When does the Manitoba Physician's Manual change, and how do I keep up?

The fee

When a change applies

• From its effective date. That is the date the change applies from, and it can come before the update is published. Tariff 8694 was added in the October 1, 2026 update, effective September 1, 2026. The update list reads "The following new tariff has been added effective September 1, 2026:". It is listed on page B-38 as "RSV–Respiratory Syncytial Virus Antibody (Paediatric)", "8694 single dose", 12.28.
• For an immunization, only within the eligibility rules. Immunizations "may only be claimed if the injection is for a publicly funded vaccine administered in accordance with the eligibility criteria as is determined from time to time by the Communicable Disease Control Branch of Manitoba Health." (B-36)
• An update does not change the claim deadline. "All claims MUST be submitted within six (6) months of the date of the service." (CLMST-1, item 4)

When it does not apply

• Before the effective date. Tariff 8694 does not apply to a paediatric RSV antibody dose given before September 1, 2026.
• Outside the eligibility criteria, whatever the date. Immunizations "are an excluded service for purposes of travel, employment and emigration" (B-36).
• On pages the update does not list. The October 1, 2026 update lists two pages, B-38 and N-11. The date printed on a page does not show the change: page B-38 still carries the date April 1, 2026.

How to keep up

• The quarterly schedule comes from Doctors Manitoba. Its page says "The Physician’s Manual is updated quarterly (April, July, October, and January)." That page was last updated July 17, 2024.
• Manitoba Health publishes changes to the Manitoba Physician's Manual as dated updates. Its 2026 updates are dated January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. The Manitoba Health pages we checked do not state a schedule.
• Manitoba Health's manual page shows the date of the latest update. It now reads "Physician's Manual updated October 1, 2026".

Our suggestion, not a Manitoba Health rule

• When the date on Manitoba Health's manual page changes, read what the update changed. The October 1, 2026 update came with a list of the pages it changed. Check each effective date.
• Take fees from the current manual on Manitoba Health's website, not from a copy saved on your computer. "The most current version of the manual can be found on Manitoba Health’s website at http://www.manitoba.ca/health/manual." (CLMST-1)

Worked example

What is often not billed

A service given after a change takes effect, but before the update that announces it. Tariff 8694 applies from September 1, 2026, and first appeared in the October 1, 2026 update. A paediatric RSV antibody dose given in September 2026 can be claimed as 8694 if it meets the eligibility criteria (page B-36), even though the code was not yet in the manual that day. If it was never claimed, it can still be claimed within six months of the date it was given (CLMST-1, item 4). The claim turns on two facts from the visit: the date of the dose, and that the dose met the eligibility criteria (page B-36). This is payment for care you already provided.