Cheque's in the mail? Eligible family doctors in Alberta could soon get lump sum in stabilization money

Alberta’s commitment of $200-million in stabilization funding for family doctors could materialize in part by the end of January in the form of a lump-sum payment to each of the province’s family physicians who provide longitudinal care.This stabilization funding is part of a $1.06-billion deal—announced just before Christmas—the province finalized with the federal government.“We’ve impressed upon (the Alberta government) the sense of urgency—we’re hoping that by the end of January they will have written a lump-sum payment to family physicians who are currently doing comprehensive long-term, relationship-based longitudinal care for patients,” Dr. Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Association, told the Medical Post. “Our family medicine practices are struggling so much right now that many are truly faced with the conundrum of how they can be viable.”If it gets distributed in January, that initial payment will likely be the quotient of the first $100 million divided by the total number of longitudinal-care family doctors in the province. That could translate to between $30,000 to $40,000 each doctor, said Dr. Parks.Read: Alberta commits extra $200M for family doctors, finalizes $1B health deal with Ottawa“I wish I could tell you the exact number, but to be clear, they’ve committed to paying it and getting it out,” he said.Dr. Parks said the AMA is still working with the province to iron out a number of details, including eligibility conditions for doctors to receive the payment.The province has committed to distributing the first $100 million in 2024 and the remaining $100 million in 2025 but Dr. Parks said the AMA hopes to get this second payment in the hands of family doctors sooner.“There’ll be the devil in the details around when the (federal government) will transfer it, can the provincial government do some bridging funding—all those pieces,” he said.Read: It's only fair: Reinstated good faith claims in Alberta will also be easier to submit

Cheque's in the mail? Eligible family doctors in Alberta could soon get lump sum in stabilization money

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