New funding provides stability
Renewing focus on patient care
Story by Sheri Wright
The provincial budget, announced Feb. 9, 2010, has provided AHS with funding
certainty over the next five years.
The 2010/2011 funding package granted AHS a total of about $1.3 billion in
operating funds (or a 17 per cent increase). This amount covers operational base
funding of about $800 million, plus about $500 million in new operational
funding. In addition, AHS received about $700 million in one-time funding to
help cover projected deficits.
Through this additional funding, AHS can continue to work on its mandate to improve
access and quality while delivering health services to Albertans.
“We will be able to demonstrate more easily our commitment to patient care
and the values that bring us together as an organization — values that go to the
heart of what matters to our patients, our colleagues, our families and
friends,” says Dr. Stephen Duckett, president and chief executive officer.
Exciting prospects are ahead for looking at practices and improving services.
“We have an opportunity for a collaborative discussion on how best to re-focus
on patient care, shortening wait times and improving access, while continuing to
innovate and deliver on efficiencies,” says Chris Mazurkewich, executive vice
president and chief financial officer.
“Also,” adds Duckett, “knowing what our funding will be five years down the
road, we now have a much longer time frame to plan, to consult, to implement. It
also means we can more easily plan major innovations and initiatives that might
take two or three years to provide a return."
While the stability of this funding package does allow AHS to plan with more
certainty for the future, it does not eliminate the need to save costs and spend
wisely. Albertans expect AHS to deliver on its promise to provide a
patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for
all Albertans.
As Mazurkewich explains, “We still have many tough decisions ahead related to
how we will manage our resources. Things haven't been easy, and we want to thank
everyone for their continued dedication and patience. Your work allows us to
continue to transform health care, and produce the results Albertans are
expecting."
In fact, if AHS meets the current target of generating $660 million in cost
savings, only $150 million of that will be available for new initiatives. The
more we can save the more funding we can free up for reducing wait times and
improving patient care.
“We are thankful for the great cost-saving ideas that
are coming to us from staff in all areas, and excited about engaging you on your
ideas of how to improve service delivery,” says Mazurkewich.
Duckett also cautions that the new funding agreement doesn’t provide for
AHS’s annual increased spending, which is historically about 10 per cent. “We'll
still have to watch our pennies and not expect to receive additional funds in
future years.”
Forecast expenses — such as debt payments, commitments for seniors' living
facilities, and increased spending for new projects and the costs of labour
contracts — show the importance of continuing to create efficiencies and to
operate in a fiscally responsible way.
To ensure the health-care system operates within its resources, Mazurkewich
emphasizes that “Setting priorities, developing innovative service delivery
models and creating better operational efficiencies are a few ways to use the
additional funds in an accountable way.”
By staying committed to cost savings and efficiencies, AHS will be able to
meet Albertans’ high expectations for quality health care. Says Mazurkewich,
“Albertans deserve good value for their health-care expenditures; the target is
to have the best health-care system in Canada.”
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