Hospitals never close and most of the week (nights, weekends, and holidays) fall outside “regular” working hours. 

There are fewer physicians and many pressures mean they may not be able or willing to work nights. ERs overflow. Wait times grow. Rural coverage collapses. And Alberta’s outdated payment model makes it worse, offering little support for overnight or community-based care.

Here’s the fix. Recognize physicians for providing after-hours care or that are available to return to hospital to provide services. For example, the Physician On Call Program (POCP) is meant to ensure doctors are available 24/7 — but it’s underfunded and out of step with other provinces. 

Since 2019 pay cuts, the AMA has pushed for reforms to:

• Increase payments for fees designed to encourage physicians to provide services outside regular hours
• Keep us competitive: Align Alberta’s POCP rates with other provinces where rates are much higher
• Restore pre-2019 rates, plus 3% for inflation
• Fund 100 new programs, including under-supported areas like rural maternity and continuing care

In late 2024, the AMA proposed an added $38 million — on top of the existing $93 million — to expand POCP, reverse rate cuts, and help stabilize emergency coverage across Alberta. Because if Alberta doesn’t act:

• ER bottlenecks will get worse
• Patients will wait longer, or not get care at all
• Doctors will burn out or leave for better-paying provinces

And that’s when patient access to medical care is becoming more difficult.

• Unpredictable schedules
• Long, unpaid hospital shifts where a doctor must be available, unpaid, in case of critically ill patients
• Grueling overnight work
• High-stakes cases and rising burnout in a shrinking pool of highly skilled physicians

Albertans deserve 24/7 access to life-saving care. That starts with making sure doctors are ready when you need them most, and paid fairly for it.

AI is already part of our health care system — even if you haven’t noticed yet.

Technologies like speech-to-text transcription, AI scribing, and decision support systems are already being used to enhance efficiency and accuracy in health care. Done right, it can:

• Streamline clinic workflow
• Reduce admin overload
• Improve diagnosis and decision-making
• Enhance your patient experience

Still, AI can feel abstract or intimidating. The AMA wants to help ensure that Alberta’s health care system adapts with care, caution, and clarity so physicians can lead with confidence and patients can benefit without fear. We’re working with partners across Canada — Infoway, CPSA, CMPA, and others — to:

• Clarify what AI is (and isn’t)
• Identify real benefits and real risks
• Build smart, safe policy frameworks
• Support physicians in using AI responsibly

AI isn’t here to replace doctors. It’s here to help support them. But trust and transparency are key. With the right support, it can help deliver better care, faster, for everyone. Learn more: https://www.albertadoctors.org/practice/artificial-intelligence/

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In Canada, health care is mostly paid for by taxes. Every Albertan chips in and that money funds hospitals, surgeries, doctors, ambulances, and more. 

Here’s how you help fund it:

Income Taxes: You pay taxes to both the federal and provincial governments, and some of that money goes to health care. People with higher incomes pay more in taxes, helping fund the system.

Payroll Taxes (Canada Health Transfer): Money taken from your paycheck for things like retirement and unemployment also helps fund health care. Employers also pay part of this (and you may be an employer!)

Property Taxes: In some places, part of the property tax helps pay for local health care services like hospitals and clinics.

Substance Taxes: Taxes on things like tobacco and alcohol help pay for health programs to reduce smoking and drinking.

Estate or Inheritance Taxes: While Canada doesn’t have an inheritance tax, taxes on assets like property can help fund health care.

Sometimes, the government hires private or not-for-profit providers to deliver certain services. That’s fine if it improves access and value. 

The system is complex and most people don’t know where their tax dollars actually go. There is always risk of waste or inefficiency and when government contracts publicly paid services out to be provided by private providers, the public should pay attention and should be asking:

1. What’s the price tag? Are we getting value for money, or overpaying for services?
2. How’s it performing? Are patients satisfied? Are wait times shorter?
3. Are private providers drawing staff or funding from the public system?

Contracting out occurs right across the system, including: addiction and mental health; continuing care; emergency medical services; midwifery services; allied health professions like physiotherapy; chartered surgical facilities and more. Albertans work hard and pay a lot into the system. If a service is tax-funded, it deserves public scrutiny. You have a right to know how that money is spent. 

A transparent, accountable health system builds trust and makes sure care stays high-quality, fair, and available to all.

In Alberta, most doctors are paid through Fee-for-Service (FFS) and get reimbursed for each visit. But with an aging population and more specialized care needs, FFS doesn’t always cut it. 

Enter Alternative Relationship Plans (ARPs) which offer a set payment for a range of services. While FFS works well for most instances, ARPs may be better for managing certain types of patients such as those with chronic conditions or requiring highly specialized services that take more time.

Yet, Alberta has one of the lowest ARP adoption rates in Canada. 

One reason is that most ARP rates haven’t been updated in 20 years. That leaves physicians underpaid, risking early retirements or migrations to other provinces with better compensation. 

While other provinces are modernizing their payment models, Alberta risks falling behind if it doesn’t adjust its approach to physician compensation.

ARPs can promote provision of more comprehensive care by compensating doctors for the full spectrum of patient needs, not just individual visits. This is especially crucial for:

• Chronic and complex conditions (ensuring long-term care)
• Specialist care (fair pay for expertise
• Timely access (care based on urgency and need, not visit numbers)

The AMA and Alberta Health are pushing for reforms like updating ARP rates, simplifying contracts, and making the system fairer. 

These changes are desperately needed to retain doctors and improve patient care in Alberta.