Primary care: securing a new funding model for family medicine
From December 2023 to September 2024, Albertans asked their MLAs, the Minister and the Premier to keep family practices open. The campaign called for stable funding so family doctors could continue caring for their patients.
The campaign and why it mattered
A family doctor provides ongoing care, helps manage long-term conditions, and connects patients with other services. When a practice struggles to cover its costs or closes, patients can lose that relationship and face more difficulty finding timely care.
Research commissioned by the Alberta Medical Association in 2024 examined the financial pressures facing family practices. Patients First shared those concerns with Albertans and invited them to explain to their elected representatives why keeping family practices open mattered to their families.
Community members sent personal messages to their MLAs, the Minister of Health, and the Premier. Family doctors also shared their experiences of running a practice and caring for patients. These contributions brought patient needs and the realities of providing care into the public discussion.
Alberta's Primary Care Physician Compensation Model began on April 1, 2025. It pays participating family doctors for patient visits, the number and complexity of patients in their care, and time spent on direct and indirect care. This includes work outside appointments, such as reviewing results and coordinating care, rather than paying only for individual visits.
- new community members
- 8,591new community members
- emails sent to government
- 63,455emails sent to government
- physician experiences shared with MLAs
- 125physician experiences shared with MLAs
- MLAs received physician experiences
- 20MLAs received physician experiences
What happened next
- Albertans and family doctors brought the pressures on family practices to their elected representatives through personal messages and shared experiences.
- Alberta announced $200 million over two years in stabilization funding to support family medicine practices in December 2023.
- The new Primary Care Physician Compensation Model launched in April 2025, recognizing ongoing patient care and work beyond individual appointments. These policy developments involved the work of many people and organizations, including the AMA.