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Billing code

Q312A — FHO+ hourly indirect patient care

FHO+ hourly indirect care

FHO physicians bill Q312A for patient-specific work without direct contact, such as charting, results, referrals and forms, in 15-minute units.

Watch for: Q312A and Q313A together can't exceed 25% of the month's total hourly payments.

Code

Q312A

Description

FHO+ hourly indirect patient care

FHO+ basket

Not in the FHO+ base rate basket (Schedule 2 or 2B).

Effective date

Apr 1, 2026

Termination date

No end date

Explanation

Updated October 26, 2026

FHO+ hourly code for indirect care for a specific enrolled patient: charting, results, referrals, forms and care coordination.

What it covers

Q312A pays FHO physicians by the hour for work for a specific enrolled patient's insured care when there is no direct patient contact (Agreement p.61–62 §6.1(iii)).

It covers charting; reviewing results and reports; referrals and requisitions; chart review; advising the patient or their representative before or after a visit; care coordination and planning; conferring with other providers or family; patient-specific research; clinically required forms and death certificates; and teaching arising from direct care (Agreement p.62 §6.1(iii)).

It is one of the four FHO+ hourly codes (Q310A–Q313A) in the April 2026 FHO agreement, not the Schedule or Appendix Q, payable to FHO and FHO contracted physicians (Agreement p.61 §6.1).

Billing rules

• Not for third-party forms the patient can be billed for, such as insurance or medical-legal reports (Agreement p.62 §6.1(iii)(j)).
• Billed in 15-minute units per day, totalled across enrolled patients; 8 minutes or more left over counts as a unit (Agreement p.63 §6.3–6.4).
• Only in the usual family practice setting, including LTC homes and home visits, for enrolled patients (Agreement p.61 §6.1).
• Not for ED, in-hospital work (including labour and delivery), anaesthesia, surgical assist, Independent Health Facilities, non-enrolled patients, uninsured services or travel time (Agreement p.63 §6.5).
• All hourly codes together: at most 14.0 hours a day and 240.0, 248.6, 257.1 or 265.7 hours in a 28-, 29-, 30- or 31-day month (Agreement p.63–64 §6.6).
• Q312A and Q313A together can't exceed 25% of the month's total hourly payments (Agreement p.64 §6.7(a)).
• Keep a daily time record with a summary of the activities, for Ministry review (Agreement p.64 §6.8).

Often billed with

• Q310A for direct care the same day (Agreement p.63 §6.3).

Common rejections

• V41: Since May 1, 2026, hourly codes billed at $0.00 reject V41 for service dates from April 1, 2026; bill the value of the units claimed (INFOBulletin 260501).
• EPA: The physician isn't affiliated with an FHO, or an FHO locum billed without the FHO group number (INFOBulletin 260309).
• VH1: The health number on the claim was blank or invalid; check how your billing software fills the patient fields on hourly claims.
• VJ7: OHIP received the claim more than three months after the service date, so it was rejected as stale-dated.
• A3G: The Ministry's description for A3G is 'fee billed low'; check that the fee submitted matches the value of the units claimed.

Related codes: Q310, Q311, Q313

Source: Not in the Schedule of Benefits; FHO Physician Payment Agreement (April 2026), Appendix I §6 Hourly Payments, pages 61–64

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