Your physician will assess you first. If needed, they will provide a referral to the appropriate specialist or order diagnostic tests. Our team will fax referrals on your behalf, and the specialist’s office and our clinic will contact you directly with your appointment details.

Our team  including our referral coordinators who track every referral from start to finish works hard to make sure you don’t fall through the cracks and that your care is well coordinated.

If your question isn’t listed here, please don’t hesitate to call our reception team at 403-236-2344  we’re happy to help.

Specialist wait times vary widely depending on the type of specialist, urgency of the referral, and their current patient backlog. At present, patients in Alberta can expect to wait on average 8–16 weeks to hear from most specialist offices.

Please note that Alberta’s health care system is experiencing extreme strain, and wait times particularly for surgical referrals are often much longer than usual. Unfortunately, these delays are outside of our clinic’s control.

Even if you don’t hear from our clinic or the specialist’s office right away, please know that our referral  coordinators are constantly monitoring your referral to ensure you don’t fall through the cracks.

They follow your referral from the moment it is sent until your appointment details are confirmed, and will also contact you so the circle of care is complete.

Alberta Health Care (AHCIP) covers most physician services, but many other services and referrals are not insured. Patients are responsible for the costs of these services, although extended health plans may provide coverage. Examples include:

• Services from non-physician providers: Referrals to chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, psychologists, physiotherapists, and other allied health professionals.

• Podiatry services: AHCIP provides partial coverage under the Basic Podiatry Program (up to $250 per benefit year, July 1 – June 30). Podiatrists may charge additional fees, and podiatry services outside Alberta are not covered.

• Fertility and reproductive care: Assisted reproductive technologies such as fertility treatments, vasectomy reversal, and in vitro fertilization.

• Vision care: Routine eye exams for residents aged 19–64, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and refractive laser eye surgery.

• Travel and non-routine immunizations: Vaccinations for travel purposes and some non-publicly funded immunizations.

• Hearing, mobility, and devices: Hearing aids, prosthetics, surgical appliances, mobility aids, and medical supplies.

• Non-medically required surgery: Cosmetic procedures (e.g., abdominoplasty/tummy tuck, cosmetic enhancements, vasectomy reversal when elective).

• Routine dental care: Cleanings, fillings, dentures, and extraction of wisdom teeth (unless medically required in hospital).

For details on uninsured services provided in our clinic (e.g., forms, sick notes, driver’s medicals), please see our Fee Schedule page.

No. All forms (e.g., AISH, CPP, DTC, insurance, disability requests) must first be pre-approved by your physician and require a dedicated appointment. Please do not bring paper forms to the clinic unless instructed.