Dear Members,
Planning for the future
Last week, your Board met to plan the path ahead — covering topics like dual practice, private diagnostics and negotiations for a new master agreement in 2026. Our goal is to ensure AMA leadership and physician stewardship during this time of significant change.
Member Pulse Surveys
Issues like dual practice and Bill 9 are complex and don’t have easy answers. That’s why we launched our first AMA Pulse Survey to hear from you. Today, I’m sharing the results (member login required). These surveys help keep members at the center of AMA decisions when urgent policy, political or public issues arise. Your opinion matters, so thank you to everyone who participated! Also thank you to everyone who has written me. Your thoughtful words of encouragement, concern and even disagreement are important to me as we navigate challenging times together.
Dual Practice Task Force
The Board is not tied to the status quo or any singular model of care delivery. Rather, our aim is to ensure that every patient gets the treatment they need — regardless of ability to pay. As the province begins to explore increased private payment (in a system that already has significant private pay — just not for physicians), we are working to ensure any changes enhance care for those patients and physicians involved in the new system, as well as those in the public system. I will continue to hold the Premier and Ministers at their word: that changes should enhance care for all and not further degrade care in the public system. Physicians’ voices will be essential if this is to be achieved.
We need strong policy positions and practical solutions informed by members. We are creating a Dual Practice Task Force to advise the Board. If you’re interested in serving, please review the posting and Terms of Reference (member login required) and submit your expression of interest by January 5, 2026.
We will also be creating a resource database on dual practice and related matters, accessible to all members on our website. As our first resource offering, we are sharing an abridged version of an extensive international environmental scan of dual practice and access to private pay diagnostic services.
The AMA’s legacy
I have been reflecting on the AMA’s 121-year history. From fierce debates before Medicare to today’s discussion of dual practice, our guiding principle has always been equitable access to care.
In the 1960s, the AMA opposed universal public health insurance, fearing government control, but later engaged pragmatically once Medicare was established. Today, we face a new challenge: balancing regulated private practice with a strong public system. Then, the fight was over joining a single-payer model; now it’s about maintaining fairness and improving access, while adapting to new realities.
In both eras, public frustration over fairness drives reform, while physicians seek flexibility without compromising equity. Through it all, the AMA has evolved to meet the needs of its members in their service to Albertans. We have been defenders of systems that work, but leaders when it comes to shaping reforms that safeguard universal access in the setting of new realities.
We must be involved
I appreciated productive meetings this week with Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange and Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Matt Jones. Government has promised meaningful engagement with us, which is critical. Physicians bring essential insights to ensure safeguards are in place as dual practice and other changes roll forward. That is how reform becomes informed. We understand the current system, the risks of poorly planned change and the needs of our patients. Without physician's voices, the current challenges we see every day will only be compounded.
Regards,
Brian Wirzba, MD, FRCPC
President, Alberta Medical Association