Four year agreement for N.B. Medical Society
The provincial government and the New Brunswick Medical Society have signed a four-year physician services agreement.
It focuses on improving primary care access and supporting physicians across the province.
The 2025-29 agreement represents an estimated $270 million investment and will cover all physicians working in the public healthcare system.
“New Brunswickers want timely access to care closer to home,” said Dornan in a government release on March 12. “This agreement bolsters collaborative care teams to attract new physicians, enabling us to roster more patients, expand after-hours services, and align compensation with patient attachment and continuity of care.”
Premier Susan Holt says the agreement is a turning point for primary care in the province.
“We are catching up and positioning ourselves to keep up. This contract strengthens access for patients, supports physicians and ensures New Brunswick is competitive nationally,” said Holt.
New compensation models will reward patient attachment, timely appointments and participation in collaborative care clinics. Monthly reporting will ensure transparency and accountability, according to the statement.
In addition to its already established focuses, the agreement supports specialty clinics in rural areas, which aim to reduce travel burden for patients. It also introduces a structured parental leave program and establishes a physician wellness program.
The agreement includes a commitment to review gender pay equity, nursing home coverage, clinical teaching supports, and obstetrics services payment gaps in efforts to modernize physician compensation.
“We are happy to have collectively seized this opportunity to transform our system through new, innovative and accountable payment models developed for family physicians, as well as targeted investments in their clinics and teams that will allow them to take on more patients, more quickly,” said the New Brunswick Medical Society President, Dr. Lise Babin.