December 11, 2013
EDMONTON – Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued an open Request for Proposals (RFP) for a single expert provider to provide laboratory services in the Edmonton Zone.
The RFP is the next step in the integration of laboratory services in Edmonton into a new, world-class model that will provide acute (hospital-based urgent lab services), community testing and lab specimen processing. The new model will also see the construction of a state-of-the-art lab services facility in Edmonton. The RFP closes March 12, 2014. No jobs are at risk as a result of this initiative.
“We are proceeding with the best quality laboratory services solution for Albertans to ensure the best care possible now and in the future,” said Dr. John Cowell, AHS Official Administrator.
“The rationale for change is clear: we need a sustainable, long-term solution to deliver the quality of services that Albertans need.”
The new model will replace the current blend of laboratory services provided by AHS, Covenant Health and contracted provider DynaLIFEDX. Approximately 60 per cent of laboratory testing in the Edmonton Zone is currently provided by DynaLIFEDX and 40 per cent through AHS and Covenant. Due to the physical and technical constraints in current Edmonton-area labs, a number of complex tests need to be sent out of province, causing some delays in receiving test results.
“With the number of lab tests in Alberta expected to more than double, from 68 million to
138 million tests, by 2026, it is clear that the limited laboratory spaces in the Edmonton Zone would have challenges meeting increased demands and technical requirements moving forward,” said Rick Trimp, AHS Interim CEO and President, Population Health and Provincewide Services.
“We have the opportunity now to develop a state-of-the art lab facility that would be able to meet all of our testing and diagnostic needs without having to access capital dollars from provincial taxpayers.”
Although the new laboratory will perform a significant proportion of laboratory testing, urgent hospital-based lab services – such as cardiac markers (to test severity of heart attacks) and blood and tissue matching (to ensure patients and donors match) – will continue to be delivered in hospitals.
Public-private partnerships have existed within Alberta’s lab services for more than 20 years and are an accepted and proven way to make use of private sector expertise and technologies in contracted services. Contracted labs also provide services in B.C., Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario, and in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K.
The RFP protects current staff positions by ensuring that all personnel, including managers, unionized employees and pathologists, will transition to the successful provider with comparable salaries and benefits, including union status.
The release of the RFP follows extensive consultation with stakeholders, including staff, physicians, and pathologists.
“I would like to thank stakeholders for their valuable input over the past many months that has helped us strengthen the RFP process,” said Trimp. “We look forward to having one of the most advanced laboratories in Canada that will serve the needs of northern Albertans now and into the future.”
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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