The Alberta Primary Care Master Agreement is an eight-year agreement (signed in 2003) among the Alberta Medical Association AMA), Alberta Health (formerly Alberta Health and Wellness) (AH) and Alberta Health Services (AHS).
It is jointly managed by the three partners with decision-making by consensus (unanimous agreement). The Master Agreement defines the relationship between the AMA, government and AHS and includes four strategic physician agreements (SPACs):
Master Committee The Master Committee has overall accountability for the Master Physician Budget and determining the use of surplus and deficit funds, if required. Members of the committee are the deputy minister of AH, the CEO from the AMA and an AHS representative.
Secretariat The Secretariat has nine members, three from each of the partner groups. It oversees the four strategic SPACs and is responsible for overall implementation and management of the agreement with specific responsibilities for budget management, reviewing and approving physician agreements, approving consensus supplements and expanding the scope of the master agreement. Strategic Physician Agreement Committees (SPACs) are four committees that address the four strategic physician agreements. Each committee has its own management committee, with nine members, three from each of the partner groups.
The Primary Care Initiative Committee (PCIC) is a province-wide group of representatives from the three partner organizations. This group meets regularly to ensure successful delivery of primary care services through the Primary Care Networks (PCNs).