On October 4, 2024, the Minister of Health asked the HQCA to review delayed referrals from AHS to community specialists and allied health professionals (e.g., physiotherapists in private practice). You can read more about this review here.
The HQCA is currently reviewing the structures, policies, and practices related to these external referrals and will make recommendations on how these referrals are processed in the future. The recommendations will focus on how changes would improve patient experience. We will summarize our findings and recommendations in a confidential report to the Minister of Health that will be submitted in spring 2025.
Our review is being conducted under a Quality Assurance Committee and legislation (Section 9 of the Alberta Evidence Act, RSA 200, C A-18) that allows us to keep the identities of those we engage strictly confidential.