March 21, 2020

Premier Jason Kenney

premier@gov.ab.ca

The Honourable Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health

health.minister@gov.ab.ca

Members of Cabinet
ae.minister@gov.ab.ca
AF.minister@gov.ab.ca
cs.minister@gov.ab.ca
css.minister@gov.ab.ca
culturetourism.minister@gov.ab.ca
edt.ministeroffice@gov.ab.ca
education.minister@gov.ab.ca
minister.energy@gov.ab.ca
aep.minister@gov.ab.ca
tbf.minister@gov.ab.ca
ir.ministeroffice@gov.ab.ca
infrastructure.minister@gov.ab.ca
ministryofjustice@gov.ab.ca
labour.minister@gov.ab.ca
minister.municipalaffairs@gov.ab.ca
sh.minister@gov.ab.ca
ministersa@gov.ab.ca
transportation.minister@gov.ab.ca
aminister.nat-gas@gov.ab.ca

Mr. Joe Ceci, MLA – Calgary-Buffalo

Calgary.Buffalo@assembly.ab.ca

Mr. David Shepherd, Opposition Health Critic

Edmonton.CityCentre@assembly.ab.ca

VIA EMAIL

Dear Sirs and Madames,

RE: Alberta Doctors – Billing and Survival

I am a Calgarian who is surprised and alarmed by the government’s decision to roll out a
completely novel digital primary care service during an unprecedented health crisis, to have
that app pay doctors working through it twice what existing providers are being paid, all while
failing to update billing codes so existing primary care physicians can provide services that are
desperately needed.
I will say I have respected your government’s decisions in other areas of this crisis, namely to
cede the spotlight to experts and to follow their recommendations. I am also heartened by
reports that all levels of government are communicating effectively and without partisanship to
get what needs to be done collaboratively, done. It is ludicrous, though, that we are seeing
family doctors forced to fire staff and struggling to envision their future in the exact moment
that we need them most. You have the power to fix that. You should exercise it, now. Please
advise what steps you are taking to ensure doctors can treat their patients with the flexibility
they require right now, and that they will not be distracted by unnecessary fights with you, our
government. We need them at their strongest and most focused right now, Albertans are
shuttering our businesses and cancelling our plans give them a fighting chance, the least our
government can do is pay them what they need to be paid to do their jobs.

Further, I am extremely concerned by information that the app has no ability to connect to
existing patient records, that such information will only be shared with primary care doctors if
the patient knows they should do so and requests it, that doctors working through the app do
not have access to existing records and, perhaps most of all, that patient sessions will be
recorded. It is difficult to understand why such a service would be offered at all, let alone
promoted over existing channels of care. Please advise what steps you are taking to ensure
services provided through the app, including patient confidentiality and continuity of care, meet
the standard of existing care options. Please also advise what measures are in place to protect
the personal data of patients using the application, and what agreements have been made to
keep that information confidential and within Alberta.

No one is opposed in principle to new modes of getting things done right now, or to flexible
digital models. But nothing we do in this moment should interfere with existing relationships
with care providers, and it absolutely cannot be done at the expense of doctors in our
communities whose help we need.

I do not require a personal response if the requested information is communicated to the

public via other methods.

Yours Truly,

Sarah Rankin