Edmonton emergency doctors and hospitalists warn of ER backlogs when stipend payments end

Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering. In a letter to Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones, ER doctors at Edmonton's Grey Nuns Community Hospital expressed concern that ending incentives for family doctors to work on-call overnight and on weekends risks compromising care. The end of stipends may also lead to mass cancellations of orthopedic surgeries. While Acute Care Alberta (the provincial agency) disputes the risk assessment, physicians like Dr. Parker Vandermeer suggest the change will lead to burnout and a reduction in the number of patients doctors can safely monitor.