President's Letter
Dear Members,
We know that physicians are eager to learn the details of the Physician Comprehensive Care Model (PCCM), a novel and game-changing funding option that will provide family physicians and rural generalists with the stability and incentive to provide life-long, comprehensive patient care. The PCCM will be a critical step to ensuring practices remain financially viable across Alberta. Your family medicine leads have worked tirelessly and in a dedicated fashion to finalize this model. We are in active discussions with Alberta Health on several details related to the PCCM, including rates associated with each component; minimal panel size requirements; what will be included in the basket of services for encounter payments; and the premium for after-hours care, as some important examples.
The Premier and Health Minister have both stated that Alberta’s health care system should be the best in the West, and the AMA is keeping the pressure on to hold them to that. We are close, but we haven’t crossed the finish line yet.
I wrote an op-ed late last week (Opinion: Let's get new pay model for family doctors to the finish line) outlining why it is absolutely essential that we cross that finish line and implement the new model as soon as possible. We have been working closely with government and I believe they fully understand just how dire the situation is. As I said in my op-ed, the hard work is done. The good news is that the AMA and government have a common goal – to provide Albertans with access to comprehensive, cradle-to-grave care from a family physician or rural generalist and their health care team. This kind of care is what’s needed to keep Albertans healthy and out of our acute care/hospital system as much as possible. Let’s get it done.
Members who are interested in hearing more about our discussions with government and the latest information related to the PCCM can attend the next Inside Scoop virtual town hall on Monday, June 24 at 6 p.m. We won’t be able to provide every granular detail at this point as some key pieces are still being discussed, but we are getting closer and closer to a funding model that has the potential to change the primary care landscape within Alberta. If you'd like to join us for the town hall, please register to attend (member login required).
Regards,
Paul Parks
President, Alberta Medical Association