Alberta Health Services Outgoing Referrals Review

Summary

In summer 2024, Alberta Health Services (AHS) identified approximately 14,000 outgoing referrals from AHS providers to non-AHS community-based specialists and allied health professionals that were misprocessed, delayed, or never sent. The Minister of Health asked Health Quality Alberta to conduct a Quality Assurance Review to understand why the delays occurred and how to mitigate this risk in the future.

The Alberta Health Services Outgoing Referrals Review was completed in 2025, and the findings were shared with key health system partners. This review examined system factors affecting the outgoing referral process, including a jurisdictional review, a review of policies, procedures and training materials, and understanding people’s experiences through interviews and a survey of 381 patients. It outlines issues that contributed to the referral delays and provides recommendations.