August 23, 2024
Finding efficiencies to boost the front lines
We’re continuing to identify opportunities to reduce administrative burden so we can improve the delivery of care for Albertans. (more...)
Discover different family supports for every stage of life
Get support to manage family commitments whether you’re a new parent, or need resources for childcare or overall family care. (more...)
Mental Wellness Moment
Dr. Nicholas Mitchell talks about how volunteering and 'giving back' can have a positive effect on one's mental health. (more...)
MyAHS Connect hits milestone
More than 500,000 Albertans can now access their health information online through the MyAHS Connect patient portal. (more…)
Alberta patients benefit from leading-edge pacemaker
Patients needing to manage an abnormally slow heartbeat now have access to the world’s first dual-chamber, leadless pacemaker. (more…)
Smilezone transforms rehabilitation spaces for young patients
Some of central Alberta’s youngest rehabilitation patients have a new reason to smile when they arrive for treatment. (more…)
Healthcare Career Exploration Days held across AHS
High school students gained hands-on experience interacting with healthcare professionals and learning about careers at AHS. (more…)
Learn how to include virtual care to support patients
Register for an upcoming Virtual Health webinar on Sept. 25 that will help clinics offer more virtual care options for patients. (more…)
Register for early bird prices for i4 2024 conference
Early bird registration for the i4 2024 conference closes Sept. 2. (more…)
August 23, 2024
We’re continuing to identify opportunities to reduce administrative burden so we can improve the delivery of care for Albertans.
To date, more than 350 opportunities, both large and small, have been identified by staff and leaders. Front-line healthcare workers are already sharing in our Together4Health forum.
We’re committed to listening and translating new ideas into action. A working group, representing all voices across our organization, is here to support the process to gather and assess all ideas with the aim to achieve maximum, positive impact that will save you time, and ultimately enable our front-line teams to continue delivering high-quality care to patients and their families.
For example, we’ve heard ways to improve clinical operations, such as streamlining how products are procured, and approval processes, reducing meeting frequencies and time commitments for committees. Other ideas shared to date cover improvements that could be made to our corporate processes, including legal, HR, finance and audit activities, to reduce burden, as well as IT and Connect Care.
To bring these ideas to life, we need to consider several factors, including time, capacity, costs and potential risks, such as health and patient safety. We’ve created an assessment tool to accelerate the analysis of each idea and to seek further review where needed.
We have already had success in reducing administrative burden associated with required organizational learning, including a shift to role-based training for Workplace Hazardous Materials Information Systems and updated Patient- and Family-Centred Care 101 course to better meet the needs of our people.
We’re also making changes to remove extra steps for leaders and provide easy access to scheduling, as well as simplifying the payroll processes.
These efforts will enable our leaders and their teams to focus on patient care across the organization.
Thanks to those who have already provided input – know we are listening and we are acting on those opportunities that hold promise for reducing administrative burden.
I encourage all staff, physicians and volunteers to continue to share your ideas through our Together4Health forum and through your leaders. I look forward to providing further updates on this important work.
Sincerely,
Athana Mentzelopoulos
President & CEO
Alberta Health Services
Our families are central to our lives, so having the right support helps minimize stress and maintain balance. Find the support you need across a variety of resources related to family care:
Support is always available through your Employee and Family Assistance Program. Contact the intake line at 1-877-273-3134. Physicians can contact the AMA Physician and Family Support Program, a confidential 24/7 support line, at 1-877-SOS-4MDS.
In this Mental Wellness Moment, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell talks about how volunteering and 'giving back' can have a positive effect on one's mental health.
The MyAHS Connect patient portal for Connect Care has achieved a new milestone — with more than 500,000 Albertans now able to access their health information online. More than 4,000 people sign up for MyAHS Connect every week.
AHS healthcare providers are strongly encouraged to offer MyAHS Connect access to every patient aged 14 years or older who receives services at an AHS site or program that has Connect Care.
Any staff member or prescriber using Connect Care can also share MyAHS Connect activation instructions with patients 14 or older by printing the After Visit Summary (AVS). This will automatically set the patient’s MyAHS Connect account to “pending” from “inactive.”
Staff can watch one of these videos for a lesson in how to activate someone’s MyAHS Connect account:
For additional resources, visit MyAHS Connect.
Patients needing to manage an abnormally slow heartbeat now have access to the world’s first dual-chamber, leadless pacemaker.
The leadless AVEIR DR pacemaker, introduced this year, is currently only available in Canada at Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) in Calgary and the Montreal Heart Institute.
Traditional pacemakers are small, battery-powered devices surgically implanted underneath the skin in the chest, leaving a scar on the chest and a visible bulge under the skin. They deliver electrical therapy to the heart via thin insulated wires known as cardiac leads.
Leadless pacemakers are the size of a AA battery, one-tenth the size of a traditional pacemaker. They are implanted directly into the heart through a small incision in the leg vein, eliminating exposure to potential lead and infection-related complications, and offer a less restrictive and shorter recovery period post-implantation.
To date, more than 15 patients have received the advanced device at FMC.
Some of central Alberta’s youngest rehabilitation patients have a new reason to smile when they come for treatment.
This week, Children’s Rehabilitation Services at the 49th Street Community Health Centre in Red Deer opened a Smilezone at the facility. Designed to improve the experience for children and families when they come for appointments, the Smilezone has transformed the waiting room, hallways and therapy spaces with colourful murals, sensory development equipment and kid-friendly technology.
Services at the facility are related to developmental or medical conditions, and can include help with motor development, mobility, eating, feeding and swallowing, communication, and connections to community resources and services.
The makeover for the space was made possible by Smilezone Foundation, with support from sportscaster Ron MacLean and his wife Cari.
High school students gained hands-on experience interacting with healthcare professionals and learning about careers at AHS.
Approximately 250 students attended the sold-out day camps this month. They took place in Lethbridge, Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray, with the final camp wrapping up today in Grande Prairie.
The camps – which included an Indigenous Healthcare Career Exploration Day in Calgary – showcased the wide range of career opportunities within AHS, giving students a visual and tangible understanding of what these roles entail.
“I had the privilege of meeting the young folks who participated at the AHS-EMS Air Operations Centre in Edmonton,” says AHS President and CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos. “Seeing their interest and enthusiasm was hugely invigorating and reassuring about the future of healthcare in Alberta.”
Students participated in patient simulation scenarios, learned life-saving techniques using eSIM mannequins, and explored careers in diagnostic imaging, EMS, lab services, pharmacy services and many more health professions. They also learned about careers in facility maintenance and engineering, information technology and corporate services.
Media attended the events in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary to speak with students and AHS staff about the experience.
Join AHS’ Virtual Health team for an upcoming webinar, Increasing Your Virtual Care Footprint: Moving Your Clinic Forward to Include More Virtual Care. In this webinar, the team will provide an overview of best practices in virtual care, considerations to take when introducing virtual care, common barriers and potential mitigation strategies and available resources for clinicians, patients, families and caregivers.
Register to attend this event, scheduled for Sept. 25 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Join us Nov. 6 and 7 for the i4 2024 conference. Connect with forward-thinking leaders and engage in transformative discussions, such as AI and mental health. Enhance your design-thinking skills and share your innovations and impactful work by applying for Illumination Academy and Inspiration Showcase by Aug. 30. Early bird registration for i4 2024 closes Sept. 2. Register here to secure your spot and join the innovation journey.
