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Primary care
Edmonton area launches primary care
network
EDMONTON – A group of 59 south Edmonton physicians, in cooperation with
Capital Health, the Alberta Medical Association and Alberta Health and
Wellness, will mark a milestone in primary care reform by launching the
first of the province’s Primary Care Networks (PCN) –
a group called the Southside PCN.
Primary Care Networks will be key to improving delivery of primary care
services in Alberta, the government said. Primary care is typically the
first point of contact with the health system. The next PCN to launch in
Capital Health will be in WestView, involving family physicians in Stony
Plain, Spruce Grove and Parkland County.
Dr. Jennine Wismark, physician lead for the Southside PCN, which
involves more than 81,000 patients, is excited about the launch. “It was
a very challenging planning process but it was extremely gratifying to
work with Capital Health to develop better ways to coordinate care for
our patients,” she says. The plan features enhanced coordination of care
between community family physicians and other areas such as hospitals,
mental health, home care and geriatric care. This innovative tripartite
agreement –- a first in Canadian health care –- will pave the way for
family physicians to participate even more actively in primary
healthcare reform.
“These initiatives represent a new level of collaboration between family
physicians and health regions,” says Sheila Weatherill, Capital Health
president and CEO. “They mark another step toward improving access to
medical care, managing chronic disease and improving coordination of
services.”
“This is a made-in-Alberta approach that provides local flexibility for
health regions and family physicians to meet patients’ needs,” said Hon.
Iris Evans, Minister of Health and Wellness. “It allows for providing
basic health services in a new way, while building on the strengths of
the current health system.”
Each Primary Care Network will provide the following services:
• Assured access to after hours care;
• Ambulatory care (basic walk-in health services);
• Care of complex health problems and follow-up (e.g., heart conditions,
etc.);
• Mental health care (psychological counselling);
• Screening and prevention of chronic diseases (e.g., osteoporosis,
diabetes,* etc.);
• Family planning and pregnancy counselling;
• Care for healthy children;
• Obstetrics (care during pregnancy and delivering babies);
• Palliative care (care for the terminally ill);
• Geriatric care (care for the elderly);
• Care for chronically ill patients;
• Minor surgery;
• Minor emergency care (e.g., stitches);
• Primary care for patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities;
• Rehabilitative care;
• Information management (ensuring patient privacy); and
• Population health (public health, community health and health
promotion* efforts).
Primary Care Networks will also link to other areas of the healthcare
system, including home care, long-term and specialist care as well as
emergency room services, public health, mental health, laboratory
services and diagnostic imaging (X-ray, ultrasound, etc.).
While Capital Health is launching the province’s first PCN, many Primary
Care Networks across the province are now finalizing their plans.
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