UCP's 'patient-focused' hospital funding scheme remains flawed policy, critics argue

Summary

The article criticizes Alberta's United Conservative Party (UCP) for re-announcing its "patient-focused funding" scheme for hospitals, arguing it remains a bad policy. The author contends that the funding model, which pays hospitals based on patient diagnoses rather than global budgets, will incentivize hospitals to game the system by modifying diagnoses to maximize revenue, increase administrative bureaucracy, and ultimately harm patient care. The piece asserts that despite the UCP's claims of improving efficiency and patient outcomes, the policy has not improved since it was first proposed and will deliver few tangible benefits.