New $270-million agreement rewards N.B. physicians for taking on more patients

New Brunswick is spending $270 million to attract more physicians to the province.

The New Brunswick government is hoping a new $270-million deal with the New Brunswick Medical Society will attract more physicians to the province.

The government announced Thursday that it signed a four-year physician services agreement with the society. The agreement aims to improve access to primary care by rewarding physicians for taking on more patients and seeing them in a timely manner.

“Our No. 1 priority is health care and making sure that New Brunswickers have access to the care we need,” said Premier Susan Holt during the announcement.

“And I believe that this contract is going to deliver exceptional value for New Brunswickers who have been waiting for a very long time to get access to primary care.”

The 2025-29 agreement covers all physicians working in the public health-care system. The province will spend $270 million over four years under the agreement.

“Our physicians were the worst paid in the country. The best way to bleed our system is to not increase their contracts,” said New Brunswick Health Minister John Dornan.

“There’s cost-of-living increases, equipment, medications, so the health-care budget did have to go up. This is part of the have-to-go-up that we could not avoid.”

New compensation models will reward physicians for patient attachment, timely appointments, and participation in collaborative care clinics. The province says the agreement is structured around measurable improvements in patient access, with monthly reporting to boost transparency and accountability.

Physicians who meet performance goals will receive more money to hire additional staff, such as nurses, and address other areas of concern in their practice.

“If you attach less patients, you get less money out of this contract. If you attach more patients, you get more money. If you see more patients, more often, you get more money. And if you see less patients, you get less,” explained René Boudreau, CEO of the New Brunswick Medical Society.

“So, this is a very accountable contract. There are no hourly pay structures and the fee-for-service. Everything was kept on a for-performance basis.”

Physicians will now have access to a structured parental leave program and a wellness program under the new contract.

The agreement also includes commitments to review gender pay equity, clinical teaching supports, nursing home coverage and obstetrics payment gaps.

“We want to show that this contract not only keeps physicians here, but brings more physicians in, and we will be glad to report on that,” said Dornan.

The signing of the contract comes a week before Holt’s government reveals its second budget, which is anticipated to come with a deficit of $1.3 billion.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Avery MacRae

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