Alberta Hopes to Attract Doctors With Pay Model Offering Incentives for Taking On More Patients

A doctor wears a lab coat and stethoscope in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary on July 14, 2023. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

The Alberta government wants to attract more family physicians to the province with increased pay for having a minimum of 500 patients and providing after-hours care to ease pressure on hospital emergency departments.

The government unveiled its long-awaited new compensation model for family physicians on Dec. 19 to attract more doctors to Alberta, increase retention, and improve residents’ access to primary care.

The new pay model is intended to financially reward family doctors who maintain full-time practice, grow the number of patients they have,  and improve primary care access for patients, the province said in a Dec. 19 announcement. The model will also encourage doctors to provide after-hours care to relieve pressure on emergency departments.

“Recruitment and retention of family physicians is a nationwide challenge, and here in Alberta we think a big part of the solution is fair compensation and incentives that make sense,” said Premier Danielle Smith at a press conference.

“With this announcement, I think the risk of losing family physicians to more attractive jurisdictions is done. This new model will make Alberta an enticing and competitive place for doctors to come and settle and set up shop and stay for good.”

The new model will also encourage physicians to use technology to improve work efficiency and patient care, make their processes more efficient for patients and doctors, and create integrated teams offering various types of care, such as nutrition and pharmacy services, the announcement said.

The province said it wants to recognize various aspects of physicians’ work, “including the number of patients seen and patient complexity, as well as time spent providing direct and indirect care.”

To qualify for the compensation model, Alberta family doctors must have at least 500 patients under their care. Additionally, the program will only launch if at least 500 physicians sign on.

Enrolment will begin in January, with full implementation planned for the spring.

The new model was crafted through agreements with the Alberta Medical Association. President Shelley Duggan said the model recognizes doctors’  training and experience. “We hope it will help Alberta to attract and retain more family medicine specialists who provide comprehensive care.”

The association initially recommended the panel requirement be 250 patients, but the decision “rested with the minister of health, who has chosen 500 as the minimum panel size,” Duggan noted in a congratulatory letter to association members published on the day of the announcement.

The new model will also increase pay for doctors who are compensated through the alternative relationship plan–a model that offers an alternative to the fee-for-service system where providers are paid for each service delivered. The province said it’s taking the step to ensure ensure hospital-based family physicians and rural generalists “receive fair, competitive pay that reflects the importance of these roles.”

When asked whether the new model will leave out doctors who are starting in the profession or older doctors who choose to see fewer patients, health ministry spokesperson Jessi Rampton told The Epoch Times the new model’s focus is to encourage doctors to take on more patients so more Albertans have access to primary care.

Doctors who don’t meet the 500-patient requirement can still be compensated on a fee-for-service basis, she said.

The Epoch Times reached out to Alberta’s Opposition NDP for comment but did not hear back by publication time. The Canadian Press quoted NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman as saying the new compensation model is a good first step and “way overdue.”

Health Minister Adriana Lagrange said the new model will make Alberta’s family doctors the “strongest-paid and most patient-focused in the country.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.