In Alberta physicians are paid for medical services in a variety of ways.
The majority of physician payments are paid out on a fee-for-service (FFS) basis directly from Alberta Health, according to a payment scheme negotiated by the profession. In addition, doctors are able to earn income from other public (e.g. worker compensation) and private (e.g. automobile insurance) payers.
In Canada, the provinces have a medical reciprocal program which allows patients to be seen in provinces other than their home province using their valid health card. Patients who do not have valid Alberta Healthcare or provincial healthcare from other Canadian provinces will be required to pay for their appointment prior to seeing the doctor. Please note that Quebec is not part of the medical reciprocal program and patients must pay for appointments at the time of the appointment.
There are many services that are not covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan and will be billed directly to the patient at the time of the appointment. Please check Uninsured Services before your appointment.
**Please ensure that your Health Care Card is valid before you come for your visit. Health Cards expire for a variety of reasons and it is up to you to ensure its validity at your visit.
