Alberta Health Bulletin Spells Out New Rules on Preventative Test Referrals

Alberta Health has issued a new bulletin clarifying the rules around patient choice and self-referral for preventative health testing, laying out exactly how the province's Health Care Insurance Plan treats privately booked diagnostic scans.

The bulletin, known as General Bulletin 162, sets out the terms under which Albertans can pay privately for preventative diagnostic imaging without a physician referral, and how those services interact with the publicly funded system. It comes as the province works to formalize the growing patient-choice testing sector.

The guidance ties closely to the province's recently published catalogue of private preventative imaging services, giving both patients and clinics a clearer regulatory picture of what is and isn't covered under public health insurance when Albertans opt for self-referred testing.

Alberta Health says the bulletin is intended to reduce confusion for both patients and providers as private diagnostic imaging becomes a more common option for Albertans seeking preventative screening outside the traditional referral pathway.