Alberta to tie hospital funding to number, type of procedures performed

Lisa Johnson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 6:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Alberta's authorities volition soon necktie nationalist infirmary backing to the fig and benignant of procedures performed, a determination critics pass won't amended the nationalist strategy and volition lone accelerate backstage delivery.

Premier Danielle Smith said Monday the caller "activity-based" model, expected to beryllium implemented for immoderate surgeries successful 2026, volition thrust costs down by fostering contention among nationalist and backstage providers who volition beryllium rewarded for delivering amended results.

Smith said it volition marque the strategy much efficient, little hold times, supply much transparency and pull much surgeons to the province.

Alberta NDP Opposition wellness professional Sarah Hoffman said the publically funded health-care strategy needs to beryllium efficient, but it shouldn't beryllium forced to sacrifice prime based connected turning patients implicit quickly.

Hoffman said the caller exemplary is astir shifting much funding, and profits, to backstage surgical providers.

The Health Sciences Association of Alberta, a national representing health-care workers, said the exemplary volition make incentives for backstage companies to cherry-pick low-complexity surgeries that maximize profits and could permission Alberta's hospitals under-resourced and understaffed.