Cash, Charge or Health Card? Alberta Moves Ahead with Dual Practice Medical Model for Several Surgeries
Eligible surgeons will need public-system hours first, and the province says emergency and cancer care will remain publicly funded.
- On Thursday, Surgical Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange announced Alberta will launch a dual-practice surgery model in September, allowing eligible physicians to perform privately paid surgeries alongside their public system duties.
- Premier Danielle Smith claims the initiative will address long wait times by leveraging underutilized operating rooms to improve access and retain physicians within the province's healthcare system.
- To protect system capacity, the model requires doctors to complete mandatory public hours before offering private services, though Medicine Hat emergency doctor Paul Parks warned the policy creates a "sales pitch" for private care costing $20,000.
- Critics argue Bill 11 violates the Canada Health Act by creating a two-tier structure, and Opposition NDP shadow minister Sarah Hoffman condemned the move as stepping toward an "American-style" healthcare system.
- Starting Monday, June 22, eligible physicians can submit an expression of interest, though the Alberta Medical Association remains skeptical after submitting 70 suggestions that were not adopted by the government.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Albert pushes ahead with two-tier healthcare
Premier Danielle Smith’s pathetic $100 Dani Dollars gambit having flopped miserably with pretty well everyone on Wednesday, Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP) plunged ahead Thursday with its previously announced scheme to Americanize public health care by allowing physicians to bill patients to jump the lines for surgeries. A lot of voters are going to really hate this announcement too, but at least they’re not likely to laugh at it, sin…
Province unveils rules for dual practice health care
zmason@medicinehatnews.com The Alberta government has announced long-anticipated regulations guiding a parallel private pathway for surgical care, but experts and advocates say major gaps remain. The dual practice model is scheduled to launch this fall, with the first private-pay surgeries expected to take place as soon as September. Critics have spoken out against the dual practice
Global News
Calgary Journal OnlineAlberta dual-practice doctors could begin offering private surgeries in fall
Surgical Services Minister Adriana LaGrange says the status quo isn't working as too many Albertans are sitting in the queue too long to get surgery.
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