Legal Information

Nurse practitioners assess, diagnose, treat / manage and monitor a wide range of health problems using an evidence-based approach to their practice. Nurse Practitioners prescribe medications, order/interpret laboratory/diagnostic tests, and initiate referrals to specialists (Government of Canada). Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are licensed by jurisdictional nursing regulators. NPs are prepared health providers who practice autonomously and independently (Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada, 2018)

The scope of practice of Nurse Practitioner includes

  1. Complete comprehensive health history and assessment;

  2. Formulate and communicate a diagnosis, taking a differential diagnosis into consideration;

  3. Prescribe all medications including controlled drugs and substances;

  4. Dispense, sell, and compound medications;

  5. Set and cast fractures and dislocated joints;

  6. Admit, treat and discharge patients from hospitals.

  7. Order some diagnostic imaging tests (now, MRI and CT scan is not included).

  8. Consult and refer directly to specialists (College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)

  9. Can prescribe all medications including narcotics and controlled substances (Ontario Providing New Prescribing Authority for Nurse Practitioners)

  10. Can provide medical assistance in dying.

For more information About NP scope of practice, visit the CNO website.

NPs are not paid in the same way as most physicians. The compensation framework for health services provided by physicians and NPs is fundamentally different. Physicians are typically compensated through a fee-for-service model whereby they directly bill the patient’s public health insurance plan for rendering insured health services.
NPs do not bill OHIP for the services they provide, NPs do not have an assigned NPs individual billing number in order for them to directly bill any public health insurance plan for the insured health services they provide to their patients. The vast majority of NPs in Ontario are paid by salary.
Some NPs work as independent contractors, billing the organization based on an hourly or daily rate. Moreover, NPs may also bill patients directly for medically necessary services as well as non-healthcare services such as sick notes. (CNO website).

Paying a private nurse practitioner is completely legitimate. Charging people for health services provided by a Nurse practitioner does not violate the Canada Health Act.

As per the College of Nurses of Ontario, “a fee for private services provided by a Nurse Practitioner should be reasonable and comparable to fees charged by other providers for similar nursing and medical services”. A fee for service is disclosed to the client prior to services rendered and the fees are agreed to by clients prior to services rendered. The fee for services will be reviewed annually, and changes will be posted.

To provide the best possible care, I need to collect and use personal health information. As an independent NP, I am committed to keeping your information safe and confidential and following the rules set out in law about collecting, using, and disclosing your personal information.