AHS apologizes for delays in care resulting from improperly processed referrals
Alberta Health Services (AHS) says it is taking immediate action to expedite care for patients who had referrals to community health-care providers delayed.
In a statement on Friday, the provincial health-care provider admitted an internal audit completed last month found that some referrals to external providers in the central zone were not properly processed, leading to a delay in care.
An additional investigation found patients in all five AHS zones – Edmonton, Calgary, central, north and south – may have been impacted.
Of the 14,000 referrals, the Edmonton zone is most affected with 10,000, with Calgary seeing 3,300 affected and the rest of the zones accounting for 1,500 of them.
"AHS takes any potential impact to patient care very seriously, and we are deeply sorry for any patient care delays this issue may have caused," Athana Mentzelopoulos, president and chief executive officer of AHS, told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.
"Our clinical teams are working urgently to assess every delayed referral to determine what impact the delay may have had on each patient and to schedule those patients as quickly as possible."
When asked if anyone may have been harmed or have died as a result of the delays, AHS says there's no indication of that right now.
AHS says it handles about 100,000 referrals a year.
Officials will be contacting any impacted patients directly to address their questions and concerns, AHS says.
AHS says the issue applies to referrals from it to health-care providers who are outside of AHS and not Connect Care users, such as specialty clinics and allied health professionals like physiotherapists.
"These providers operate in partnership with AHS but work in a community setting, and typically have their own electronic medical record system that does not allow for referrals to easily flow from Connect Care to their systems directly," the release said.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta is conducting a third-party audit of the issue. AHS says it is conducting its own internal investigation.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
Ont. woman posed as registered nurse in Simcoe County for 4 years: OPP
An Ontario woman is facing serious charges after police allege she pretended to be a registered nurse at several Simcoe County facilities, despite being unqualified.
WATCH 'It's mind-boggling': Drought reveals U.S. town submerged in the 1940s
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
Democrats Abroad Canada warns U.S. voters to take action ahead of possible Canada Post strike
Democrats Abroad Canada is warning Americans that a potential postal workers strike this weekend could affect the ability to vote in next week's election.
B.C. mayor's 'luxury' trip to Dubai climate conference was against ethics rules: commissioner
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone's all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai for a climate conference last December violated the city's Code of Conduct for Council Members and the Community Charter, the city's ethics commissioner has ruled.
Caught on camera: Edmonton police run over woman during welfare call
An Edmonton Police Service officer was caught on camera running over a woman with a marked cruiser last month.
Orphaned squirrel who became social media star was euthanized after being seized from New York home
An orphaned squirrel that became a social media star called Peanut was euthanized after state authorities seized the beloved pet during a raid on his caretaker's home, authorities said Friday.
B.C. landlord who evicted longtime tenant, hiked rent and re-listed unit ordered to pay $16K
A landlord from B.C.’s Lower Mainland who evicted a longtime tenant only to rent out the same unit months later for more money has been ordered to compensate him $16,480.
Secret Service report offers new details on failures during Trump assassination attempt
A new Secret Service report into the July assassination attempt against former U.S. president Donald Trump said multiple staffers knew about clear line-of-sight risks but found them 'acceptable' and that farm equipment intended to obstruct the view from the nearby building where the gunman opened fire was never used.