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 January 17 President's Letter
This afternoon the Physician Comprehensive Care Model (PCCM) for primary care and the new rates for Family Medicine Alternative Relationship Plans (FMARP) were jointly announced by the AMA and government. These will go live April 1, 2025.
The provincial government has launched an online engagement survey regarding the provision of Medical Assistance in Dying in Alberta. They have also committed to direct consultation with stakeholder groups, but I imagine that the results of this survey will strongly influence such efforts.
Yesterday morning I met with Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange. I wanted to share some of the key points of our discussion with you.
I have a question for you
Every day we maintain our momentum, representing members in many venues. Next up: Workers’ Compensation Board negotiations. The April 1, 2020 agreement expires on December 31, 2024. Yes, this is late to begin a negotiation, but this was a decision of WCB relating to other discussions.
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.
Like me, perhaps you have lately observed a surge of headlines, reports and journal articles like these: "Why focusing on professional burnout is not enough", "Task force launched to tackle sexual harassment", "Addressing gender equity and diversity in Canada’s medical profession", "Understanding how patients perceive physician wellness and its links to patient care", "Most doctors have little or no management training, and that’s a problem."
In the March 25 President’s Letter, I wrote to you about the overhead (office expenses) study under the Income Equity Initiative. Concerns have been raised by the Representative Forum and sections about the results provided by Deloitte. In response, the Board has formed a small working group with delegates from the Specialty Care Alliance and sections of General Practice and Rural Medicine. The working group will review what has been provided and then recommend (i) what, if any, elements of the study are usable and (ii) next steps for ensuring usable overhead information for use in the IEI.