The Patient Care Based Funding (PCBF) model has served Alberta well for more than a decade. Still, CHAA’s research shows there is room to strengthen this funding model for the benefit of residents, staff, and contracted operators.

The number of care staff scheduled to work on any given day (and therefore spend with residents) is determined by funded care hours. Each care home receives provincial funding based on a complex formula involving the average health status (acuity) across all residents in the home, multiplied by a standard amount of care time per day. There are multiple other factors considered as well, such as the occupancy level of the care home.

Accommodation fees are the amount paid by the resident/family for the equivalent of ‘room and board’ in a care home cost. The government sets a maximum fee residents can be charged, and the rate is adjusted periodically based on inflation and other factors. There has been a movement under way to re-examine the fee structure in many jurisdictions, including here in Alberta.