More than 300,000 surgeries are performed in Alberta each year, including over 13,000 hip and knee replacements. Most hip surgeries are delivered through the publicly funded Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP).
Private hip surgery options in Calgary are currently limited for Albertans. While some services are available privately (certain elective surgeries, ophthalmology, cosmetics), many Calgarians pursue interprovincial private hip surgery when local wait times for replacement, resurfacing, or arthroscopy are not workable.
Current regulations: For most hip procedures, Albertans must travel out-of-province to access private care—unless the surgeon has fully opted out of AHCIP, in which case they may provide private hip surgery to Albertans within the province (note: some of the surgeons listed below have opted out).
Looking ahead: Bill 11 may change these regulations by enabling Calgary-based surgeons to offer private hip surgical services to Albertans without opting out of the public system.
