HSAA Statement on “Activity-Based Funding” for surgical procedures in Alberta hospitals
The following statement can be attributed to Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) President Leanne Alfaro, speaking on behalf of more than 30,000 frontline health-care professionals:
“While reducing wait times is an important goal, funding models alone do not deliver care.
“It takes a coordinated team of multi-disciplinary health professionals to ensure surgeries are successful. HSAA members provide diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing, perfusion, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation, and other specialized services that patients rely on before, during, and after surgery. Any increase in surgical activity must be matched by investments in the health-care professionals required to support it.
“HSAA is currently reviewing the province’s decision to introduce activity-based funding for surgeries in public hospitals. We have questions about how this model will work in practice. Alberta already faces shortages in many specialized professions, and it remains unclear where the additional staff required to support increased surgical volumes will come from. We are also concerned about how the model will account for patient complexity, protect access to care in rural and smaller communities, and ensure that hospitals are not placed at a disadvantage when caring for patients with complex needs.
“We will be seeking clarity from both the government and the provincial health agencies on how staffing, quality, patient outcomes, and system-wide impacts will be measured as this model is implemented. We also continue to call for a worker-led health workforce strategy that includes HSAA members at the table, advising on retention and recruitment.
“Albertans deserve a health-care system that supports professionals to deliver high-quality care and ensures patients can access the care they need regardless of where they live or how complex their condition may be.”
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For further inquiries, please contact communications@hsaa.ca.