Answers to common questions on health care refocusing
- The government is committed to enabling collaboration between the new organizations to ensure continuity of care and mitigate any gaps during and after the refocusing.
- Each new health care organization will participate in the Integration Council to ensure the system achieves the intentional integration and seamless patient journey Albertans want.
- The Integration Council will ensure alignment and integration of different health sectors, advice, and information at the highest levels of health system organizational governance; further, it will ensure that the health system is working efficiently to deliver better health outcomes for Albertans.
- The Integration Council will be chaired by the Minister of Health, with support from the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, the Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services, the Minister of Technology and Innovation, and will have members from each new sector-specific health organization.
- Albertans will continue to access health care services where they are used to getting their care during the system’s transition period and beyond. In some instances, AHS will continue to operate services such as primary or continuing care where they are currently co-located in rural hospitals.
- Rural communities will have stronger voices in the new system through regional advisory councils.
- Establishing greater accountability for service delivery in each organization is one of the key drivers for Health System Refocusing.
- Each organization will be expected to measure and report against priorities aligned to their sector as established by the Integration Council.
- The role of the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) is expanding to support Alberta Health in setting performance standards and measurements, as well as supporting audit and compliance functions. The HQCA will also collect insights from patients throughout this transition to a high performing health system.
- Alberta is taking a transformative role in creating a health system where the benefits of central administration are balanced against local needs and sector-specific governance to increase accountability for health outcomes. Learnings and successful approaches from other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world were considered in the development.
- Some other provinces have demonstrated moves towards more focused service delivery models. Ontario, for example, has created a new organization called Ontario Health that will do service planning for acute care and other sectors. Ontario also has dedicated Home and Community Care Support Services organizations that perform contracting and service planning for home care and long-term care.
- Other provinces are moving towards health authority models that allow for more focused service delivery, planning, and oversight, including the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC, 3sHealth Saskatchewan, and Shared Health Manitoba.
- The government stands by the Public Health Guarantee, that no Albertan will have to pay out-of-pocket to visit a family doctor or receive care at the hospital, and health services that are currently covered will not be delisted. AHS currently contracts some services, which is not a new practice in Alberta or Canada within a publicly funded system.
- The Government of Alberta’s goal is to build a strong public health care system and empower health care workers to continue delivering world class care to Albertans. Refocusing the system is a push towards more equitable access for Albertans regardless of where they live.
- The Government of Alberta continues to be committed to maintaining a publicly funded provincial health system that provides quality services to all Albertans.
- The Health System Refocus puts the needs of patients, families, caregivers, and front-line workers at the forefront.
- The Health System Refocus is guided by an emphasis on strong integration and collaboration across all organizations to support appropriate transitions of care, prevent silos, and ensure Albertans receive the health care they need today and for generations to come.
- The Primary Care Organization’s goals and outcomes include:
- Provide provincial oversight and coordination of primary care service delivery
- Ensure every Albertan is attached to a family physician, nurse practitioner, or primary care provider
- Ensure Albertans have timely access to high-quality primary care services, including after hours, no matter where they live
- Ensure accountability for all publicly funded providers and clinics
- Support Alberta Health in determining alternative payment models
- The Acute Care Organization’s goals and outcomes include:
- Have provincial oversight of acute care service delivery and clinical operations, including leading and contracting (if appropriate) Emergency Medical Services operations
- Hold AHS, Covenant Health, and other entities accountable
- Incentivize regional innovation and enhance local decision-making, as appropriate
- Reduce wait times and improve quality of care while improving integration
- Higher-quality care across the province and enhancing access to care in rural areas
- The Continuing Care Organization’s goals and outcomes include:
- Provide provincial oversight and coordination of continuing care service delivery
- Manage contracts for service delivery, but will not be an operator
- Ensure equitable, consistent, and timely access to continuing care services and increase the number and distribution of beds to reflect the projected demographic shifts
- Improved team-based care leveraging other health and social services
- The Mental Health and Addiction Organization’s goals and outcomes include:
- Have provincial oversight, including setting system-level objectives, performance standards, and system-level planning
- Focus on planning and service delivery of mental health and addiction services in higher tiered/acuity services (hospital-based) and community outpatient clinics
- Both the MHA Ministry and Organization will be able to hold contracts with third-party service providers
- The current health system is fragmented and uncoordinated. Although health care spending aligns to comparator provinces, Albertans are experiencing unacceptable wait times and health outcomes. These challenges are felt more acutely in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. This is the result of a system that was not structured to respond effectively to Alberta’s population boom and rapidly aging population.
- The government heard what Albertans had to say about their experiences with the current health system and carefully looked at what did and did not work in Alberta’s previous health system models. The government has considered a wide range of options and identified that this is the best path to achieve the goal of improving access to and quality of health care.
- Overall, the key changes are at the governance and structural level, addressing areas of accountability and separating the roles of oversight and health service delivery to make sure Albertans are getting the care they need. Changes with local decision-making and regional advice will empower local communities to have a greater say.
- Involvement of local communities in decision-making can lead to health care services that better meet specific needs, ensuring that citizens have a voice in shaping their health care systems.
- Establishing focused organizations (acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction) will improve accountability, enable innovation, and drive improvements within a unified health care system.
- A new approach for local decision-making and regional advice will empower local communities to have a greater say.
- Patients will experience reduced wait times, better coordination of care, and a more patient-centric approach to health care, resulting in improved health outcomes.
- The Government of Alberta is committed to engaging with health care workers and listening to the input of patients, families, and caregivers across Alberta. Health care workers know the most about the system, gaps, and needs that exist. Collaboration is crucial to creating a health system that serves the current and future needs of Albertans.
- There are multiple opportunities to engage directly, ask questions, and get involved in shaping the way health care is refocused in Alberta. Learn more and register for an upcoming engagement session at alberta.ca/shapetheway.
- Engagement efforts to date have included telephone townhalls and an online feedback form.
- A new feedback form is now live at alberta.ca/shapetheway.
- A guiding principle of the health system refocusing is the commitment to ensure a seamless health care journey for each patient through strong integration and collaboration across all organizations to support appropriate transitions of care and prevent silos.
- The new Integration Council, chaired by the Minister of Health, will include participation from all parts of the new health system. This council will ensure patients experience a seamless health care journey. This Council will have improved provincial oversight to achieve system-wide health planning and policies.
- The Integration Council will ensure alignment and integration of different health sectors, advice, and information at the highest levels of health system organizational governance. Further, it will ensure that the health system is working efficiently to deliver better health outcomes for Albertans.
- The Integration Council will be responsible for ensuring there is a unified health system, delivered by providers who are accountable to the sector-specific organizations.
- The government heard what Albertans had to say about their experiences with the current health system, and looked at what did and did not work in Alberta’s previous health system models. The government has considered a wide range of options and identified that this is the best path to achieve the goal of improving access to and quality of health care.
- Significant engagements with key health care partners over recent years informed the design of the refocused health system. Key reports on primary care, mental health and addiction services, facility-based care services, home care services, palliative and end-of-life care, and health system sustainability helped inform the design of the refocused health system.
- Engagement with Albertans and health care workers will continue to guide the refocusing over the coming months as the government works to implement this new system.
How will the refocusing plan enable a smooth transition for patients between organizations, preventing patients from falling through the cracks?
How will health care services in rural areas be impacted by this refocusing?
How will the success of the refocus be measured and what kinds of metrics will be tracked related to patient outcomes and experience?
Can you share examples of where this model has been successful before, within domestic or international health care systems?
Will this refocus lead to increased privatization of services?
How will the Health System Refocus improve patient outcomes?
Why does the Government of Alberta believe this is the right decision for Alberta?
Will health care workers and Albertans be consulted and involved throughout the design and decision-making process?
How will these new, specialized organizations work to break down the silos within the system rather than further separating care services?
What data, evidence, and empirical research led to this decision?