From the Primary Care Alliance

With the recent announcement of planned changes and reorganization in Alberta’s healthcare system, including the creation of multiple health organizations, Alberta Health has been emphasizing that these changes will improve healthcare and reduce silos. It is not yet clear how this will be achieved and there have been varying reactions to the changes among physicians and the primary care community.

While we have more questions than answers at this early point in the process, there is a strong need to ensure seamlessness and collaboration among primary, acute, and continuing care, so hopefully we will learn more about how this will take place. 

It is heartening to see the creation of a dedicated primary healthcare unit, and the PCA is anticipating the possibilities ahead with excitement and hope. We are steadfastly committed to playing a proactive role in improving the health of Albertans.

There is much work to be done and we are up to the task of representing and advocating for primary care wherever possible. 

Dr. Ema Gye
Chair
Primary Care Alliance
 

CII/CPAR training for every need

Access free online training to simplify CII/CPAR (Community Information Integration & Central Patient Attachment Registry).

The training is offered through the Alberta Medical Association's online learning platform, Learn@AMA.

More current cancer screening data now available

Even more up-to-date and comprehensive cancer screening data is now available from the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA).

The HQCA’s Primary Healthcare Panel Reports now contain updated preventative screening data for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer.

This information is current, as of October 5, 2023, and going forward will be updated approximately every six months.

Experience the FMS!

The Alberta College of Family Physicians (ACFP) invites you to take part in its preeminent conference at the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff on March 1-3, 2024. The Family Medicine Summit 2024 will offer both in-person and virtual experiences on relevant CPD topics and feature a premier line up of keynotes including Drs. Rick Glazier, Gabor Maté, and Simon Moore, among others.

Register for the “Combatting Physician Burnout with Financial Literacy” Webinar

Get access to quality CPD from ACFP’s Thursday Evening Webinar on December 7, 7:00 p.m. (MT). Learn how to design a strategy towards financial wellness from speaker Dr. Vu Kiet Tran, an emergency, family medicine and long-term care physician and podcast creator of “How Is My Financial Health, Doc?”

To sign up, click the link below.

Other news

Introducing 'Let's Talk Cholesterol': A new online clinical decision support for patients in Alberta

The University of Calgary and Physician Learning Program are excited to share ‘Let's Talk Cholesterol’ – a new resource developed by patient partners and family physicians.

Dyslipidemia affects 1 in 3 Canadians, but from our focus groups, patients don’t always understand dyslipidemia or how to choose the best treatment option for them. ‘Let's Talk Cholesterol’ is a comprehensive decision support tool, co-created with input from patient partners, family physicians, and specialists. It features patient-centered resources and a physician guide, written by family physicians, to facilitate evidence-based cholesterol management. 

Starting in November 2023, a link to the ‘Let’s Talk Cholesterol’ website is included on lipid lab results in Alberta. By visiting the site and reading through the material, patients can learn about dyslipidemia, statin indicated conditions, and treatment options. Check it out and share with your patients and teams. 

Are you interested in shared care planning with complex patients?

One:carepath is a provincial research study that takes a proactive and co-managed approach to care planning with patients who have advanced/decompensated/non-curative COPD, heart failure, cirrhosis, kidney disease, and stage three or four solid organ cancers. The focus is on integrating supportive care in the Patient’s Medical Home.
Learn more about participating in the study.
More information in the General Project Overview.

Webinars on postpartum hemorrhage management 

Primary care physicians and Primary Care Network staff in Alberta can help reduce maternal morbidity by implementing the Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) toolkit. This interprofessional resource bundle enhances PPH recognition and response through risk identification, quantified blood loss, stage-based classification, and standardized management.

Join a three-part webinar series on PPH management offered by the University of Alberta Office of Lifelong Learning and the Physician Learning Program, and sponsored by AHS’s Maternal Newborn Child & Youth Strategic Clinical Network.
December 7, 12-1 p.m.:      Antenatal care 
December 14, 12-1 p.m.:    Labor & delivery 
December 19, 12-1 p.m.:    Caring for patients experiencing PPH after hospital discharge 
Registration and additional information. 
Send questions to: aphp.edu@ahs.ca.

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