Alberta –  Dual practice medical model for several surgeries

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

In September, Alberta will be going to a dual practice medical model. This will allow doctors to bill surgeries to both public and private systems. The claim is that this dual system will reduce surgical wait times for patients. Will it?

If you have not read Stephen Hunt’s article, you may wish to do so.

Alberta’s ‘Dual practice’ health plan: improve or worsen wait times?

Image by Wim van ‘t Einde https://unsplash.com/photos/clear-glass-hour-glass-with-blue-liquid-iEhFJJAMTK4?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink

The Alberta Givernment claims that their dual practice will decrease wait times. Others, including medical associations, physicians disagree.

“‘Doctors across Canada are deeply concerned about the Alberta government’s proposal to expand private health care…This plan would take resources away from the public system and create a private option that only some people could afford. That would mean longer waits, fewer available doctors, and more strain on the public system, the one that most people depend upon.'”

Read more here.

Hospital Closed?

Are you interested in what is happening in Alberta’s hospitals related to closures, services available etc? If so, check out the Frazzlehead substack. 

Accessing Healthcare in Alberta

“‘Whether it’s not having a family doctor, whether it’s ambulances or emergency room waits, cancer care, or waitlist for surgery. They’re increasingly worried that they cannot get the help they need when they need it, and theyre worried that the changes that are happening are making that worse.'”

Click here to read the full article.

Waiting for a response?

Photo by gmarcelo on Freeimages.com

If you have not yet heard from the medical office where you have been referred, like thousands of others, your referral may not have been processed correctly. The question now being asked is, “Why did this occur?” This is the something the Health Quality Council of Alberta is going to investigate.

“Who is okay with this?”

Elephant in the Room – Private Healthcare

If you do not have access to X, you can read the article Picard is referring to here.

In 90 days?

What has Changed?

Five years ago, Greg Price died of testicular cancer. His death brought forth a major review of the healthcare system in Alberta. As a result of this review, a number of changes were suggested. However, have these suggestions been realized?

In a recent interview, David Price, Greg’s father, stated the following. “We’re disappointed really — there has been some progress made, but there’s an awful lot that’s still left to be done.” (Global News)

Click here to read the article and watch the video.