November 27, 2025

In this issue: 

• AMA Pulse Survey on dual practice and Bill 9 closes November 28
• Congratulations to Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Dr. Bill Anderson
• Join the AMA Geographic Representation Working Group
• Enter to win two tickets to Oilvers vs Flames game on December 23
• Apply now for CMA leadership vacancies
• Primary Care Alberta updates
  • Antibiotic use resources
  • Referral pathway update
  • Important: Delayed delivery of a minority of lab results to "copy to" (cc:) providers
  • Lab bulletins:
    • Formalin-fixed specimens & exempt human specimen packaging
    • Removal of Epic enter/edit functionality for POCT Pregnancy Urine Manual test result entry
• MD Financial
  • Five essential questions to help you build an emergency fund

AMA Pulse Survey on dual practice and Bill 9 closes November 28

We recently launched the AMA Pulse Survey -- a new tool to ensure member voices are heard on urgent policy and system issues.

This first survey seeks input on two significant topics:

• Government announcements regarding a proposed dual practice surgery model.
• The implications of Bill 9.

If you have not yet completed the survey, please check your email for a message sent Friday afternoon from AMA President Dr. Brian Wirzba. The subject line was: AMA Pulse Survey: Dual Practice and Bill 9, and the email contains your unique survey link.

Your feedback is essential. These topics can significantly impact Alberta’s health care system. Survey results will help inform AMA Board discussions and guide future direction.

Please take a few minutes to share your perspective before the deadline.

Lifetime Achievement Award recipient,

Dr. Bill Anderson

The Alberta Society of Radiologists has awarded Dr. Bill Anderson its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his decades-long impact on diagnostic imaging in Alberta. Dr. Anderson, who began his career in 1985 and served at MIC from 1996 until his retirement in 2023, is celebrated for his clinical excellence in neuroimaging, ultrasound including vascular imaging and echocardiography and CT.
 

Beyond his clinical expertise, Dr. Anderson has been a pillar of leadership within the medical community. He held numerous influential roles in the Alberta Society of Radiologists, including President, and later led the Alberta Medical Association from 1997–1998. His service extends across provincial and national organizations, government committees and healthcare foundations.  A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Anderson has shaped generations of medical students, residents and fellows at the University of Alberta, and contributed two decades of guidance through his work with NAIT’s MRT and Ultrasound Advisory Council.
 

Widely respected for his compassion, integrity and humility, Dr. Anderson leaves a profound legacy across clinical practice, leadership, education and advocacy. The ASR celebrates his extraordinary contributions and congratulates him on this well-deserved honor.

Join the AMA Geographic Representation

Working Group

The AMA Board of Directors is recruiting a Member-at-Large for the Geographic Representation Working Group (GRWG).

We’re looking for a systems thinker who is capable of envisioning a future state while helping to reshape the Representative Forum (RF) geographic representation to address the change from zones to a corridor-based model.

The AMA Board established the GRWG — an ad hoc advisory group guiding this governance evolution. The group will operate for a defined term, reporting to the Board and collaborating with the Committee on Bylaws to ensure AMA’s representation structure remains responsive to Alberta’s changing health system.

Visit the AMA website (login required) to learn more.

Oilers vs Flames:

Enter to win two tickets courtesy of TD Insurance!

We are excited to share a special opportunity for our members, thanks to the generosity of TD Insurance.

We have two lower-bowl tickets to the Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames game on Monday, December 23 at Rogers Place in Edmonton. This is a great way to celebrate the season and enjoy one of hockey’s most iconic rivalries — the Battle of Alberta!
 

How to Enter:

• Eligibility: AMA members only (one entry per member).
• Entry: Email AMAmail@albertadoctors.org with HOCKEY in the subject line.
• Deadline: The contest closes at noon (MST), December 17
• Winner Notification: The lucky winner will be contacted by email on December 18.
• Tickets: Ticketmaster account required. The AMA will transfer the e-tickets directly.

Don’t miss your chance to experience the Battle of Alberta live. Enter today and support your team — whether it’s the Oilers or, well… the other guys.
 

Note: This article was written in Edmonton and may contain traces of hometown bias.

Apply now for CMA leadership vacancies

The CMA is looking for members from various provinces and territories and medical learnings who are interested in applying for leadership vacancies with an initial term starting in 2026.

• Learn more about the leadership opportunities and how to apply.

The CMA is particularly interested in having Indigenous leadership represented on the Board of Directors and welcomes Indigenous candidates to reach out for more information through the Indigenous Health team. The CMA’S Board is committed to working closely with the CMA’s Indigenous Guiding Circle to ensure that Indigenous voices direct the work of the organization as it relates to Indigenous health.

The CMA is also looking for CMA members to apply for two external organizations' upcoming vacancies:

• Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) (two positions) 
• Canadian Medical Hall of Fame (CMHF) Board of Directors (one position)

The deadline for eligible members to apply for all of these positions is December 29.

Primary Care Alberta updates

The following PCA updates have been provided for your information: 

• Antibiotic use resources
• Referral pathway update
• Important: Delayed delivery of a minority of lab results to "copy to" (cc:) providers
• Lab bulletins:
  • Formalin-fixed specimens & exempt human specimen packaging
  • Removal of Epic enter/edit functionality for POCT Pregnancy Urine Manual test result entry

Five essential questions to help you

build an emergency fund

Sponsored article

Life is unpredictable, especially in medicine. Building an emergency fund is a key step toward financial resilience. These five questions will guide you through creating a fund designed to help protect your goals and lifestyle.

Community Connections

Promoting a local charitable health-related event?
 

Recruiting physicians and medical learners for a medical study?
 

Seeking AMA member participation in a survey?
 

The AMA receives many requests to promote local events, research participation opportunities and surveys to our members. We consider all requests based on specific criteria and general relevance/appropriateness.
 

*Please note that, unless explicitly stated, the AMA is not associated with or responsible for items listed in Community Connections.

In case you missed it

Alberta Netcare Newsletter, Netcare Learning Centre

Margaret Hutton History of Medicine and Health Care Student Research Scholarship
 

Alberta Medical Foundation Charitable Fund Project Grant

Upcoming events

Leveraging Group Medical Visits to Enhance Care Delivery

December 2
 

Navigating the Inner Storms of Uncertainty

December 3
 

Digital Health Innovation Session #2 - AI in Practice: Tools That Work

December 4

View all upcoming events on the AMA website

Have an event you'd like to promote?

Review our criteria and submit your event

Recognition Roundup

World AIDS Day

December 1
 

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3

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Optimized Prescribing with Seniors: Goals of Care
 

AMA's Uninsured Services Guide

In the November 27
MD Scope Classifieds
you'll find listings for:
 

- Physicians wanted

- Locums wanted

- For sale or lease
- Services

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