To help increase patient access to physicians, Alberta's government says there will no longer be a daily cap on the number of visits a physician can fully bill..During the negotiations with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA), Alberta’s government heard that Alberta’s doctors could safely see more patients than the current cap allowed.."Albertans want to know that they can see a doctor when they need one, and physicians want to be able to provide Albertans with the health-care services they need," Alberta's government stated..By changing the daily cap policy, the provincial government said some of the immediate pressures for services provided by general practitioners and specialists, including pediatricians and ophthalmologists, will be addressed. By lifting the cap, physicians will be fully compensated for every visit rather than receiving a discounted rate if they provide more than 50 visit services in one day, which is the current practice..“We’re moving forward to implement the new agreement, starting with ending the daily visit services cap policy and working to put rate increases in place," Minister of Health Jason Copping said.."We’ve heard from some physicians that the daily visit cap was having a negative impact on patient access, so this change addresses those concerns. It is also part of the new agreement with the AMA where we are listening to physicians and working with them as partners moving forward.”.The agreement between the AMA and the province also includes a 1% rate increase in each of the next three years and a 1% recognition lump sum payment in 2022-23..“The AMA agreement allows physicians and government to work together on challenges facing patients and physicians in the health-care system," AMA President Dr. Fredrykka Rinaldi said.."This early step to remove the services cap is an important example that will allow more physicians to care for more patients while helping to stabilize physician practices.”."Alberta physicians were at the forefront of the pandemic and the one-time payment for eligible practicing physicians is in recognition of that work during the 2021-22 fiscal year. This lump sum payment is approximately $45 million and will go to the AMA to distribute to their members by the end of 2022," Alberta's government stated..In addition to the lump sum payment, the government is working with the AMA to implement the 1% increase for 2022-23. The increase applies to fee-for-service and alternative relationship plan rates, providing an additional $46 million to physicians..As outlined in the AMA agreement, the rate increase is heavily weighted to specialties facing the greatest pressures, such as family medicine. Alberta’s government and the AMA are working together to distribute these increases across and within specialties..Increases will be effective April 1, and are expected to be finalized by March 31, 2023..“The UCP should not be patting themselves on the back about today’s announcement," Alberta NDP Critic for Health David Shepherd said..“They began their term in office by waging war with doctors and actively made the system worse during a pandemic when Albertans needed timely access to care.".Shepherd claims that in February 2020, the UCP tore up their agreement with physicians in order to forcibly implement a number of changes, including a cap on the number of patients a family doctor could be paid to see.."The same cap they’re now lifting," Shepherd said..“If lifting this cap allows more Albertans to access a family doctor, then implementing it has denied Albertans access over the last two years in the midst of a global pandemic. Instead of collaboration, the UCP attacked doctors and caused many to leave. Today, thanks to the UCP, hundreds of thousands of Albertans are without access to a family doctor. This has put more pressure on overwhelmed emergency rooms.".Shepherd claims, "Alberta's government is reversing their own decision on caps, made by the same UCP cabinet Jason Copping serves in, just proves what Albertans already know, you can’t trust the UCP with health care.".“The Alberta NDP recognizes the tremendous contribution doctors have made and we will listen and work collaboratively with them, and all frontline health workers, to fix the harm done by the UCP to Albertans’ health care," Shepherd said.."The NDP once again make it clear they have nothing to contribute but bitterness and empty press releases," Press secretary to the minister of health Steve Buick said.."We’re moving forward to rebuild our relationship with doctors and rebuild the health workforce, to deliver on our promise to Albertans, a stronger publicly funded health system with better access to care. The NDP spent four years in government watching wait times for surgery and other care get longer, and they did nothing about it. It’s why we ran on reducing wait times in 2019, after four years of the NDP. Trust them with health care? We tried that, and it was a wipeout."
