News Release
ALBERTA NDP INTRODUCES BILL TO PUT PATIENT OUTCOMES AT THE CENTRE OF HEALTH CARE
EDMONTON — On October 29, Diana Batten, NDP MLA for Calgary-Acadia, tabled Private Members’ Bill 211, the Patient Outcomes Reporting Act, legislation that would require consistent, transparent public reporting on patient outcomes across Alberta’s health care
system.
Albertans need transparency in health care reporting of patient outcomes. Bill 211 would measure and report the outcomes that matter most to patients, including pain reduction, quality of life, physical functioning and patient experience.
“We’ve all heard the saying: what gets measured gets managed. That’s exactly what this bill will do,” said Batten. “The UCP has cut per capita health care funding, and we know that outcomes for patients have worsened. Overall spending and reporting of system-wide surgery
numbers don’t tell Albertans the story they know from their own experiences in health care. The public deserves to understand the outcomes of health care spending, and an open and transparent government would collect and disclose those outcomes in an effort
to deliver better health care for all Albertans.”
Bill 211 would:
Require reporting of patient outcomes
Make patient outcome data readily available to Albertans
Establish standardized provincial outcome measures
Ensure outcome reporting reflects differences across populations and communities
Increase government accountability by requiring ministers to act on data and develop a plan for improving measured outcomes
“Danielle Smith promised to fix health care in 90 days. More than four years later, Albertans are still asking some very basic questions: Are patients getting better? Is care improving? Are people getting the results they need?” said Batten. “Bill 211 would
help answer those questions by measuring what matters most to patients and making that information public.
“This isn’t a radical idea. Other provinces already publicly report patient outcomes, and Alberta already gathers much of this information today. Bill 211 simply ensures Albertans can see whether their health care system is actually delivering better results.
I encourage every MLA to support this common-sense legislation.”
-30-
Background
Alberta already collects significant amounts of patient-reported outcome and experience data, but public reporting remains limited.
Provinces including British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec collect patient-reported outcome measures related to quality of life, physical functioning, pain, mental well-being, and self-reported health status.
International organizations, including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), consider patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported experience measures essential tools for determining whether health systems are delivering care
that improves patients’ lives.
Bill 211 would require public reporting of patient outcomes, make patient outcome data available to Albertans, establish standardized provincial outcome measures, ensure outcome reporting reflects differences across populations and communities, and increase
government accountability.
Under Bill 211, Health authorities would be required to report quarterly on clinical outcomes, patient-reported outcomes, patient experiences, patient safety, incidents, and access issues.
Under Bill 211, the Health Quality Council of Alberta would be responsible for establishing provincial outcome measures, analyzing results, publishing recommendations, and reporting publicly on patient outcomes.
Bill 211 would require health-related ministers to publicly respond to recommendations and publish action plans to address identified gaps.
Bill 211 would support reporting on outcomes for groups that can face unique barriers in the health system, including First Nations and Métis patients, rural Albertans, seniors, children, people with disabilities, and those receiving maternal health care.
ALBERTA NDP INTRODUCES BILL TO PUT PATIENT OUTCOMES AT THE CENTRE OF HEALTH CARE
