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By Eli J. Ridder

HEALTH CARE

Alberta government unveils new family doctor pay structure aimed at improving primary care

Dec 19, 2024 | 4:30 PM

Family doctors will get paid for work they do outside of time spent with a patient if they opt in to a new pay structure the Alberta government said Thursday aims to retain and attract physicians amid a province-wide shortage.

The compensation plan revealed by the government is optional and requires that participating physicians have a minimum panel of 500 patients.

The new structure adds to the traditional fee-for-service payment by also compensating doctors for the complexity of their patient roster and get paid for the time they spend on non-direct care and administration work often done for free.

“This new model will make Alberta an enticing and competitive place for doctors to come and to settle and set up shop and to stay for good,” Premier Danielle Smith said.

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“When primary care is strong, the rest of our health system is strong, too.”

The Alberta Medical Association, a doctor advocacy organization, worked with the province to develop the primary care physician compensation program in the spring and has been calling for Health Minister Adrian LaGrange to start it for months.

On the condition that 500 physicians enrol in the program, the new model will launch on April 1, the start of the next provincial budget year. Doctor enrollment, carried out by the AMA, begins in January.

The program includes incentives for maintaining high patient numbers, improving technology, enhancing team-based care and adding efficiencies in clinical operations.

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READ: Smith says new Alberta family doctor pay structure will be revealed in ‘weeks’

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The association’s president Shelley Duggan said in September the delay to move doctors away from the current fee-for-service approach would hurt the health care system.

Smith in October said the structure would be revealed “in the coming weeks” but there hasn’t been any announcement until today.

This is a developing story. More details to follow.