Dr. Shelley Duggan, president, Alberta Medical Association

Alberta’s government is implementing a new primary care physician compensation model to improve access to family physicians across the province.

Alberta’s government recognizes that family physicians are fundamental to strengthening the health care system. Unfortunately, too many Albertans do not currently have access to regular primary care from a family physician. This is why, last year, the government entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) and committed to developing a new primary care physician compensation model.

Alberta’s government will now be implementing a new compensation model for family doctors to ensure they continue practising in the province and to attract more doctors to choose Alberta, which will also alleviate pressures in other areas of the health care system.

This new model will make Alberta’s family doctors the strongest-paid and most patient-focused in the country.

“Albertans must be able to access a primary care provider. We’ve been working hard with our partners at the Alberta Medical Association to develop a compensation model that will not only support Alberta’s doctors but also improve Albertans’ access to physicians. Ultimately, our deal will make Alberta an even more attractive place to practise family medicine.”

“We have worked with the Alberta Medical Association to address the challenges that primary care physicians are facing. This model will provide the supports physicians need and improve patient access to the care they need.”

The new model is structured to encourage physicians to grow the number of patients they care for and encourage full-time practice. Incentives include increases for:

• Maintaining high panel numbers (minimum of 500 patients), which will incentivize panel growth and improve access to primary care for patients.
• Providing after-hours care to relieve pressure on emergency departments and urgent care centres.
• Improving technology to encourage using tools that help streamline work and enhance patient care.
• Enhancing team-based care, which will encourage developing integrated teams that may include family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, dietitians and pharmacists to provide patients with the best care possible.
• Adding efficiencies in clinical operations to simplify processes for both patients and health care providers.

As a market and evidence-based model, it recognizes and pays for the critically important work of physicians, including the number of patients seen and patient complexity, as well as time spent providing direct and indirect care.

“Family medicine is the foundation of our health care system. This model recognizes the extensive training, experience and leadership of primary care physicians, and we hope it will help Alberta to attract and retain more family medicine specialists who provide comprehensive care.”

Additionally, family physicians who are not compensated through the traditional fee-for-service model will now receive higher pay rates under their payment model, known as the alternative relationship plan. This includes those who provide inpatient care in hospitals and rural generalists. Alberta’s government is increasing this to ensure hospital-based family physicians and rural generalists also receive fair, competitive pay that reflects the importance of these roles.

“This new compensation model will make Alberta more attractive for physicians and will make sure more Albertans can have improved access to a primary care provider no matter where they live. It will also help support efforts to strengthen primary care in Alberta as the foundation of the health care system.”

“Family physicians have been anxiously awaiting this announcement about the new compensation model. We anticipate this model will allow many primary care physicians to continue to deliver comprehensive, lifelong care to their patients while keeping their community clinics viable.”

Quick facts

• Enrolment in the primary care physician compensation model will begin in January with full implementation in spring 2025, provided there are at least 500 physicians enrolled.
• The alternative relationship plan rate has not been updated since it was initially calculated in 2002.
• The new compensation model for family doctors is the latest primary health care improvement following actions that include:
  • A $42-million investment to recruit more health providers and expand essential services.
  • A new rural and remote bursary program for family medicine resident physicians.
  • Additional funding of $257 million to stabilize primary care delivery and improve access to family physicians.
  • Implementing the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program, which expands the role of nurse practitioners by allowing them to practise comprehensive patient care autonomously, either by operating their own practices or working independently within existing primary care settings.

Related information

• Primary care physician compensation model
• Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care System (MAPS)
• Alternative Relationship Plans (ARP)