Stabilization payments begin today

April 4, 2024

Dear Members,

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.

Here is the government news release. As my quote indicates, we very much welcome these stabilization payments so that more family and rural generalist colleagues can maintain their practices and continue to provide comprehensive, longitudinal care to their patients.

I am told about half of eligible family and rural physicians have signed up already. If you have not done so, there are steps to take.

• To review the details, visit the Transitional Funding Program (TFP) web page.
• Visit the declaration page on your AMA member dashboard (member login required) to sign the declaration and update your personal and banking information. Please note these payments will be made via electronic funds transfer only and banking information is mandatory.
• Note: Physicians who do not see a TFP widget on their AMA member dashboard are not eligible for the TFP.
• For questions or assistance, email programpayments@albertadoctors.org.

Not all physicians are eligible to receive this funding because they do not meet the panel size requirements. We know members will have questions and concerns regarding panel size determination and the cutoffs selected by government for eligibility. It bears noting that our team did negotiate with the government on these issues, but the ultimate decision on qualifying panel size was theirs. If you have specific concerns regarding these support payments, we encourage you to raise them at the program payments email address provided above. This information will be shared with Alberta Health to inform related upcoming discussions.

As the funds begin to flow, we ask: What now?

For government’s investment to pay off for Albertans, the essential next phase is implementation of the Physician Comprehensive Care Model. Our Strike Team has been working ceaselessly toward this goal since the fall. Their efforts in discussions with Alberta Health representatives have gone a long way to increase government’s understanding of the issues facing comprehensive care physicians.

The one-time payment provides a bigger pail with which to bail. Water is still coming in, though, and our colleagues will struggle to keep their practices afloat until they have a viable payment model option in place to support them in delivering the life-long, specialized care their patients need. As our advocacy campaign continues to emphasize: The Urgency Is Still Real.

Advocacy - and what members can expect and do - will be the focus of the upcoming April 11 Inside Scoop: AMA Member Virtual Town Hall for which registration is now open. I hope you can join us at 6 p.m. A recording of the presentation will be made available on the AMA website after the meeting, along with a list of upcoming town hall dates.

Regards,

Paul Parks
President, Alberta Medical Association