AMA still negotiating with Alberta government about triage doctor roles that are supposed to start Sunday

Emergency room doctors with the Alberta Medical Association are still trying to reach an agreement with the provincial government about the pay and working conditions for a new triage liaison physician (TLP) role that is supposed to start in some crowded Alberta ERs on Sunday.

“I don't believe that it will start Feb. 1, but hopefully there won't be a significant delay in getting it started," AMA president Dr. Brian Wirzba said of the TLP program.

An Alberta government spokesperson said some physicians have signed agreements to work in the TLP role, which involves monitoring ER patients to identify who may be deteriorating, and ordering tests and early treatment for patients who need urgent care but cannot get an ER bed. The spokesperson did not say how many doctors have signed up.

Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones announced the return of TLPs to major urban ERs two weeks ago, under public pressure to respond to lengthy waits for care in crowded ERs that doctors say are risking patient safety.

In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, Jones' press secretary Kyle Warner said doctors who had been requesting the TLP program signed an agreement with the provincial government to work in the role in early November.

However, the emergency medicine leaders with the AMA say they don’t know who has signed up to do this work.

“This is ... an end run around due process and normal negotiation,” said Dr. Warren Thirsk, president of the AMA's section of emergency medicine.

In an interview on Friday, Thirsk said the AMA has concerns about the legal liability for any doctor working in the TLP role. He said he has asked the provincial government to financially protect triage doctors against potential lawsuits, and is advising emergency doctors not to work in the TLP role without this commitment.

“I don't think that the volunteers, if they ran the contract by their own personal lawyers, would be so willing to sign,” Thirsk said.

Thirsk said he wrote to Jones on Thursday, saying the pay for the TLP roles must also account for the night and weekend shifts required, and reflect current pay rates for physicians. He said doctors cannot accept the terms the government put in place for the work in November.

Emergency medicine leaders within the AMA have agreed they will not work in TLP roles under the conditions the government initially set, he said.

CBC News initially asked Jones’ office on Monday for a response to emergency doctors’ concerns. His press secretary’s reply on Wednesday did not directly address any of the questions about pay or negotiations with the AMA.

The government's statement Wednesday said physicians would be paid at standard rates, and their compensation would depend on how frequently they worked in the TLP role.

Additional questions sent to Acute Care Alberta on Friday had not elicited a response as of publication.