Alberta aims for diagnostic tests without referral

EDMONTON – Alberta’s government is laying the legislative groundwork to allow more people to pay to bypass their doctor and get faster access to everything from CT scans to blood tests.

Primary health minister Adriana LaGrange (pictured) introduced a bill Monday that, if passed, will allow for rules to fast-track some medical tests without a referral from a health practitioner.

LaGrange said it’s the first step in a previously announced plan to expand the delivery of private medical tests.

“This is about adding capacity, not replacing our public system,” LaGrange told reporters Monday before introducing the bill.

“It’s about giving Albertans more control over their health while maintaining the strong public healthcare system that we all rely on.”

She said right now, too many Albertans are waiting too long for diagnostic testing.

LaGrange declined to say which specific medical tests may be included or how the province may reimburse costs. She said those details will be clarified in regulations that will be crafted in the coming months.

She confirmed that the government’s plan, announced in October, “hasn’t changed,” although the province may start with “just one or two things and then build on it.”

In a video released in the fall, premier Danielle Smith and LaGrange said reforms will permit Albertans to purchase any private diagnostic screening and testing service they wish.

“This includes MRIs, CT scans, full body scans, bloodwork — you name it,” said LaGrange in the video.

LaGrange said the legislation would permit “lifestyle testing” done in countries like Japan and South Korea — citing bloodwork to check vitamin or hormone levels as an example.

But she said the government may take a phased approach, starting with one or two kinds of tests.

“Being the first in the country to do this, we want to be able to walk before we run.”

“We’re looking to make sure that the public system is protected first and foremost, that we are able to deal with those referral tests that are already in the system and make sure that those are prioritized,” she said.

Last year’s announcement of self-referred tests prompted some doctors to warn about a shortage of skilled technologists.

LaGrange said it’s about adding capacity to the system, not taking away.