More than 300,000 surgeries are performed in Alberta each year, including over 13,000 hip and knee replacements alongside tens of thousands of other orthopedic procedures—shoulder surgeries like rotator cuff repair, shoulder replacement, and labral repair among them. Most shoulder surgeries are delivered through the publicly funded Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP).
Private shoulder 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 shoulder surgery when local wait times for rotator cuff repair, replacement, or stabilization procedures are not workable.
Current regulations: For most shoulder 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 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 shoulder surgical services to Albertans without opting out of the public system.
