November 25, 2023
The Alberta Medical Association's (AMA) relationship with the provincial government took some hits when the UCP government ripped up its master agreement with physicians during the pandemic, with imposed fee changes leading to a mass exodus of health professionals. To improve care delivery, the province will allow nurse practitioners (NP) to open public-paid clinics. The AMA told its family medicine membership the plan to bring in NPs creates a false equivalency with doctors and comes as many practices are struggling to stay afloat. The association wants the government to stabilize family medicine practices first before opening up the specialty to new players.