The HBA Services (PHAA) is an organization formed in 1995 to provide co-ordinated province-wide business services to RHAs, provincial boards (Alberta Cancer Board, Alberta Mental Health Board) and voluntary health organizations. The Alberta Regional Health Authorities Directory is produced by the Education Resource Centre for Continuing Care, a division of the Calgary Health Region.

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Mandate

The Regional Health Authority Act requires each RHA to:

Promote health

• promote and protect the health of the population within the region, and work to prevent disease and injury

• assess, on an ongoing basis, the health needs of the region
• determine priorities in providing health services in the region, and allocate resources accordingly
• ensure that reasonable access to quality health services is provided in and throughout the region
• promote health services in a way that responds to the needs of individuals and communities and supports the integration of services and facilities in the region. Health authorities are required to meet provincial public health targets.

• prepare and submit to the Minister of Health and Wellness a proposal for a health plan for the region; the health plan must contain statements addressing how the regional health authority proposes to carry out its responsibilities, and how it will measure its performance in carrying out those responsibilities
• provide for the establishment of one or more community health councils in each health region
• provide an annual report – including audited financial statements – to the Minister of Health and Wellness, in accordance with the regulations

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Accountability

Health authorities are required by law to develop health plans, business plans, capital plans and annual reports. These plans and reports are made available to the public, to ensure health authorities are accountable to Albertans.

The purpose of the Health Plan is to:

• Provide health authorities with a mechanism to set out the long-term direction for effective governance of it's health region
• Communicate with the minister how a health authority has laid out plans that align with the ministry business plan
• Indicate what achievements are planned to meet both the regional health authority's and government's expectations and
• Promote accountability through compliance with legislated requirements.

The purpose of the Business Plan is to:

• Communicate how the health authority expects to achieve the next year's expected results of the 3-year Health Plan, including measures and targets.
• Describe planned tactical and operational approaches and implementations, and
• Indicate how available financial and other resources are to be deployed.

The purpose of the Capital Plan is to:

• Improve the overall planning and management of the health infrastructure.
• Communicate future capital expenditures needed to effectively maintain or modify the asset base to support service delivery strategies.
• Provide a context for assessing provincial capital project priorities as the basis for annual decision on project approvals.
• Provide a preliminary estimate of the operating cost implications of proposed capital investment.

The purpose of the Annual Report is to:

• Be a key public accountability document for reporting how the health authority has discharged its legislated responsibilities and any other responsibilities delegated by the Minister,
• Provide a means for highlighting the health authority's accomplishments, progress and results achieved over the year, including explanation for any significant variation between actual results and those expectations planned in the 3-year Health Plan, and to
• Be a vehicle for communication to residents of the region and people of Alberta.

Health and business plans state a health authority's responsibilities, the results to be achieved and how progress will be measured.  Progress is reported in quarterly reports and in the annual report.

Along with making health authorities accountable to Albertans, plans indicate how health authorities work with each other and their communities, community health councils, professional and technical committees and other stakeholders.

RHA health plans, business plans, capital plans and annual reports are available by contacting each RHA. Health Authority Financial Statements form Section II of the Alberta Health and Wellness Annual Report.

Private surgical facilities in Alberta must have a contract with a Regional Health Authority in order to provide insured day services.  A review team at Alberta Health and Wellness examines all contracts and proposals then makes recommendations to the minister who has final approval over all private surgical facilities.

Health authority accountability documents

The following guides and reference materials clarify the requirements health authorities must satisfy in developing health plans, business plans, capital plans and annual reports.

• Information to Support Health Authority Business Plan and Annual Report Requirements
• Health Authority Accountability in Alberta's Health System - November 2006
• Health Capital Planning Manual - April 2005 

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Funding

Alberta Health and Wellness allocates operational funding to regional health authorities based on a population funding formula.

Each population's health care funding requirements are measured by taking the following into account:

• total population of each region
• age and gender of the population
• socio-economic composition of the population
• services regional health authorities provide to residents of other regions

For more information:

• 2006 - 2007 Health Authority Allocations

Province-Wide Services funding

The regional health authorities receive province-wide funding for high-cost, specialized services, such as cardiac surgery, organ transplant surgery and renal dialysis, to ensure they are available to all Albertans on an equitable basis.

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