Alta. doctors furious over funding changes

EDMONTON — Doctors’ representatives in Alberta say the government is going ahead with its proposed health-care restructuring despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alberta Medical Association president Dr. Christine Molnar said in a letter to doctors that she met Health Minister Tyler Shandro last week to try to work together and he committed to get back to her before the new funding framework came into effect this week.

“Today, we received his response stating that the government intends to proceed,” she wrote in the letter, which was posted online late Monday.

“Adding further disruption and uncertainty to a healthcare system already under unprecedented pressure from COVID-19 is simply irresponsible and not in the best interests of the health-care system and our patients.”

Shandro said Tuesday the province would provide whatever resources are needed to protect Albertans during the pandemic. “We expect spending on physicians services and health care overall to increase significantly this year,” he said.

Alberta Health said the changes came into effect Tuesday. Total physician compensation remains flat at $5.4 billion in the government’s 2020-21 budget, but the new physician funding framework will change how doctors are paid.

Molnar acknowledged that the province had suspended changes to how family doctors are paid for in-person visits and delayed implementation of changes to stipends for hospital doctors.

Prompted by the COVID-19 crisis, the province has introduced a new billing code for phone and video visits with GPs that is retroactive to March 17, Alberta Health said.

The province suggested the other changes are minor in nature, but Molnar called them both disruptive and damaging.