New nurse practitioner program will expand primary care access in Alberta: province
Posted Nov 20, 2024 7:12 am.
The province is expected to launch a new program for nurse practitioners Wednesday, which it says will expand access to primary care across Alberta.
Minister of Health, Adriana LaGrange will make the announcement in Leduc, alongside the president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Alberta, a nurse practitioner, and the owner of a medical clinic.
In April, the province announced a new compensation model for nurse practitioners, vowing to pay them 80 per cent of what family doctors are paid, if they decide to practice comprehensive care.
To be eligible for that compensation, nurse practitioners need to meet several requirements, including committing to providing medically necessary primary care services, having a panel size of at least 900 patients, providing after-hours access on weekends, evenings or holidays, and accepting walk-in appointments as they build their panel up to 900.
As of this spring, more than 700,000 Albertans were without a family doctor. The province has said enhancing the capabilities of nurse practitioners is aimed at supporting those patients.
LaGrange is set to speak at 9 a.m.
660 NewsRadio will have the very latest on this developing story, listen live here.
