AMA to address physician care model; province says progress being made

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 20, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The Alberta Medical Association says it can’t ask members to be patient for a new agreement with the province any longer.
AMA president Paul Parks, an emergency room doctor in Medicine Hat, said in a release this week that the most critical elements of a forum today and Saturday in Calgary will be the latest developments on the Physician Comprehensive Care Model an the acute care stabilization proposal the association has made to the provincial government.
“A tremendous amount of work has been done to provide the government with immediate solutions to address the growing, concurrent crises we are facing in health care, but will the government act? They say they have heard our SOS calls, and in some cases they’ve thrown a desperately needed life preserver, but are the rescue solutions coming,?” asked Parks in the release.
“Family and rural generalist physicians are losing hope that the PCCM can come in time to help. Acute care is teetering on the edge of disaster. Our advocacy has been unceasing, but a higher level may be required still. We know that if the government refuses to take action, the system will only continue to degrade, and we are preparing to track the impacts if things worsen,” Parks added.
The forum has representatives from all sectors of the medical profession and its members are responsible for the overall policy direction of the AMA.
On Thursday, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange addressed the comprehensive care model in a release to media, stating that the memorandum of understanding that was signed with Parks last October “is not just a policy — it’s part of our commitment to Albertans, ensuring that our health care system is equipped to deliver the best possible care to every Albertan.”
She stated “significant progress” is being made on a model that will be both financially sustainable and support doctors and residents into the future.
The Minister added she is committed to primary health care as the foundation of the entire health system and that family physicians are fundamental to the plan.
“That is why, since December 2023, Alberta’s government has announced new funding of $257 million over the next two years to stabilize family physician practices and improve access to family doctors, with $157 million committed this year alone.
“In April, we announced a new primary care compensation model to be developed in close collaboration with the AMA,” said LaGrange.
The Minister said Alberta’s doctors area among the highest paid in Canada and under the new model the province will be able to sustain that level of compensation while improving patient access to primary care.
“We knew from the start that developing a new physician compensation model would be a complex and time-consuming process. This work was never about quick fixes, and there is still a little more work to be done,” LaGrange added in her statement.

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