It appears CBC News and the Alberta NDP are needlessly causing a ruckus in the province..The UCP government says, to date, no issues have been identified with the operation of private clinics in the province. A source within the UCP government told the Western Standard on Wednesday no clinics have broken the law in the province. .The UCP government said no Albertan will have to pay to see a doctor for insured services. .CBC News created a stir in the province recently when it reported a Calgary clinic that promised to fast-track access to a family doctor along with other perks to patients who pay up to $4,800 a year. .However, it's not only clinics in Alberta that offer this service. .Researchers from Dalhousie University and Simon Fraser University released a paper in 2022 and said “Parallel private payment for primary care services is occurring in at least 83 clinics across six Canadian provinces as identified through this environmental scan.”.“The extent to which these clinics impact patients’ access to care and supply of physicians and other healthcare professionals should be the subject of future research,” the research paper said. .“We initially identified 119 clinics: six clinics in the OHC report; 52 clinics through FindPrivateClinics.ca; and an additional 61 clinics from our Google search. Two additional clinics were identified through a hand search. We subsequently excluded 38 clinics that did not meet our inclusion criteria, leaving 83 included clinics."."Among the clinics we excluded, 29 only accepted private payment for selected services commonly excluded from provincial health insurance plans, seven clinics had a French-only website, one clinic did not offer a private payment option and one clinic did not offer primary care services.” .The research paper said, “We identified clinics in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador." .“A total of 273 physicians were listed on clinic websites, ranging from four in Nova Scotia to 76 in Ontario. More than half (57.8%) of all the clinics identified were a part of 13 larger chains operating mostly in Quebec and Ontario.”.“The remaining 35 (42.2%) were standalone. All but two (97.6%) were located in densely populated areas.”.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange issued a statement to the media late Tuesday evening. .“It is our expectation that physicians in Alberta follow the law, including the Canada Health Act and the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act (AHCIA). Alberta’s government remains committed to the principles of the Canada Health Act and ensuring that clinics and physicians remain compliant with the AHCIA,” the statement read. .“We are aware that there are physicians and clinics in Alberta that have operated for decades within the parameters of the law to provide services not covered by the provincial healthcare insurance plan."."These services might include non-medically required surgery, nutrition and acupuncture services, medical notes and fertility treatments.” .On Wednesday, David Shepherd, the NDP's health critic, said the UCP's plan didn't go far enough..“We believe there's evidence that members-only medicine is being offered in several clinics in Alberta, and we've only begun to dig into this issue,” said Shepherd..“The investigation into Marda Loop Medical Clinic is welcome. But we need a system-wide investigation — today.”.Clinics offering private member services date back as far as 2006..When asked by reporters why the NDP didn't target these types of clinics in their term when the NDP was in power, Shepherd said when the NDP came into government they “initiated an investigation” to look into the issue. .“It took some time for that to work through. Unfortunately, that work was not completed in full by the time we reached the 2019 election,” he said..CBC News said Calgarian Robin Arseneault visited her doctor's office in Marda Loop recently for a routine physical..“The couple was surprised to see an email from the Marda Loop Medical Clinic land in their inbox that same week, stating that the clinic would be moving to a membership system,” CBC News reported..“In return for the $ 4,800 membership, the Marda Loop Medical Clinic promises reduced wait times and extended appointment times, among other benefits. The clinic also says it will continue to provide care one day a week for non-members.”.CBC News said it was told by an administrator the clinic wasn't available for an interview..“In an email sent to the clinic's members, Dr. Sally Talbot-Jones wrote that the clinic's aim was to alleviate stress expressed by patients due to extended waiting times, the challenge of scheduling family appointments and more,” CBC News reported..“This decision was driven by my commitment to providing you with the level of care you deserve. I have extensively researched the most successful healthcare models around the world, and I am confident that our new program is designed to deliver excellence.”.Information about the new membership program could not be found on the clinic’s website..The statement from the UCP government on Tuesday noted the Audit and Compliance Assurance Unit of Alberta Health has evaluated instances where private clinics operate this way, charging membership fees in Alberta..“Historically, all evaluations have confirmed that these clinics are operating in compliance with the act. Alberta Health also submits an annual report to Health Canada and, to date, has not identified an issue with the operation of these clinics,” the statement read..“We recently became aware of a clinic advertising services that are covered by the provincial healthcare insurance plan and these advertisements suggest these services would be available to a membership following the payment of fees.”.The UCP government said it would be extremely concerned if this clinic was charging fees for services that are insured and offering “accelerated access” to a family physician at the expense of other patients needing to wait longer..“We have directed Alberta Health to investigate this specific clinic to ensure compliance with all legislation. If any non-compliance with relevant legislation is found, we will take appropriate action,” Smith and LaGrange said..“Albertans do not pay out of pocket for insured health services such as seeing a family doctor or visiting a hospital — that will not change.”
It appears CBC News and the Alberta NDP are needlessly causing a ruckus in the province..The UCP government says, to date, no issues have been identified with the operation of private clinics in the province. A source within the UCP government told the Western Standard on Wednesday no clinics have broken the law in the province. .The UCP government said no Albertan will have to pay to see a doctor for insured services. .CBC News created a stir in the province recently when it reported a Calgary clinic that promised to fast-track access to a family doctor along with other perks to patients who pay up to $4,800 a year. .However, it's not only clinics in Alberta that offer this service. .Researchers from Dalhousie University and Simon Fraser University released a paper in 2022 and said “Parallel private payment for primary care services is occurring in at least 83 clinics across six Canadian provinces as identified through this environmental scan.”.“The extent to which these clinics impact patients’ access to care and supply of physicians and other healthcare professionals should be the subject of future research,” the research paper said. .“We initially identified 119 clinics: six clinics in the OHC report; 52 clinics through FindPrivateClinics.ca; and an additional 61 clinics from our Google search. Two additional clinics were identified through a hand search. We subsequently excluded 38 clinics that did not meet our inclusion criteria, leaving 83 included clinics."."Among the clinics we excluded, 29 only accepted private payment for selected services commonly excluded from provincial health insurance plans, seven clinics had a French-only website, one clinic did not offer a private payment option and one clinic did not offer primary care services.” .The research paper said, “We identified clinics in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador." .“A total of 273 physicians were listed on clinic websites, ranging from four in Nova Scotia to 76 in Ontario. More than half (57.8%) of all the clinics identified were a part of 13 larger chains operating mostly in Quebec and Ontario.”.“The remaining 35 (42.2%) were standalone. All but two (97.6%) were located in densely populated areas.”.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange issued a statement to the media late Tuesday evening. .“It is our expectation that physicians in Alberta follow the law, including the Canada Health Act and the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act (AHCIA). Alberta’s government remains committed to the principles of the Canada Health Act and ensuring that clinics and physicians remain compliant with the AHCIA,” the statement read. .“We are aware that there are physicians and clinics in Alberta that have operated for decades within the parameters of the law to provide services not covered by the provincial healthcare insurance plan."."These services might include non-medically required surgery, nutrition and acupuncture services, medical notes and fertility treatments.” .On Wednesday, David Shepherd, the NDP's health critic, said the UCP's plan didn't go far enough..“We believe there's evidence that members-only medicine is being offered in several clinics in Alberta, and we've only begun to dig into this issue,” said Shepherd..“The investigation into Marda Loop Medical Clinic is welcome. But we need a system-wide investigation — today.”.Clinics offering private member services date back as far as 2006..When asked by reporters why the NDP didn't target these types of clinics in their term when the NDP was in power, Shepherd said when the NDP came into government they “initiated an investigation” to look into the issue. .“It took some time for that to work through. Unfortunately, that work was not completed in full by the time we reached the 2019 election,” he said..CBC News said Calgarian Robin Arseneault visited her doctor's office in Marda Loop recently for a routine physical..“The couple was surprised to see an email from the Marda Loop Medical Clinic land in their inbox that same week, stating that the clinic would be moving to a membership system,” CBC News reported..“In return for the $ 4,800 membership, the Marda Loop Medical Clinic promises reduced wait times and extended appointment times, among other benefits. The clinic also says it will continue to provide care one day a week for non-members.”.CBC News said it was told by an administrator the clinic wasn't available for an interview..“In an email sent to the clinic's members, Dr. Sally Talbot-Jones wrote that the clinic's aim was to alleviate stress expressed by patients due to extended waiting times, the challenge of scheduling family appointments and more,” CBC News reported..“This decision was driven by my commitment to providing you with the level of care you deserve. I have extensively researched the most successful healthcare models around the world, and I am confident that our new program is designed to deliver excellence.”.Information about the new membership program could not be found on the clinic’s website..The statement from the UCP government on Tuesday noted the Audit and Compliance Assurance Unit of Alberta Health has evaluated instances where private clinics operate this way, charging membership fees in Alberta..“Historically, all evaluations have confirmed that these clinics are operating in compliance with the act. Alberta Health also submits an annual report to Health Canada and, to date, has not identified an issue with the operation of these clinics,” the statement read..“We recently became aware of a clinic advertising services that are covered by the provincial healthcare insurance plan and these advertisements suggest these services would be available to a membership following the payment of fees.”.The UCP government said it would be extremely concerned if this clinic was charging fees for services that are insured and offering “accelerated access” to a family physician at the expense of other patients needing to wait longer..“We have directed Alberta Health to investigate this specific clinic to ensure compliance with all legislation. If any non-compliance with relevant legislation is found, we will take appropriate action,” Smith and LaGrange said..“Albertans do not pay out of pocket for insured health services such as seeing a family doctor or visiting a hospital — that will not change.”
