This is a reminder that ACP’s Standards for the Operation of Licensed Pharmacies requires pharmacy teams to have real-time integration (RTI) with the Alberta Electronic Health Record system (Netcare) in place by July 1, 2026. Primary and Preventative Health Services (formerly Alberta Health) has indicated to ACP that they do have capacity to support pharmacies to have RTI in place by this date. However, they urge pharmacy teams to not wait until the last minute, as the onboarding process does take time.
If you haven’t already, now is a good time to get started.
What you need to know
- Privacy impact assessment – The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) requires pharmacy teams to submit a privacy impact assessment (PIA) before implementing proposed new administrative practices or information systems that relate to the collection, use, or disclosure of individually identifying health and personal information. Submitting a PIA is required as part of the process to set up RTI with Netcare. However, please note that you do not need to receive acceptance from OIPC to move forward with setting up RTI in the pharmacy.
- Submitting immunization claims – Primary and Preventative Health Services will discontinue immunization claims submissions to Netcare via Alberta Blue Cross effective July 1, 2026. All pharmacies participating in the provincial immunization program must have RTI in place to upload immunization data after July 1, 2026. For more information, refer to Benefact #1273.
To initiate the RTI onboarding process, pharmacy teams can contact the eHealth Contact Centre at eHealthProviderSupport@gov.ab.ca or 1-855-643-8649. Hours: 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
