Key result areas, achievements and short-term solutions
Read on for more information on the following areas:
Key Result Area 1: Financial health
The AMA assists and supports members in maintaining their financial health. This includes negotiating with payers to ensure fair compensation, the provision of practice management services and the offering of financial products. Members in training are supported through a number of scholarships and bursaries.
Key Result Area 2: Well being
The AMA supports members in maintaining healthy work-life integration, including being a leader in the development of a comprehensive physician health program. The AMA promotes and supports physicians contributing to the broader community. The AMA also supports physicians in their efforts to attain safe, healthy and equitable work environments.
Key Result Area 3: System partnership and leadership
The AMA supports members in their role as leaders within the health care system. This includes supporting physician leadership in developing innovations in care delivery and integration of primary and specialty care. Other activities include the AMA’s key role, with Alberta Health (AH) through the AMA Agreement, in developing and implementing the physician payment strategy for the province; several programs aimed at quality improvement; activities related to eHealth; and supporting the development of physician leadership skills.
Achievements
- Increase of the Business Costs Program rate from $2.95 to $3.59 on December 16, 2022, retroactive payment to adjust payments from April 1 2022.
- One-time payment issued by the AMA at end of December 2022.
- 2021-22 CME program, administered by Alberta Health, reimbursed for CME expenses incurred between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.
- 2022-23 CME program, is now being administered by the AMA, for expenses incurred between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.
- Repealing of Section 40.2 on December 5, 2022 (provision giving government ability to terminate AMA agreement).
- Daily Visit Cap removed on December 1, 2022.
- MLR deductibles returned to $1,000 retroactively to payments for 2022. 2022 top-up payments issued. 2023 MLR Program will be administered by AMA.
- Year-one allocation of fee increase.
- Activity/ongoing discussions around other agreement components, including:; income equity; virtual care codes for mental health; the wider virtual care review, Rural Remote Northern Program, recruitment and retention funding, Good Faith claims process, retroactive payments for physicians in clinical alternative relationship plans, Academic Medicine Health Services Program, sessional clinical alternative relationship plans and Blended Capitation Model.
- $1,000 grant program for CII/CPAR uptake opened April 29, 2023.
- Strong AMA and PCN representation for government’s Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care System (MAPS) initiative. Ministerial decisions and final recommendations have not yet been released.
- FFS retroactive payment for 2022-23 (first payment in January 2023, for services provided April through Nov 2022).
- Discussions ongoing to develop and/or implement frameworks for AHS payments including stipends, overhead and on call.
Short-term solutions
Expanded support for community practices and working in teams. The specific ask was for existing teams via elimination of the ‘whites of the eyes’ dogma, thus providing increased access.
Expand and appropriately remunerate Virtual Care-beyond those codes specifically referenced in the agreement. We know that virtual care (see pandemic) in Alberta is comparatively poorly remunerated. Again this would provide increased access while reducing fragmentation of care.
After Hours Premium - an extended hours proposal, similar to that introduced in Manitoba recently.
Reinstate complex care plans.
Rationalize AHS payments (e.g., stipends, on call) There needs to be a fair and transparent process, not “N of 1” crisis management.
Direct all or a substantial portion of the federal government funding to address the crisis in community family medicine.
