Chartered surgical facilities are back in the headlines. What are they? – CBC
Facilities are a relief valve the public system can turn to when they lack hospital capacity, experts say
Feb 11, 2025
Chartered surgical facilities are at the centre of an Alberta political controversy that includes allegations of conflicts of interest.
Alberta’s auditor general is investigating how Alberta Health Services has procured goods and awarded contracts.
Auditor General Doug Wylie announced the review last week after AHS’s fired CEO alleged there was political interference, according to a letter from her lawyer obtained by the Globe and Mail.
Alberta’s premier on Saturday said she’d ask the auditor general to expedite this review, which also is examining AHS’s purchase of pain medication and COVID-19 supplies.
But what is a chartered surgical facility (CSF), and how do they fit into Alberta’s health-care system?
Steven Lewis, a health consultant and Simon Fraser University adjunct health policy professor, said governments use these facilities as a relief valve when they feel they need to do more surgeries than hospitals can accommodate.
“They’re high-volume procedures that can be done safely in a community-based setting rather than in an acute care hospital,” he said. “Rapid turnover, high-volume cataracts, hips and knees are by far the most common.”
