June 2025

A Specialty Care Alliance update on system stewardship, advancing shared interests and addressing key issues affecting specialty care physicians across Alberta

IN THIS ISSUE

Message from SCA Chair and Deputy Chair
Connect Care Survey
Upcoming webinar - Improving providers’ referral experience with specialty access
Update on specialist engagement for Negotiations 2026
Rural Remote Northern Program (RRNP) review
Summer PPIP dates added
600+ specialists live on CII
New training designed to help boost patient access to care

Message from SCA Chair and Deputy Chair

Dear Colleagues,

Specialty Medicine is currently facing significant threats from multiple sides, which ultimately risk the sustainability of high-quality clinical practices. 

Three key pieces of negotiations coming up for the Alberta Medical Association (AMA):

Market Rate Review (MRR)
As per Section 7 of the AMA Agreement, the AMA and Alberta Health are undertaking a Market Rate Review. This process was intended to adjust specific physician fee codes based on market comparisons with:

- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- Ontario
- Saskatchewan

Government is proposing adjustments to fee codes it deems to be overvalued, and the AMA has engaged impacted sections and identified undervalued codes, aiming to protect patient care and physician sustainability. Most specialties have been able to avoid major cuts, but there is still work to be done. The MRR process has made one thing clear: the value of our work is not fully recognized by government.
Year Four Reopener
The existing AMA-AH agreement is in its fourth year, which includes a commitment for a budget increase to physician services. However, the exact amount remains uncertain while also needing to account for the last several years of inflationary pressure. The AMA is working to get the best increase possible.

In the event the parties cannot come to a negotiated agreement, arbitration is an option for the Year 4 Reopener. It is clear every specialist doctor has been suffering from the impact of increasing inflation and the sustainability of their practices is at risk. We need to make sure every section benefits from this increase equally and finds additional support for the lower-income sections based on their unique needs.
 
Master Agreement Negotiations
A new master agreement is on the horizon, with formal negotiations between AMA and Alberta Health expected to begin in late fall.

Over the next year, the SCA will focus on preparing for Negotiations 2026. The Specialty Care Working Group has just completed a comprehensive review of negotiations priorities for specialty sections and their advice to the AMA Board (see update below) will help shape the AMA’s negotiating framework as we prepare to negotiate our next master agreement with government.

The SCA is also working diligently to optimize the interactions between specialists and IT systems in AHS. We are pushing for more functional, clinician-centered improvements to Connect Care and IT systems, a solution for the disastrous new AHS communications policy, as well as a better model for day medicine services.

We recognize the growing frustration across our specialist community. These are complex times, but we remain committed to advocating for specialist practices. Thank you for your continued engagement and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bertus Eksteen, SCA Chair

Dr. Andrei Manolescu, SCA Deputy Chair

Connect Care Survey

The SCA is conducting a follow-up survey to the initial benchmark survey done in February 2023 of all specialist AMA members.

Responses are completely confidential, with the collected data used to:

Understand what, if anything, has changed for you and where we must continue to push for change

Provide data for comparison purposes with the recently completed AHS Connect Care Survey – a comparison of results is imperative

Develop motions related to Connect Care at AMA’s Representative Forum
Inform the AMA Board of Directors and Informatics Advisory Committee

You should have received a survey link last week directly from ThinkHQ.
If not, request the link by emailing: marc@thinkhq.com

We appreciate you taking 5 minutes to complete the survey as your feedback is very important.

Survey closes: June 22 at 11:59 p.m.

Upcoming webinar - Improving Providers’ referral experience with Specialty Access 

Led by Dr. Timothy Weighman and Dr. Julia Carter, this 60-minute interactive online session will cover how new Hand and Wrist Clinical Pathways and related tools can support faster, more informed referrals.

Monday, June 16 

5-6 p.m. 

Update on specialist engagement for Negotiations 2026

Ahead of Negotiations 2026, the Specialty Care Working Group (SCWG) developed recommendations for specialist compensation, funding models and other key priorities. The AMA Board established SCWG earlier this year to ensure the vital perspectives and needs of specialist physicians are fully understood and represented in shaping the AMA’s approach.

Since then the SCWG has met multiple times and focused its efforts on consultation and evidence-gathering, including:

April 15 | Town hall with two representatives invited from each specialty section

April 16 | Follow-up survey sent to specialty section presidents

May 7–15 | Targeted town halls with sections on low end of equity band (General Surgery/OBGYN, Pediatrics and Endocrinology and Metabolism)

These meetings – and the survey – surfaced many consistent themes and led to the development of key priorities to report back to the AMA Board.

Compensation Priorities

Address inflation: Adjust compensation to reflect rising costs

After-hours care: Update incentives and introduce appropriate modifiers

SOMB revamp: Address outdated fee rules and rates

Cost separation: Unbundle tray fees and overhead from service fees

Team-based care: Develop compensation models for collaborative care

Indirect/unrenumerated work: Compensate for practice management and non-billable tasks

Update ARP models: Include practice management time, AMA-derived day methodology and expanded ARP eligibility

Non-Compensation Priorities

Strengthen AMA benefits (CME funding, wellness programs, retirement planning, et al.)

Ensure physician leadership in system transformation

Support recruitment and retention for underserved populations

Refine case-based funding in chartered surgical facilities

Improve work environments via policies linked to medical staff bylaws

The AMA has a robust member engagement plan in place to continue to get feedback from members as we move toward Negotiations 2026.

Please keep an eye out for opportunities to engage and provide your perspective. This is the best way to ensure specialists’ voices are heard and well-represented at the negotiating table.

Rural Remote Northern Program (RRNP) review

An external review of the RRNP program was recently undertaken by Deetken Insight, with a final report submitted March 31, 2025.

The review included:

an engagement with various physician and stakeholder groups through meetings/interviews
a survey of rural physicians distributed in January, with more than 500 responses obtained from members
an analysis of administrative data on physician demographics and RRNP payments over time

AMA and Alberta Health are currently reviewing the consultant’s report with a view to developing a joint set of recommendations to improve the RRNP program to be brought forward for consideration by the Management Committee.

Summer PPIP dates added

AMA-ACTT has added more webinars this summer to support physicians through the completion of Physician Practice Improvement Program (PPIP) activities mandated by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta:

New! July 8 | Shhhh! Peeking into Privacy Particulars and Best Practices

New! July 10 | Quality Improvement Basics: Keeping it (Small +) Simple

New! August 27 | Virtual Care Excellence: Understanding the Standards of Practice

See all available PPIP sessions

600+ specialists live on CII

639 non-family medicine specialists are now live on the Community Information Integration & Central Patient Attachment Registry (CII/CPAR). Millions of Albertans benefit from the increased continuity of care CII/CPAR enables. This allows patient information and referrals to flow securely through Alberta Netcare—making our province a national leader in health system integration.

Currently, another 200 specialists are in the process of getting on the platform.

Contact CIICPAR@albertadoctors.org to get started today.

Learn more about CII/CPAR for specialists

New training designed to help boost patient access to care

AMA-ACTT’s new Access Training is now available. There are two streams for the new on-demand, virtual training:

for non-family medicine specialists and team members
for primary care providers and team members

Each offers strategies to improve patient access to care, helping them get the care they need when they need it.

Learn more about Access Training