choice.

As outlined in the POSP Physician Participation Agreement, POSP funding is contingent on a physician/clinic having a valid contract with a vendor, and providing POSP with evidence of renewal.

To ensure your POSP funding is not disrupted, please respond to your vendor by March 31, 2011. Your vendor will forward renewal confirmation to POSP. Funding for physicians that do not have evidence of renewal will be suspended on April 1, 2011 and cannot be reinstated until a valid contract is established.