5-Year Health Action Plan – Progress update

• Complete – The Rockyview General Hospital Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) opened in February 2010 and the Royal Alexandra Hospital MAU opened in October 2010. Patients who require admission to hospital may be transferred to an MAU after they've been assessed, instead of waiting in emergency. In the MAU, physicians and nurses can initiate consultations, treatment and diagnostics. As a result, wait times are reduced and access to hospital beds is improved. The MAUs are continually monitored to ensure efficient patient movement from emergency departments to patient care units.

AHS news releases: Feb. 25, 2010, and Nov. 8, 2010

• Complete – HealthLink Alberta played an expanded, dual role in a public education campaign launched by Alberta Health Services in March 2011. This campaign promoted the provincewide telephone health information and advice service as one of a wide range of available health services, which also include family doctors, walk-in clinics and urgent care centres. During the campaign and on an ongoing basis, HealthLink Alberta also educates callers about these options. This campaign involved radio spots and signage at hospitals and other health-care facilities as part of the overall strategy to reduce pressures in emergency departments by ensuring Albertans receive the right care in the right place.

• Complete – New computer software was implemented at the Rockyview General Hospital in December 2010 to help with patient discharge communication and to identify patients who are ready for discharge. The software is now being considered for implementation at other Alberta hospitals.

• Complete – New provincewide overcapacity protocols were launched in December 2010. The protocols are aimed at reducing peak pressures in emergency departments and other parts of the health system during periods of high patient volume. They build on current practices by setting new thresholds that, when reached, trigger immediate actions to reduce emergency department wait times. The initiative involves all areas of the health system working together to ensure patients receive timely access to care.

AHS news release: Dec. 17, 2010

• Complete – 100% of the targeted 360 "net new" hospital beds were opened as of June 30, 2011. There were 214 beds opened in the Calgary area and 146 beds opened in the Edmonton area. The additional 360 beds include:

• 12 detox beds;
• 20 hospice beds (palliative care);
• 33 medical assessment beds (for rapid patient assessment and diagnosis);
• 2 medical observation beds (for patients who require a higher level of care, but not a critical care bed);
• 249 transition beds (for patients who no longer require acute care, and are waiting for discharge to another community care setting); and
• 44 geriatric mental health beds.

AHS news release: Feb. 14, 2011

• Complete – There were approximately 4,300 "net new" surgeries completed, in addition to the following:

• Approximately 2,500 additional cataracts in Calgary and 2,500 more in Edmonton for a total of 5,000 more cataract surgeries;*
• Approximately 200 additional cornea transplants; and
• Approximately 290 additional orthopedic surgeries (hip and knee replacements);
• Total additional surgeries = 9,790.

* With the addition of 5,000 surgeries, there were 33,700 cataract surgeries performed in 2010–11, up from 28,600 the previous year – an 18% increase.

AHS news release: Dec. 8, 2010

• Complete – Alberta Health Services opened a radiation therapy facility at the Lethbridge Cancer Centre on June 22, 2010 as part of a provincewide strategy to open a corridor of cancer treatment centres across Alberta. The Lethbridge Cancer Centre was renamed the Jack Ady Cancer Centre on Oct. 14, 2010. This facility means residents in southern Alberta will receive radiation therapy cancer treatment closer to home.

• Complete – The "First Contact" program has been established so new patients can be contacted within 48 hours and given appointment dates. The program is operating at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary for 4 tumour groups: genitourinary, breast, gastro-intestinal and hematology; and at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton for 2 tumour groups: lung and breast. Implementation will continue for all cancer care sites and for all tumour groups by the end of 2012–13.

• Ongoing – Several government ministries (Alberta Health and Wellness, Alberta Seniors and Community Supports, Alberta Infrastructure, Alberta Housing and Urban Affairs) and Alberta Health Services are working together on a Continuing Care Implementation Plan that will address Alberta’s future continuing care service needs. The plan is currently being finalized.

• Complete – 44 "net new" geriatric mental health beds have opened at Villa Caritas in Edmonton. The 150-bed facility provides appropriate, timely intervention and care for seniors with complex mental health and medical needs. There are 5 psychiatric unit beds at the St. Therese-St. Paul Healthcare Centre that will open by the end of September 2011. The remaining 5 beds will be operational in late 2011 as the unit becomes fully staffed.

• Complete – The Alberta Addiction and Mental Health Strategy – and an accompanying Action Plan – have been finalized.

• Complete – A new online health tool called MyHealth.Alberta.ca was launched in May 2011 as part of the Personal Health Portal initiative. The website features nearly 9,000 health topics to connect Albertans to trusted health-care information and services, health tools and wellness management tips. The site’s content was reviewed by a panel of Alberta physicians and other health providers to ensure accuracy and relevancy. By 2015, the MyHealth.Alberta.ca website will provide Albertans with secure access to their personal health information through the province’s electronic health record system.

News release: May 4, 2011

• Complete – Alberta's first "Minister's Action on Wellness Forum" was held in Edmonton, Dec. 1–3, 2010, with over 250 delegates participating. Significant pledges were made by many of the delegates to encourage wellness where Albertans live, learn, work and play. Pledges included improving workplace wellness strategies, better collaboration between industries, and more investment from the private sector. At the forum, government committed $20 million in renewed funding for wellness activities. The Minister's Action on Wellness International Symposium will be held Oct. 11–13, 2011, in Banff. The symposium will approach wellness through 4 themes: healthy eating, active living, mental well-being and addiction prevention.

News release: Dec. 3, 2010

• Complete – The Health Quality Council of Alberta and Alberta Health Services are taking action to implement the Patient Safety Framework for Albertans, released on Sept. 20, 2010. The provincial framework will guide, direct and support continuous and measurable improvement of patient safety for Albertans. The framework's purpose is to develop and advance patient safety strategies in Alberta's health-care system with the goal of creating a safer system.

HQCA news release: Sept. 20, 2010

• Complete – There were 12 health technologies that went through a formal assessment process during 2010–11. As policies are developed, the technologies will be examined to determine whether they should be provided as part of the publicly funded health system.

• Complete – Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy was released in August 2010 after being co-developed by Alberta Health and Wellness and Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. More than 150 stakeholders were consulted for input on the strategy. It provides a high-level framework to guide health research and innovation investments, and decision-making to improve the health of Albertans and people around the world.

• Complete – Additional data continues to be added to the electronic health record (EHR) to provide a more comprehensive view of a patient’s health status, making it an even more valuable tool for clinicians. More health-care providers across the province continue accessing the EHR system; approximately 10,300 new users joined the EHR in 2010–11, bringing the total to over 43,600. As of June 24, 2011, diagnostic images can be accessed by health-care providers across the province through the EHR. This is a significant milestone in enhancing patient care, improving patient outcomes, and driving down repeat exams. Work is also on track to implement new EHR privacy and security technology by the end of 2011 that will streamline care-providers’ access to the system.

• Complete – A 4-month long consultation process with Albertans was conducted in 2010 by an MLA-led 8-member advisory committee. The consultation process into the development of an Alberta Health Act involved more than 1,300 Albertans in 23 communities across the province. The consultation culminated in Putting People First, a report with two parts – 15 recommendations in part 1 and a comprehensive summary of Albertans’ input in part 2.

• Complete – The Alberta Health Act has been passed by the Legislative Assembly and is awaiting proclamation before it comes into force. The Act requires the Minister to establish a Health Charter and Health Advocate, which were recommendations in Putting People First, a consultation report on the development of an Alberta Health Act that included a draft Health Charter. Further consultation will be required before the Charter is finalized.