Alberta Unveils Surgery Funding Model Tied to Work Completed Instead of Budgeted Capacity

Alberta Unveils Surgery Funding Model Tied to Work Completed Instead of Budgeted Capacity
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (R) stands with Health Minister Adriana LaGrange following a swearing-in ceremony in Calgary on May 16, 2025. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh
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Alberta is launching an $809 million “patient-focused” surgery funding model beginning in a dozen public hospitals throughout the province that will see them receive a predetermined price for each surgery performed, rather than relying on a fixed annual budget.

“It’s a system that aligns the incentives the right way,” Premier Danielle Smith said at a June 1 press conference in Calgary. “It rewards hospitals for treating more patients instead of making every patient a cost.”