Acute Care

A perfect storm of factors is driving acute care doctors out of hospitals or creating shifts in the way they can practice. This is hurting Albertans' access to timely and safe acute care.

Albertans are facing unacceptable delays in emergency services, surgical procedures, and access to specialized care. These challenges compromise the health and well-being of our communities. Every Albertan deserves access to acute care services that can address urgent health concerns promptly and efficiently. From emergency situations to surgical needs and specialist consultations, rapid access to care is not just a convenience; it's a necessity. Doctors' proposals on enhancing acute care services must be realized swiftly to prevent further strain on our healthcare system and ensure no Albertan is left waiting for the urgent care they need. The time for action is now—Alberta cannot wait any longer.

Doctors have put forth comprehensive proposals to stabilize access to acute care. Alberta’s doctors have unparalleled expertise and insights to offer on acute and hospital care. They understand what works and, more importantly, why.

Here's what we propose:

Update Alternative Relationship Plans: Current ARP rates in Alberta are not sustainable, forcing doctors away from the care they were trained to provide. ARPs are different ways of paying physicians to help them to meet the needs of certain patient populations e.g., cancer care, neurosurgery, geriatrics. Since 2002-03 in Alberta, rates for these specialists have fallen behind Canadian colleagues who are paid by fee-for-service (one fee, one service).
Increase patient access with after-hours care: A great deal of acute care happens out of regular hours. We need to improve incentives so that more doctors can provide more services at these times.

Address physician availability: We need to update the program that ensures enough acute care physicians (in many specialties) are available 24/7/365 in hospitals.
Ensure we can compete for and retain highly specialized physicians offering unique services in acute care hospitals by establishing flexible payment arrangements.
Remove a planned rollback in compensation and replace with fair compensation arrangements.

By combining these solutions, we can tackle the most pressing challenges in acute care.
Together, we can:
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Make more specialists available and keep them
Improve patient access, clearing backlogs
Improve patient flow through hospitals
Enhance admission/discharge process for the patient
Improve after-hours care
Improve patient outcomes
Reduce ER wait-times
Reduce surgical waits and recovery
Specialist Availability in hospitals 24/7/365

Join us in our mission to ensure that Alberta's acute care system is robust, responsive, and reliable. Together, we can secure a healthier future for our province, where every individual has access to the acute care they need, exactly when they need it.

Thank you for your commitment and support towards PatientsFirst. Let's take this opportunity to strengthen Alberta's healthcare system and improve the well-being of all its residents.
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For more information, check out the Alberta Medical Association atalbertadoctors.org

Are you tired of long wait times in the emergency room? How about waiting to see specialist physicians in acute care and hospital facilities? You're not alone.

Share this Campaign!

Can you share this with your friends and family?There is a healthcare crisis in Alberta and we need your help to make sure family doctors and primary care receive the necessary support and investment to keep putting PatientsFirst!‍

Are you tired of long wait times in the emergency room? How about waiting to see specialist physicians in acute care and hospital facilities?
You're not alone.

Can you share this with your friends and family?

There is a healthcare crisis in Alberta and we need your help to make sure family doctors and primary care receive the necessary support and investment to keep putting PatientsFirst!‍