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Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP) – Regional Expansion

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Program Overview

The current RPIP will be expanded to include regional communities as part of the incentives available to Family Physicians practicing in Saskatchewan. The RPIP – Regional Expansion will now provide an incentive of up to $100,000 over five years to family physicians practicing, or returning to practice, in regional communities in Saskatchewan. This program applies to physicians who:

  • have initiated Regional practice after April 1, 2026,
  • are currently practicing in eligible regional communities, and
  • meet all eligibility requirements.

Payment of the incentive may be made to qualifying physicians at the end of each year of practice according to the following breakdown:

  • Year 1 – up to $7,500 after 12 months of practice
  • Year 2 – up to $7,500 after 24 months of practice
  • Year 3 – up to $10,000 after 36 months of practice
  • Year 4 – up to $37,500 after 48 months of practice
  • Year 5 – up to $37,500 after 60 months of practice

All physicians who initiated regional practice after April 1, 2026 and now qualify for the program will start at program Year 1, this will ensure access to all 5 years of the new program. Retroactive payments will not be issued for service years.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility will be determined on an annual basis. Eligible physicians will receive their incentive once they have completed the given year of service.

To be eligible for the incentive, physician applicants must meet all the following criteria:

  • Be new to regional practice in Saskatchewan, with a regional practice start date of April 1, 2026 or later.  This may include family physicians who are/have:
    • New to practice
    • Moving from larger (ineligible) communities (i.e. Regina or Saskatoon)
    • Moving from other provinces and countries
    • Been assessed through the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program.
  • Hold an active license with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.
  • Have provided service during at least ten (10) of the previous twelve (12) months of each service year with a minimum of 100 days of service provided annually.
  • Must be practicing in eligible regional communities in Saskatchewan which include:
    • Lloydminster
    • Moose Jaw
    • North Battleford
    • Prince Albert
    • Swift Current
    • Yorkton
  • Excluded from program eligibility are:
    • Telemedicine/virtual care practices located outside of the eligible community (i.e. providing virtual care services from an ineligible community to a regional community).
    • Physicians who have previously received RPIP.
  • The RPIP – Regional Expansion is effective April 1, 2026. The RPIP – Regional Expansion is available once in the lifetime practice of a physician.
  • Physicians who previously participated in the RPIP and subsequently move to an eligible Regional community will not qualify for the RPIP – Regional Expansion.
  • Physicians who previously participated in the RPIP – Regional Expansion and subsequently move to an eligible Rural community will not qualify for the RPIP.

Please note all applicants must meet the criteria in a given year to be considered for RPIP – Regional Expansion program.  Meeting criteria in any given year does not guarantee eligibility in future years, nor does it guarantee that the program will remain unchanged before participants have completed all required years of service and received payment for any eligible years under the RPIP – Regional Expansion program.

Application

Physicians are required to submit an application annually. This should be done at the beginning of each year of practice.

Application Coming Soon

Adjudication

Adjudication of the program will be made by the Saskatchewan Health Authority under the following considerations:

  • The start date for the calculation of the incentive will be the date that the physician commenced their year of practice in an eligible community. Applications are adjudicated after 12 months of service are complete (adjusted for any approved leaves).
  • The eligibility date for each year of RPIP – Regional Expansion may be adjusted if the physician takes an approved leave from practice during the year (e.g. parental/health/training leaves). Other leaves resulting in a gap in practice would be adjudicated on an individual basis by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Ministry of Health.
  • The incentive may be pro-rated for practice that is less than full-time over the 12-month period. Physicians providing visiting or locum services will receive pro-rated payment based on time worked in an eligible regional community as reported by the Saskatchewan Health Authority. (e.g. Physician works half time during their first 12 months of practice. The incentive would be $7,500 x 0.5 = $3,750 for that year.)
  • The full 12 months of each year of service must be completed to receive the RPIP – Regional Expansion incentive. No payments will be made if fewer than ten (10) of the twelve (12) months are considered complete.
  • Payments are made at the end of each completed year of service if all eligible criteria are met.

Questions

For further information or any inquiries related to this program, please contact us at physicianincentives@saskhealthauthority.ca