Achi news desk-
Provincial changes to physician billing codes force clinic to end home visits to older patients.
The Redel Clinic has offices in Edmonton and Calgary, sending doctors specializing in geriatric care to independent living homes for seniors to see patients.
“It was a system that was practical over the last decade,” said Dr Tanner Redel.
“But with recent changes, it’s no longer really practical.”
Redel says in April 2023, the billing code saw a 10 percent cut, followed by another 10 percent cut last month, with a third cut expected in the coming months.
Shirley Bremault lives in a nursing home near Fish Creek Park and is a patient at the clinic.
She says she does not know where she will be cared for after August.
“So many people have mobility issues, they don’t drive, some have cognitive issues. The service of a doctor coming and looking after their needs on site is so important that you can’t put a price on that,” said Bremault.
Redel says his average patient is 88 years old with about 12 health conditions.
While his doctors see only half the patients a busy clinic would see in a day, they spend more time with each one and keep them out of hospitals.
“They don’t have to go to urgent care or emergency rooms that are overcrowded. … That keeps them out of the hospital. How does that not save the government money?” Bremault said.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said Thursday that the billing has been discussed with Alberta doctors.
“We’re constantly making sure the rates meet the needs,” LaGrange said during an announcement in Edmonton.
“If it’s not working for doctors, then we definitely need to look at that.”
Lynn Langmaid is another patient at the Redel Clinic and has just recovered from hip replacement surgery.
“Doctors are easy to pick on because they don’t go on strike,” he said.
“They don’t get pensions. They quietly pack up and go somewhere else. And we don’t.”
She says she is angry at seeing her doctor pushed out of the home care business and worried about her future care.
“Do our elected officials know what’s going on? I mean, are they paying attention or are they just worried about getting the next vote?” she said.
Redel says he believes the current practice maintains quality of life for seniors and prevents expensive hospital stays that stress the system.
“We talk about our parents and our grandparents,” he said.
“And one day, it will be you and me.
“We have to ask ourselves what quality of care do you want for those who raised us?”
