"Very alarming": Alberta requests an inquiry into thousands of postponed medical

Alberta has asked for an investigation into how improper processing of some physician referrals may have caused delays for thousands of cases over the previous five years.
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Health Minister Adriana LaGrange stated in a news release on Friday that Alberta Health Services (AHS) had informed the province in late September of a problem that affected patient referrals to community specialists, potentially leading to delays in care.


The mishandling of recommendations through AHS's new electronic health record, Connect Care, is the root of the issues. According to AHS, the problems affect referrals to other healthcare providers such as physiotherapists and specialist clinics rather than Connect Care consumers.
After a preliminary audit, it was discovered that the problem affected referrals to certain Central Zone physicians. However, more research indicated that patients from other parts of the province were also affected.

According to the health ministry, there were around 1,500 delayed patient referrals across the province, more than 3,300 in Calgary, and more than 10,000 in Edmonton.

According to the announcement, "31 patients have been identified to date as requiring immediate follow-up, even though the review is still in its early stages." "The delay in processing referrals in a timely manner may have resulted in a potential negative outcome for them."

It is requested that the Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) carry out an impartial, third-party examination into the circumstances and ascertain the reason the referrals weren't handled According to LaGrange, "timely access to care at critical times is a priority." "We are committed to acting quickly to ensure that AHS addresses and prioritizes this issue, as it is extremely concerning."


Athana Mentzelopoulos, CEO of AHS, claims that the organization makes 100,000 referrals annually on average, although occasionally it is unable to verify if a patient actually received referral services.

Any patient whose delays may have had a detrimental clinical impact will be contacted, according to the health authorities; these cases may have started in 2019.




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