More physicians registering in Alberta, but doctors say data 'could be misleading'

A doctor examines a patient during an appointment. (CTV News Edmonton)

Alberta doctors say they need more context before celebrating increasing physician registrations in the province.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, as of the end of September, there were 12,126 physicians registered in Alberta.

That’s an increase of 518 doctors — or 4.5 per cent — compared with the same time last year.

But while the Alberta government is parading the increase, some believe the celebration may be premature.

Alberta Medical Association (AMA) president Dr. Paul Parks says just because the raw data shows an uptick doesn’t mean patients will see improved access to health care.

“It doesn’t tell us how many (physicians) left in the last quarter (or) how many have licenses but aren’t working in Alberta,” he told CTV News. “There may be a number that have retired or who have left the province and still have licenses.”

Parks wants more detailed data.

Currently, the college doesn’t track who is practicing, how often — or even the specific type of work the physicians are doing.

“It’s like operating a $26 billion company and not knowing how many employees you have and where they work,” Parks said.

“You might just be able to have a headcount, but you don’t have any idea what kind of work they’re doing and what kind of service delivery they’re doing for the system. That’s a bit insane, to be honest.”

The Ministry of Health admits there are recording gaps in the data, but is still happy with the increase. The greatest improvements are in the Calgary area.

“These are new practitioners that are coming to the province, and so in my experience in talking to them, they want full-time work,” Health Minister Adriana Lagrange said.

“We believe every Albertan deserves to have the ability to have a family practitioner and a family health home, so that’s what we’re going to strive to.”

In the meantime, Parks and the AMA would like to see a concerted effort to bring in more doctors practicing in comprehensive care.

The association has been working to get a new payment model in place that would reward family physicians and rural generalists.

The province has promised something will be in place by the autumn, but as of now, it can’t commit to a date.

“We know for a fact there’s over 800,000 Albertans who can’t get a family doc, and we’re not winning on that front,” Parks said.

“We have been way behind since 2019 on our physician numbers based on population growth. We’re not catching up, we’re still lagging behind.”