Quick answer: To bill a WorkSafeBC claim in OSCAR Pro, open the patient’s encounter, add a new BC-WCB form from the Forms section, and complete every field. That includes the date of service, date of injury, WCB code (19937 for a first report, 19940 for a progress report), service code, ICD-9 code, body part, side, and nature of injury. Then click Save and Bill. OSCAR Pro builds the WCB invoice with your codes and attaches the form, ready to submit through Teleplan.
If your clinic treats injured workers in British Columbia, WorkSafeBC billing is something you’ll do regularly, and it works differently from standard MSP billing. This guide covers the full workflow in OSCAR Pro: creating a first report, billing follow-up visits, finding past forms, and fixing rejected claims.
WorkSafeBC Claims in OSCAR Pro: An Overview
A WorkSafeBC claim, often still called a WCB claim, bills for medical services provided to a patient with a work-related injury or condition. Like MSP claims, WorkSafeBC claims are submitted through Teleplan. They also require extra information: the date of injury, the employer’s details, and WorkSafeBC-specific codes for the report type, body part, and nature of injury.
In OSCAR Pro, this information goes into the BC-WCB form. That form is linked directly to the invoice, so you enter the details once and they carry through to the bill.
WorkSafeBC Submission Deadlines
WorkSafeBC expects claims within seven business days of the service date. Your report should be made within three business days of first seeing the injured worker. Incomplete forms can delay payment, so completeness matters as much as speed.
That’s why starting from the patient’s encounter is the recommended workflow. You can fill out the form while the visit is fresh and create the invoice in the same step.
Step 1: Open a New BC-WCB Form From the Patient’s Encounter
Open the patient’s eChart by clicking the E for that patient. In the Forms section, hover over the plus sign and select BCWCB to create a new WorkSafeBC form.
Use a new form when the visit is for a new injury or a first submission. For follow-up visits on an existing claim, you’ll work from the most recent form instead, as covered below.
Step 2: Pull in Previous Claim and Employer Information
If you’ve seen the patient before for a WorkSafeBC claim, OSCAR Pro shows hyperlinks that fill in details for you. If the visit relates to the same claim, click the link to bring in the existing claim number. If the patient still works for the same employer, click the employer link to populate that information as well.
This saves time and helps prevent typos in claim numbers and employer details.
Step 3: Enter the Dates and Diagnosis
Start with the date of service, which is the date of the visit, and the date of injury, which is when the workplace injury happened.
In the diagnosis field, type a plain-language description of the injury. Be specific, including the side of the body where relevant. For example, write “left wrist injury” rather than just “wrist injury.”
Step 4: Choose the Correct WCB Code (19937 or 19940)
The WCB code tells WorkSafeBC what type of report you’re submitting. Use 19937 for a first report (Form 8) and 19940 for a progress report (Form 11).
To search for a code, click the word WCB next to the field or search by keyword. Some codes in the search list are no longer relevant, so stick with 19937 or 19940 for standard first and progress reports.
Step 5: Enter the Service Code
The service code is what the physician would normally bill for the visit, such as a regular office visit. WorkSafeBC service billing is fee-for-service. If your clinic normally uses LFP (Longitudinal Family Physician) billing, you’ll need to bill fee-for-service for WorkSafeBC visits.
Choose the code that matches the visit type and the patient’s age. In the demonstration, the patient was over 50 and seen in the office, so the age-appropriate office visit code 15300 was used. Check the current MSP Payment Schedule to confirm the correct code for your patient.
Step 6: Search for the ICD-9 Diagnostic Code
Use the search to find the right ICD-9 code by keyword. For example, typing “wrist” and clicking search brings up options such as sprains and strains of the wrist and hand. Searching is faster and more reliable than entering codes from memory.
Step 7: Add Body Part, Side, and Nature of Injury
These fields use WorkSafeBC’s own codes, not MSP codes. For body part, type a keyword like “wrist” and select the matching WorkSafeBC code. For side, select left or right as applicable. For nature of injury, search or scroll through the list and choose the best match, such as strains and sprains.
Step 8: Complete Every Field on the Form
Before saving, check that every open box on the form is filled in. WorkSafeBC relies on complete information, and missing fields are a common cause of delayed payment.
Step 9: Click Save and Bill
When the form is complete, click Save and Bill at the bottom. OSCAR Pro then automatically marks the invoice as a WorkSafeBC claim, fills in the date of service and the codes from the form, and attaches the WorkSafeBC form to the bill.
Click Continue, then Save Bill. The invoice is now ready for Teleplan submission.
Billing WorkSafeBC Follow-Up Visits
For a follow-up visit, whether it’s days or weeks later, go back to the patient’s encounter and open the most recent WorkSafeBC form. You’ll update this form rather than starting a new one.
Expand the form and update the details. Change the date of service to the follow-up date. Change the WCB code from 19937 to 19940 for a progress report. Update the service code if the visit type changed. For example, if you spoke with the patient by phone, use the appropriate virtual or telehealth code instead of an in-office code.
Don’t just leave the previous information in place. Update anything that’s different at this visit. Then click Save and Bill, and OSCAR Pro will create the WCB invoice with the updated codes and attach the form.
Creating WorkSafeBC Billing From the Schedule
You can also create WorkSafeBC billing from the schedule by clicking the B icon beside the patient’s appointment and selecting WCB. However, this route does not fill in service codes automatically, even if you select the patient’s most recent WorkSafeBC form. You’ll need to open the form to check the codes or already know which codes to bill.
For that reason, starting from the patient’s encounter is usually the faster and more accurate option.
Finding Previous WorkSafeBC Forms
Updating an existing form for each follow-up can feel like you’re overwriting the old one, but OSCAR Pro keeps every version. The eChart shows only the most recent WorkSafeBC form. To see earlier versions, click the word Forms in the patient’s encounter. From that list you can open any previous form to review, print, or resend it.
Submitting WorkSafeBC Claims Through Teleplan
After saving, the WorkSafeBC invoice appears with a status of NOSUB (not yet submitted). Run the claim file through OSCAR Pro’s Teleplan simulation tool first to catch errors. Once the simulation is clean, generate the claim file and send it to Teleplan for WorkSafeBC processing.
Correcting Rejected WorkSafeBC Claims
When a WorkSafeBC claim is rejected, OSCAR Pro may change it back to a standard MSP claim. Before resubmitting, set the claim type back to WCB. Otherwise the corrected claim will be processed as MSP instead of WorkSafeBC.
Tips for Faster WorkSafeBC Payments
Start from the patient’s encounter so the form and invoice are created together and service codes fill in automatically. Fill in every field on every form, including follow-ups. Use the built-in search for WCB, ICD-9, body part, and nature of injury codes. Run the Teleplan simulation before every submission. And when correcting a rejected claim, always confirm the claim type is set to WCB.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the WCB code for a first report in OSCAR Pro?
The WCB code for a WorkSafeBC first report (Form 8) is 19937.
What is the WCB code for a progress report?
The WCB code for a WorkSafeBC progress report (Form 11) is 19940.
How long do I have to submit a WorkSafeBC claim?
WorkSafeBC expects claims within seven business days of the service date, and the report should be made within three business days of first seeing the injured worker.
Can I bill WorkSafeBC under LFP?
WorkSafeBC service billing is fee-for-service. If you normally use LFP billing, bill fee-for-service for WorkSafeBC visits.
Do I need a new BC-WCB form for each follow-up visit?
No. Open the most recent WorkSafeBC form, update the date of service and codes, and change the WCB code to 19940. OSCAR Pro saves every version, so earlier forms remain available under Forms.
Why didn’t my service codes fill in automatically?
Service codes fill in automatically only when you use Save and Bill from the WorkSafeBC form in the patient’s encounter. Creating the bill from the B icon on the schedule requires you to enter the codes manually.
Why did my WorkSafeBC claim turn into an MSP claim?
Rejected WorkSafeBC claims may revert to MSP status. Set the claim type back to WCB before resubmitting.
Learn More in the Learn OSCAR Pro Course
The Creating Invoices module in the Learn OSCAR Pro course walks through this WorkSafeBC workflow and more in full, screen-recorded detail. It covers building clean MSP and private invoices, handling out-of-province and reciprocal billing correctly, managing WorkSafeBC forms and deadlines, and navigating ICBC claims under the current rules.