Three-year pilot project could save taxpayers up to $46 million, health minister says

Published by CBC News

September 30, 2015

A new government program will allow eye specialists and their patients to choose between two drugs to treat several conditions that can lead to blindness, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman announced Wednesday.

[Read more…]

Published in the Edmonton Journal

September 30, 2015

The Alberta government says it will save up to $46 million over the next three years by treating more cases of retinal disease with a cheaper drug that has not been approved for eye injections by Health Canada.

While critics warned that Avastin’s side effects and long-term health impacts have been insufficiently researched, Health Minister Sarah Hoffman insisted she had no concerns about the drug’s “off label” status.

She and Edmonton retina specialist Dr. Matthew Tennant said some Alberta doctors have been using Avastin safely and effectively for close to a decade to slow the progress of age-related macular degeneration, and other conditions such as diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion.

[Read more…]

Published in the Edmonton Journal

June 17, 2015

The Alberta health-care system gets maligned and maybe it’s justified in some cases. But we have found just the opposite to be the case.

[Read more…]

Published in the Calgary Herald

May 4, 2011

By Joel Schlesinger

Most people think of laser vision-correction surgery as a means to ditch their eyeglasses for good. Yet few realize that a lesser-known procedure may actually help save their eyesight.

Alberta Retina Consultants co-founder Dr. Brad Hinz often sees patients who initially want corrective laser surgery — commonly known as LASIK or PRK — but end up at his office after discovering they are at risk of a potentially serious condition called retinal detachment.

[Read more…]

Published in the Innisfail Province

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014

By: Tim Lasiuta

The Innisfail Health Centre is not what it used to be with ongoing hundreds of thousands of dollars of upgrades in every area of the facility.

[Read more…]