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Billing code

W279A — Geriatric LTC periodic health visit

LTC health visit, geriatrics

Bill for a geriatrician's periodic health visit for a long-term care resident with no apparent acute illness.

Watch for: One per patient per physician per 12 months; not separate when you bill W010 as most responsible physician.

Code

W279A

Description

Geriatric LTC periodic health visit

FHO+ basket

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

Effective date

Jun 1, 2025

Termination date

No end date

Explanation

Updated October 26, 2026

Periodic health visit by a geriatrician for a long-term care resident with no acute illness: history, exam, screening and counselling.

What it covers

W279 is the Geriatrics (07) periodic health visit for long-term care residents (A122). A periodic health visit is done for a patient with no apparent acute physical or mental illness, and includes an age- and gender-appropriate history, examination, health screening and relevant counselling (GP21).

Long-term care (W-prefix) services cover chronic care and convalescent hospitals, nursing homes, homes for the aged, and designated chronic or convalescent beds, but not patients in designated palliative care beds (GP49).

Billing rules

• Specialists bill from the Consultations and Visits listing for their own Royal College specialty on file with the Ministry, here Geriatrics (07) (GP9).
• One periodic health visit per patient per physician per 12 months; extra ones are not insured (GP21).
• The general re-assessment W074 can only be claimed 6 months after the periodic health visit, as required by the Nursing Homes Act (A122).
• In a nursing home or home for the aged, this service is part of W010 monthly management. If you are the MRP billing W010 for the month, don't bill it separately (GP51–GP52).
• Not on the Appendix J virtual care list, so it is not payable by video or phone (AJ1–AJ3).

Related codes: W074, W272, W274, W277, W073, W010

Source: Schedule of Benefits (July 1, 2026), Consultations and Visits, Geriatrics (07), page A122. Periodic health visit GP21.

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