Alberta is beginning to implement a new model in its healthcare system—dual practice. In Ukrainian, this can be explained as a dual medical practice model: some doctors will be able to work in the public system while also providing certain privately paid services.
It sounds technical, but this change is actually very significant. It could affect how patients gain access to elective surgeries, how doctors organize their work, and what the balance between public and private healthcare in Alberta will look like in the future.
What Is Dual Practice
Dual practice is a model under which a doctor can remain part of the public healthcare system while also performing certain privately paid procedures in approved private settings.
Simply put: a doctor does not necessarily have to choose entirely between “working only in the public system” or “working only in the private sector.” Under the new model, some specialists will be able to combine both formats.
The Alberta government explains this as a way to increase the number of available procedures, reduce wait times, give patients more choice, and retain doctors in the province.
When does it start?
On September 1, the legislative framework for launching this model takes effect in Alberta.
But it’s important to understand: this doesn’t mean that all private surgeries will be available to patients from day one.
First, doctors must go through a formal application and approval process. According to the government, nearly 400 medical specialists have already expressed interest in participating in the new system. These applications will now be reviewed for compliance with the requirements.
The first privately paid surgeries under the dual practice model are expected later this fall.
Which Doctors Will Be Able to Participate
Participation in dual practice will not be available to all doctors.
The model primarily applies to medical specialists who perform certain elective surgeries and procedures.
Family physicians will not be able to participate in dual practice, except in rare cases where they have a subspecialty in anesthesia or surgical assistance.
This is an important point for patients: the new model does not mean that family physicians will begin shifting their services to the private sector en masse.
What Procedures May Be Available
According to the Alberta government, dual practice may include procedures already authorized by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta for the relevant facilities.
Possible areas include:
- orthopedic procedures;
- hip and knee replacements;
- cataract surgery;
- select ear, nose, and throat procedures;
- gynecological surgeries;
- ophthalmology;
- dermatology;
- plastic surgery;
- minimally invasive general surgeries, such as hernia repair.
In other words, this primarily concerns elective surgeries for which there are waiting lists in Alberta and where the government aims to create additional capacity.
What Will Remain Exclusively in the Public System
The government specifically emphasizes that emergency care, urgent procedures, cancer care, and surgeries for life-threatening conditions will remain entirely within the public system.
This means that people will not have to pay out of pocket for emergency or life-saving care.
The government also states that medically necessary treatment must continue to be accessible regardless of a person’s ability to pay.
How this may affect patients
For patients, the main change is that another option may become available for certain elective surgeries.
If a person does not want to wait in the public queue and can afford to pay for the procedure privately, they will potentially be able to do so in Alberta, rather than traveling to another province or outside Canada.
The government believes this could also benefit the public system: if some patients opt for privately paid surgery, others in the queue will be able to move up the list more quickly.
But it is precisely this point that is sparking the most debate.
What safeguards is the government promising?
The Alberta government states that dual practice will not operate without oversight.
Among the stated safeguards:
- doctors will be required to meet minimum public service requirements;
- family physicians are not eligible for the model, except for a few narrow exceptions;
- emergency care, cancer care, and life-threatening procedures remain fully publicly funded;
- private records must be integrated into provincial health information systems;
- the government must collect data and monitor the impact of dual practice on the public system;
- Acute Care Alberta must oversee public surgery hour requirements and system performance.
In other words, the government’s official position is this: a private component may exist, but it must not harm the public healthcare system.
What This Means for Doctors
For doctors, dual practice creates a new way of working.
Those who receive authorization will be able to combine publicly funded practice with privately paid procedures. At the same time, they must meet the established requirements for working in the public system.
The government believes this could help retain specialists in Alberta and attract new doctors who might otherwise work in other provinces or countries.
But an important question remains for the medical community: exactly how will “public commitment” be calculated, how many hours or procedures must a doctor perform in the public system, and who will ensure that private practice does not crowd out public care?
What Patients Need to Know Right Now
Patients don’t need to panic or think that public healthcare has disappeared.
At this stage, it’s important to understand a few things.
First, medically necessary care will continue to be available through the public system.
Second, dual practice does not apply to all services or all doctors.
Third, privately paid surgeries will not automatically begin for everyone on September 1. Doctors still need to go through the approval process.
Fourth, if a patient is offered a privately paid surgery in the future, they should ask very specific questions:
- Is this procedure available through the public system?
- what the estimated public wait time is;
- what the total private cost is;
- what is included in the payment;
- who is responsible for follow-up care;
- what will happen if complications arise;
- whether information about the treatment will be entered into Alberta’s healthcare system;
- whether there is an alternative through the public waiting list.