2024/2025 Membership Renewal is now open!
The "voice of the AMA" – Published regularly throughout the year, the President's Letter informs you about Alberta Medical Association positions on key and complex issues in Alberta’s health care.
Read the November 22 President's Letter
As part of a cross-ministry effort by the provincial government, Alberta Health has invited the Alberta Medical Association to complete a survey on behalf of members. It relates to “legislative changes to safeguard freedom of expression for regulated professionals.”
Right now, the AMA is engaged in more advocacy than at any other time in our history. In the category of fact checking, we coordinated yesterday with section experts to respond to comments made by the premier in a news conference.
Here is AMA Fact Checkup – Issue 2. In this issue, we check and correct government on statements they have made.
Comments on the most recent President's Letter are enabled and welcome. You may also contact the AMA President by email at [email protected].
Below you will find previous issues of The President's Letter. For older issues no longer on the website, contact us.
In my letter yesterday, I spent too little space on fully explaining the facts and issues around the new Telus Babylon product and the AMA’s concerns.
It has come to my attention that things were said yesterday on social media and outside of it that are deeply troubling. Whether you agree with public officials or not, making personal attacks and threats on them and their families is never acceptable.
In my President’s Letter yesterday I mentioned there are issues with enabling the profession to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to share with you what I believe is needed in order to provide patients with the care they need.
This afternoon, government announced that the proposed changes to physicians’ payments for the Complex (Time) Modifier will not go ahead as planned on April 1, 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented public health challenge. During these times of crisis, adhering to the public health direction as a single source of truth is imperative.
The AMA has been consulting with public health leaders with respect to holding the Representative Forum in person this weekend during the current COVID 19 pandemic. (Just this morning, the World Health Organization officially announced that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.)
I am pleased to advise you that discussions continue next week with the Alberta government in an attempt toward a physician agreement that provides value for patients, fairness for physicians and affordability for the system.
Government has unilaterally terminated our agreement and imposed their dictates on the profession. My February 26 President’s Letter provided a list of actions and activities that the AMA is undertaking in response. Today, I provide an update on a number of those items.
Government has tabled its second provincial budget. The budget reflects the devastating cuts to physician payments that were announced last week and the hostile action of this ministry in tearing up our Alberta Medical Association contract.
Tomorrow government tables its latest budget in the Legislature. This event will generate a lot of noise in the media and spark further public debate. We do not expect a significant change to our situation. Government has torn up the agreement with the profession and continues with some ill-conceived changes that will be destructive to your practices and to our health care system.