'Our patience has come to an end': Alberta doctors call for new pay model, acute care plan

The Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is urging the provincial government to implement a new compensation model for doctors and adopt a plan to stabilize acute care.

The AMA represents around 11,000 physicians from multiple specialities across the province.

Shelly Duggan, the AMA's new president, says indecision and inaction from the government on the funding model and proposed plan are causing patient care to suffer.

"We are deeply, sincerely afraid that the health-care system in Alberta is ready to collapse past the point of repair anytime soon," she said. "Our patience has come to an end."

Paul Parks, the AMA's former president, says Premier Danielle Smith promised the Physician Comprehensive Care Model would be implemented by September, but things have stalled with the Treasury Board, leaving the acute care system "swaying on its feet."

"This would be comparable to the situation where Jasper is on fire, but over the length of a year's time, the government simply continues to say, quote, ‘We are committed to putting the fire out, we just can't tell Jasper (residents) when it would be,'" he said.

"They are not putting their money where their mouth is, and not putting their action where their words are."

According to an AMA survey of 1,323 members between Aug. 30 and Sept, 12, only 19 per cent of doctors practicing comprehensive care in the province are accepting new patients, with one in 10 having the capacity to take on a new patient or referral in the year ahead.

The survey suggests 21 per cent of those patients would have to wait four-to-six months, with 14 per cent looking at closer to a year.

The survey also showed 42 per cent of physicians in rural, family and acute care in the province plan to keep their current practices, with 15 per cent thinking of leaving this year, 10 per cent thinking of leaving next year and 43 per cent planning on leaving the province by 2029.

The survey suggests 65 per cent of respondents have already taken steps on their exit strategy.

The survey results are valid 19 times out of 20, with a margin of error of +/- 2.58 per cent.

"I will tell you that I have never seen – in all my years – our acute care system in the state that it is today," said Duggan.

"It's worse than things were at the height of pandemic."

Duggan and Parks both say the government's work to break up the provincial health authority is also sparking chaos, arguing that creating multiple administrative layers could stifle coordination.

"Physicians are coming to me about deaths, people dying that could possibly have been preventable," said Parks.

"We see people trying to wait to get into the hospital, to get into the ICU.

"The system is just collapsing."

The opposition NDP says the government should be doing more to retain and attract doctors to Alberta.

"When Albertans don't have family doctors, they end up in emergency rooms with medical conditions that could have been prevented or treated early: this is bad for patients and more expensive care," said Sarah Hoffman, the NDP shadow minister for health.

"It doesn't need to be this way. Instead of causing more chaos, the government should prioritize patients and health-care workers. They should sit down at the table and sign an agreement to create a stable and reliable health-care system that we can all be proud of.

"Other provinces have shown leadership. Albertans deserve nothing less."

Alberta's Health Ministry said it is committed to finalizing a new compensation model that "is financially sustainable and supports physicians and Albertans into the future."

The government has committed $257 million to stabilize primary care delivery, with $157 allocated for this year.

"These expenditures are growing far above population plus inflation and as part of the ongoing collaboration with the AMA, we've asked them to work with us to identify opportunities to stabilize these growing expenditures. Our government will continue to work with the AMA to finalize the key details of this model as soon as possible."

Duggan said if the AMA were to receive an announcement from the government this week on the new pay model, they could have enrollment for those practices in January of 2025.