Dr. Taft: Well, thanks, Mr. Speaker. Activity-based funding is a new funding model that Alberta Health Services is going to implement across the province. 

The reported plan is that it will be implemented for continuing care facilities starting April 1, 2010, just a couple of weeks from now. My question is to the Minister of Health and Wellness. Is the drive to activity-based funding being led under the Alberta Health Services superboard or under the Department of Health and Wellness?

Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, there are a number of funding models out there which hon. members here would be familiar with. One of them is block funding, or global funding, which is where we’re coming from. Another one, which we’re moving a little bit toward in this case, is called activity-based funding, and I think it warrants even further discussion. It’s basically based on volume and on type of service. To my knowledge it’s primarily Alberta Health Services that is pursuing this, with the intended first target group being long-term care.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Dr. Taft: Well, thanks, Mr. Speaker. According to the organization chart of the Alberta Health Services superboard – this chart was just updated a couple of weeks ago – the lead position for activity-based funding for continuing care is vacant. Apparently, no one is going to run this new funding model. Is the minister aware of this?

Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, what I am aware of is that the board and its CEO, Dr. Duckett, are looking at this matter and hoping to start that particular process as part of the five-year funding plan. Now, if that’s different than what I understand it to be, then we’ll clear that up in a hurry, I’m sure.

The Speaker: The hon. member.

Dr. Taft: Thanks. Given that five of the six positions for activity-based funding under Alberta Health Services are vacant, how can this minister have confidence that Dr. Duckett or the board is going to begin ramping this up? How do they have any capacity to run this system?

Mr. Zwozdesky: Mr. Speaker, you don’t recruit people to those kinds of senior positions overnight. It takes some time, it takes some doing, and there are processes and protocols to be followed. Secondly, now that we know that we have a secure, stable, and predictable funding plan coming very soon, that too will help take some pressures off the system and allow for better planning going forward.

Alberta Hansard, March 15, 2010

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