Board thoughts about MAPS
February 20, 2023

Dear Members:
The MAPS initiative, an Alberta Health initiative involving numerous professions and organizations, is progressing. I thank the expert physician leaders who have worked for months to develop AMA proposals to improve the primary care system. Government has received proposal submissions from the AMA and these other parties. We expect a public update tomorrow but don’t know the specifics.
There is a lot of agreement on what to achieve but different ideas on approaches. The Board believes there is enough agreement to shift from planning to action on these priorities:
- Support primary care practices and primary care networks: better financial support; expedite PCN one-time funding and funding review.
- Broaden the alliance between physicians and PCNs by adding new members to integrated teams.
- Facilitate physician practice/PCN collaboration.
With increased investment in primary care and new relationships, physicians will need change management support.
You are always welcome to share your thoughts with me. You can email me via president@albertadoctors.org. You can also comment on this letter on the AMA website.
Regards,
fred Rinaldi, MD, CCFP, FCFP, LLB, MBA, MPA(HSA), BCom
President, Alberta Medical Association
"Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You can not withstand the storm.' The warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm.'"
3 comments
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John Pasternak
10:24 AM on February 20, 2023
The definition of Medical Home must remain a practice in which a patient goes to for comprehensive longitudinal care. Walk-in clinics must become less lucrative so as so bring back those who have abdicated the ‘home’ and attract the new grad. Solution….
Fee for episodic care visit: $10
Fee for doc with a panel > 1000: $65. Just take funds from one and give it to the other, watch the crowd follow the money
Suranni
10:40 AM on February 20, 2023
frankly speaking, family Doctors clinic needs financial support not more responsibility, papers, connect care ...etc we are fed up with adding more responsibility and time-consuming government red tape regulations that ended up clogging my inbox with more papers that consume physician time for free
rent is up, wages for staff are up, medical supply is up
and no money coming in, physician compensation fees is a shame and still freeze at a rate before the pandemic, I pay my barber more than what I get on a patient visit.
the above is the reality and do not listen to the rosy talk, the above is what made physicians burned out, retiring early, leaving and working less hours , it is all about non-fair compensation.
Terry DeFreitas
12:06 PM on February 20, 2023
THe family physicians of Albert aneed support and we need more of us. We do not need to be replaced by nurse practitioner and pharmacists who have not completed the same extensive education and post graduate programs as physicians have done. I agree that we can do better with team based care , I participate in team based care everyday. We need to be very cautious about the roles of NP pharmacists and physician assistant in my views these occupations can lead to more errors and liability on the part of the physician