Dr. Paul Parks, president, section of emergency medicine, at the Alberta Medical Association, says in the middle of a pandemic, on April 1, Alberta Health will no longer pay doctors to treat a patient that does not have an Alberta Health card number.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
On April 1 Alberta Health will no longer pay physicians to treat anyone that does not have a provincial health card number.
Dr. Paul Parks, president section of emergency medicine, Alberta Medical Association , says the government is still pushing through with almost all of its imposed changes to doctors compensation.
“My concern is around the growing distaste of having to work for a government that informs me that my training, my experience and expertise, and my time, are worth absolutely nothing to them,” said Parks.
Not getting paid for treating someone without a health card number would apply to someone with COVID-19 symptoms or a patient with trauma after a car accident.
“If they don’t have a health card number when they arrive in emergency the health doctor, the surgeon, the hospital and everybody that cares for that patient has got to do it for free, because this government has not thought through what they’re doing,” said Parks.
Up to now there had been a good-faith billing agreement that provides coverage to those Albertans who cannot readily provide a health-care number and to allow the patient to sort out their health insurance after they have been treated.
Parks says most people can see this does not make any sense and is illogical.
“They are going to implement this on April 1 in the middle of a pandemic facing our province,” said Parks.
He reminds Albertans about the fire that Fort McMurray had to deal with and the firefighters facing that raging fire.
“(It’s like) the government on April 1 is going to shut off the water supply,” said Parks, using the fire as an analogy. “That’s what they’re doing with the changes to funding in health care and they’re not listening to us.”
Parks is careful to point out that all frontline health care providers are going to take care of everyone and of course throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
He has been filling in for others who are currently not well and that has meant some 14 to 16 hour shifts in the emergency department, said Parks.
“We will look past an uncaring bureaucratic government who tells us that the value of our doing this is exactly zero dollars. We will do the right thing,” said Parks.
He says in 20 years as a physician he has never turned a patient away due to a lack of health-care insurance and this will continue.
“I urge the minister of health to put an immediate stop to his ill-informed cuts and to meet with physicians to find less disastrous ways to save money within the health-care budget,” said Parks.
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Maurice Shabatsky
4 years ago
This is wrong on so many levels. Doctors take an oath. Jason takes advantage. Sick.
mr black
4 years ago
I warned all my friends this would happen if that little crook jason kenny got into power. Now folks are looking at things with regret. Hopefully his 4 years go by quickly, he won’t be back after that!.
KU
4 years ago
USA offers numerous opportunities for Alberta physicians
Perhaps it’s time for Premier Jason Kenney and his government to stop antagonizing and alienating physicians with Draconian legislation, severe cuts in compensation and a hubris-riddled strategy designed to demean the reputation of the medical profession.
In addition, Kenney and his crew appear convinced that, even after they complete their Tet Offensive, Alberta will still be a province of preferred choice by physicians. Or maybe not.
Missing from their analysis is the USA as a place to practise medicine. According to the Association of Medical Colleges, by 2032, just more than a decade away, the United States will face a shortage of 121,900 physicians.
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, in 2017 there were 10,680 physicians licensed in the province. That’s less than 10% of what the Americans are projected to require. Moreover, a high profile, nasty and cantankerous relationship with the government could result in higher numbers of physicians moving South and not returning.
Instead of threatening and alienating physicians, the government should be pursuing landmark structural, cultural and legislative changes to bring the province’s 50-year-old health-care system into the 21st century.
• Improve access by legislating a person’s right to have choice with a Patient Care Guarantee.
• End the public-sector monopoly of unionized jobs.
• Encourage the private sector’s innovation and leadership by abolishing the Health Care Protection Act. [The act only protects unionized jobs and the public-sector monopoly of medicare.]
• Create and abide by a fiscally sustainable health-care budget.
Ronald Kustra
Executive Director
Association of Canadians for Sustainable Medicare, a non-profit Alberta-registered society
St. Albert, AB
This is wrong on so many levels. Doctors take an oath. Jason takes advantage. Sick.
I warned all my friends this would happen if that little crook jason kenny got into power. Now folks are looking at things with regret. Hopefully his 4 years go by quickly, he won’t be back after that!.
USA offers numerous opportunities for Alberta physicians
Perhaps it’s time for Premier Jason Kenney and his government to stop antagonizing and alienating physicians with Draconian legislation, severe cuts in compensation and a hubris-riddled strategy designed to demean the reputation of the medical profession.
In addition, Kenney and his crew appear convinced that, even after they complete their Tet Offensive, Alberta will still be a province of preferred choice by physicians. Or maybe not.
Missing from their analysis is the USA as a place to practise medicine. According to the Association of Medical Colleges, by 2032, just more than a decade away, the United States will face a shortage of 121,900 physicians.
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, in 2017 there were 10,680 physicians licensed in the province. That’s less than 10% of what the Americans are projected to require. Moreover, a high profile, nasty and cantankerous relationship with the government could result in higher numbers of physicians moving South and not returning.
Instead of threatening and alienating physicians, the government should be pursuing landmark structural, cultural and legislative changes to bring the province’s 50-year-old health-care system into the 21st century.
• Improve access by legislating a person’s right to have choice with a Patient Care Guarantee.
• End the public-sector monopoly of unionized jobs.
• Encourage the private sector’s innovation and leadership by abolishing the Health Care Protection Act. [The act only protects unionized jobs and the public-sector monopoly of medicare.]
• Create and abide by a fiscally sustainable health-care budget.
Ronald Kustra
Executive Director
Association of Canadians for Sustainable Medicare, a non-profit Alberta-registered society
St. Albert, AB