AH–AMA Agreement Good for Clinical Improvement

​Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) announced mid-October 2016 that the province’s physicians have ratified amendments to a medical services contract running through 2018. The new deal includes commitments to better distribution of physician services, new models for patient attachment and medical services compensation reform. Of importance to the work of the CMIO, the agreement includes provision for a new “Appropriateness and Evidence-based Initiatives Committee” which will advise about opportunities for healthcare improvement. Establishment of a province-wide best guidance viewer, a Clinical Information System Content Repository (for clinical decision supports) and building eHealth literacy are timely and compatible AHS efforts.

Agreement backgrounder: li.ahs-cmio.ca/ama2016

Recognizing Clinical Improvement

Alberta Health Services (AHS), Alberta Health and partner University strategic plans call for capacity-building in quality improvement, quality assurance, patient safety, clinical informatics, health information analytics and other domains collectively referred to as “clinical improvement science.” Key recommendations include organizational commitment, supportive governance, enabling information services, and faculty development and recognition.

Unfortunately, the contributions of clinician innovators may not be as well understood as work typically presented by “clinician educators” or “clinician researchers.” The Chief Medical Information Office (CMIO) hosts a number of programs where clinicians excel at innovation. We promote career advancement by facilitating preparation of contribution reports that align with the principles, frameworks and language of clinical improvement. See the linked guide for more information.

Clinical Improvement Career: ahs-cmio.ca/career