Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Matt Jones, discussed the UCP’s dual practice model of health care on X on Wednesday. “We’re calling it the ‘Dual Practice Model,’ and here’s how it will work,” said Smith in a video posted on her X account. “The Alberta government will introduce legislation to permit surgeons and supporting surgical professionals, like anesthesiologists, to perform both publicly and privately funded knee, hip, eye, shoulder, and other elective surgeries.”The UCP claims that creating this model is about finding a way to better meet the health care needs of Albertans. “Simply put, our wait times in Canada are well above what medical experts say is an acceptable amount of time to wait for surgery without risking other difficulties and mental health challenges,” said Jones. “We need to do better, and Alberta needs to lead the way.” Smith asserts that one reason for the long wait times for surgeries in Canada is not a lack of surgeons. “One challenge we face is that surgeons are not doing all the surgeries they could, because the public health system can't afford the operating room time,” Smith said. “So patients wait too long, and some frustrated surgeons leave Canada because they can make a better living in other countries, particularly the United States, where they have access to more operating room time.”In Smith’s opinion, the solution to this problem is not to increase spending. “Doctors empowered to perform more surgeries than they can now, and no more extra taxes or fees for taxpayers, some might say it's quite a tall order, but it's not,” Smith said..The new model would resemble health care systems in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries. Surgeons will have the option to participate in the private side of the model. If a surgeon chooses to opt into the model, they will be required to maintain a ratio of publicly and privately funded surgeries. “So, for example, a surgeon could choose to perform publicly funded surgeries during regular business hours, while performing private surgeries after regular business hours or on weekends,” Smith said. The UCP envisions that the model would benefit Albertans, as individuals who opt for private surgery will receive the help they need sooner than if they waited in the public system. Conversely, individuals using the public route will move up the queue as more people choose the private option. In addition to a ratio of public to private surgeries, Jones mentioned that the UCP is also considering requiring doctors to keep private and public patient records separate, ensuring taxpayer funds are not used for private care.“Or we could restrict specialties to public practice if shortages would compromise public care, and potentially restricting private practice to evenings, weekends or to underutilized rural sites as required,” Jones said. The UCP is still debating the details of the model and has not released the full plan. “And to be clear, the UCP public health guarantee continues to be in full force,” Smith said. “No one will ever be forced to pay out of pocket for a needed hip, knee or other surgery. Everything your Alberta Health Insurance covers today remains covered.”
