New Alberta acute care funding model introduces competition into surgery budgets

Alberta is introducing a new funding model for acute care that it says will increase the number of surgeries performed by fostering competition between providers, though critics accuse the government of taking another step towards privatizing health care. Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced the change at a news conference Monday. It marks a shift in the funding formula for scheduled surgeries from global budgets that are provided annually to Alberta Health Serv