Update on AHS stipends

January 24, 2020

Dear Members:

Within the set of 11 insured services consultation proposals that Alberta Health provided to the AMA on November 14, proposal 8 plans to eliminate some stipends that are currently paid to physicians practicing in AHS programs. For details, see AMA’s response to Alberta Health’s Insured Services Consultation (member login required).

We do not know the timing, nor do we know the details with respect to which programs or physicians will be affected. The AMA has been seeking this information from AHS via several written exchanges and discussions over the past two months. We have also been working with physician leadership to identify some of the groups that may be impacted. Significant uncertainty remains.

To date, AHS has indicated that they intend to discontinue 63 programs in which payments are being made to physicians. AHS may be providing these physicians either with notification that their current Medical Services Agreement will not be renewed or with a termination notice for an existing MSA.

AHS has committed, subject to privacy constraints, to getting the information to the AMA in advance so that the AMA can contact each group to offer representation.

The AMA’s opinion is that physicians deserve due process, with the right to be represented by their association for these types of discussions. As part of our provincial negotiations, we are in discussions with AHS and government on finding ways to resolve these issues moving forward.

To this end, we await further information from AHS and will contact impacted groups as we know more. In the meantime, though, if you would like to discuss further concerns regarding proposal 8, please contact the AMA’s Director of Negotiations, Cherie Langlois-Klassen, at Cherie.Langlois-Klassen@albertadoctors.org.

I will write again soon with any available updates on this, our main negotiations or other items that arise. We will also be launching a newsletter to keep information moving to members between President’s Letters. DOCing STATION will equip you with tools for your own conversations in support of the profession. Watch your email for the first edition in the very near future.

Please let me know what you think in the following ways:

• Communicate with me privately and directly by email if you would like a reply: president@albertadoctors.org
• Comment publicly below on this President’s Letter (please be aware that comments are public, i.e., not members-only, even if you are logged in as a member).

In your service, 
        
Christine P. Molnar, MD, FRCPC 
President, Alberta Medical Association