Alberta Medical Association

TFP payments, acute care, active advocacy

April 15, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: The second Inside Scoop Town Hall was Thursday, April 11 and the recording is available (member log in required). Here are some comments on the discussion at the session.

Member-only Town Halls

April 12, 2024

Inside Scoop Virtual Town Halls are opportunities for candid conversations between the AMA president and members about the the latest events affecting the AMA and profession. Registration is now open for the April 11 Inside Scoop Virtual Town Hall.

Small patient panels matter, too

April 5, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: There are many reasons that smaller panels exist, from geographic location, to patient complexity, to unique demographic factors of the patient population being cared for. Some small panels exist today because the physician was unable to financially sustain full time comprehensive care and therefore had to reduce their practice to part-time while shifting to provide other services.

Stabilization payments begin today

April 4, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: As I wrote to you last week, today we will begin distributing transitional funding support payments to eligible family and rural generalist physician practices. The AMA has received the funds from Alberta Health.

Stabilization funds available - Family/rural docs

March 28, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: On April 4, transitional funding support will begin flowing to eligible family and rural generalist physician practices. This milestone follows months of relentless advocacy through the AMA and heroic efforts by the Strike Team.

News coverage: Local Doctors, Local Issues

March 27, 2024

Local Doctors, Local Issues is an initiative to learn what doctors across the province think about the state of the health care system and where solutions may lie. View ongoing media coverage of AMA President Dr. Paul Parks and other physician leaders who have been actively speaking to the media and providing interviews and insight.

AMA President-Elect: Call for Nominations

March 22, 2024

The call for nominations period for the 2024-25 president-elect is now open. Nominations must be submitted by 9 am, Tuesday, April 23. Learn more about the process and current nominee.

RRNP retroactive payments will be made this week

March 20, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Alberta Health issued a Bulletin yesterday indicating that retroactive payments will be distributed this Friday, March 22 to physicians who are eligible for Rural Remote Northern Program (RRNP) benefits.

Positive signals - Improved CaRMS numbers and a commitment from the Premier

March 19, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: The first round of Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) numbers was released earlier today, and Alberta has fewer unmatched family medicine residency positions this year than last year. This is good news. I was pleased to see that across the country, the numbers are looking more positive. Visit our website for additional context and an at-a-glance breakdown of the match numbers.

Provide your input on working with WCB-Alberta

March 18, 2024

The AMA is seeking member input in anticipation of negotiations with the Workers’ Compensation Board – Alberta. Please respond by April 15. Learn more.

New issue of Alberta Doctors' Digest is now available

March 13, 2024

Read the March-April 2024 issue of Alberta Doctors' Digest. Highlights include: The foundation stones of medicine: Lab medicine; Shine A Light; CMA Award for Young Leaders; Dr. Gadget; Health Law Update; and more!

Defining "competitive." Acute care advocacy.

March 8, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: About 350 members joined our post-budget virtual town hall on Wednesday for an update on where things stand with government and a look ahead at advocacy plans. A recording of the presentation is available on the AMA website (member login required).

With a commitment, we move forward

March 1, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: I had a chance to speak with Minister LaGrange after the budget announcement. As you know, the AMA has been advocating loudly and ceaselessly for a commitment to a new comprehensive care payment model and stabilization for family and rural medicine. I am grateful to many members who lent their voices to our SOS Save Family and Rural Medicine campaign. You were heard.

Countdown to Budget 2024

February 15, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: To the Minister, in media interviews and to the public, I have one message in the next two weeks: Family and rural practices are no longer sustainable and they need urgent support in Budget 2024.

$12 million in panel management support now available

February 9, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: You may have heard that government has released $12 million to the AMA to provide family physicians and rural generalists with support for costs related to panel management and practice improvement activities. This is part of the October 2023 release of the MAPS final reports, which included an announcement of $57 million in funding, over three years, for physicians participating in panel management. We did not negotiate these funds.

Good faith claims are now live

February 7, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Yesterday, Alberta Health issued a Bulletin announcing that their billing system has been updated and physicians can now submit eligible ‘good faith’ claims – retroactive to April 1, 2022.

Laboratory physicians ratify new agreement with Alberta Precision Laboratories

February 5, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: I am pleased to inform you that last week, after being without a contract since 2018, our colleagues in laboratory medicine voted yes to a new agreement with Alberta Precision Laboratories, effective April 1, 2022. This agreement has been a long time coming and represents the hard work and dedication of both negotiating teams.

Statement from the AMA Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on gender-affirming treatments

February 4, 2024

The Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry of the Alberta Medical Association would like to add our voice to the chorus of concern arising from Premier Smith’s recent announcement of new policies banning or significantly curtailing access to gender-affirming care and support in healthcare and education. We stand with our colleagues, who have already issued statements, but even more importantly, we stand with our patients.

The doctor-patient relationship is sacrosanct

February 2, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Yesterday the government announced plans to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments for pediatric trans patients. I immediately consulted with the Section of Pediatrics for the expertise these colleagues can bring regarding these vulnerable patients.

SOS: The urgency is real

January 31, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Last week we released disturbing survey results including that 61% of family and rural generalist physicians are contemplating early retirement or relocation, while one in five fear they can’t maintain their clinics more than six months.

Help us send an SOS to government

January 31, 2024

The crisis in primary care is impacting family physicians, rural generalists and other specialists alike. We have to fix primary care because without that, we can’t fix acute care. Help government, media and the public understand the severe impacts the crisis in family medicine is having on your practice and your patients. Record a 20-second video with our easy-to-use video tool. Just share your name, where you work and the impacts you, your patients and your practice are experiencing.

We need your voice

January 25, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Yesterday’s news conference about the crisis in family medicine received excellent coverage. You can review the news conference recording as we highlighted new data measuring the extreme financial instability and threat to viability facing family and rural generalist physician practices.

Virtual care codes and CME update

January 24, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: We were pleased to see the Alberta Health Bulletin issued earlier today announcing that enhanced virtual care codes for mental health services are now live. Physicians can now submit eligible claims for enhanced virtual care services – retroactive to October 24, 2023. This will be welcome news for many physicians and their patients.

Family medicine crisis deepens. You can help.

January 23, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: The situation in family and rural medicine isn’t just bad – it's dire. That’s what I told reporters earlier today at a news conference we held to share the results of last week’s survey of family and rural generalist physicians regarding the state of their practices and finances.

24 student-run initiatives awarded funding from sponsorship program

January 10, 2024

The Committee on Student Affairs met to review sponsorship applications. The committee chose 24 projects/events to receive funding. Learn about the projects.

It's all about health workforce

January 10, 2024

PRESIDENT'S LETTER: Through the holiday season and into this early new year, we have advocated ceaselessly for your needs with government, in the media and through social media. There have been meetings, media interviews and advertising. Through our campaign, Albertans are asking MLAs to support the immediate and long-term stabilization of family and rural generalist medicine in the upcoming Budget 2024.

Zonal/Regional RF delegates - election results

January 10, 2024

Ballots for the election of zonal/regional delegates to the AMA Representative Forum were tallied on January 9, 2024. Elections took place in Calgary Zone, Region 4 and the Edmonton Zone. Acclamations were in Regions 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 and 9. Who are the new zonal/regional delegates? Member login required to view.