Surge in provider availability fuels record visits to Alberta Find a Doctor
Website boosted by increase in doctors, nurse practitioners taking patients
A sharp rise in the number of family doctors and nurse practitioners taking patients provincewide led to record visits to the Alberta Find a Doctor website in 2024-25.
The free online service, launched in 2019 to make it quicker and easier for Albertans to find a family physician, NP or clinic, is a partnership between Primary Care Networks and Alberta Health. Boosted by an increase in the number of family doctors and NPs listed on the website and taking patients, the website attracted more than 1.2 million visits between April 2024 and March 2025.
“It’s wonderful news for Albertans that more primary care providers are now accepting patients,” said Calgary Zone Medical Director Dr. Christine Luelo, a family physician who works in south Calgary.
“We know that having a consistent relationship with a primary care provider leads to better health outcomes and fewer emergency room visits. It hasn’t always been easy, especially in the past few years, for patients to find a new doctor in many communities and it can be very stressful when a doctor retires or moves on.
“Alberta Find a Doctor has become a trusted resource for patients and the fact we’re seeing more providers on the website – and more taking patients – is very encouraging.”
The free online service, launched in 2019 to make it quicker and easier for Albertans to find a family physician, NP or clinic, is a partnership between Primary Care Networks and Alberta Health. Boosted by an increase in the number of family doctors and NPs listed on the website and taking patients, the website attracted more than 1.2 million visits between April 2024 and March 2025.
“It’s wonderful news for Albertans that more primary care providers are now accepting patients,” said Calgary Zone Medical Director Dr. Christine Luelo, a family physician who works in south Calgary.
“We know that having a consistent relationship with a primary care provider leads to better health outcomes and fewer emergency room visits. It hasn’t always been easy, especially in the past few years, for patients to find a new doctor in many communities and it can be very stressful when a doctor retires or moves on.
“Alberta Find a Doctor has become a trusted resource for patients and the fact we’re seeing more providers on the website – and more taking patients – is very encouraging.”
“Alberta Find a Doctor has become a trusted resource for patients and the fact we’re seeing more providers on the website – and more taking patients – is very encouraging.”
The number of primary care providers accepting new patients on Alberta Find a Doctor reached a four-year high of 462 at the end of March, 2025, after three successive years of decreases.
That included a total of 418 family doctors and 44 nurse practitioners taking patients, with 20 in the South Zone, 251 in the Calgary area, 38 in Central Zone, 89 in Edmonton and 64 in the north.
As of Thursday, May 8, that number had further increased to 504 Alberta-wide, with 17 in the south, 283 in the Calgary area, 42 in central zone, 97 in the Edmonton area and 65 in the north.
The total number of providers listed on the website also grew to 3,853 doctors, an increase of just over 6% over the past year, and 122 nurse practitioners, a jump of 144%. Read the report.
That included a total of 418 family doctors and 44 nurse practitioners taking patients, with 20 in the South Zone, 251 in the Calgary area, 38 in Central Zone, 89 in Edmonton and 64 in the north.
As of Thursday, May 8, that number had further increased to 504 Alberta-wide, with 17 in the south, 283 in the Calgary area, 42 in central zone, 97 in the Edmonton area and 65 in the north.
The total number of providers listed on the website also grew to 3,853 doctors, an increase of just over 6% over the past year, and 122 nurse practitioners, a jump of 144%. Read the report.
Alberta launched its Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program in April 2024 to help enhance access to primary care, while a new Primary Care Physician Compensation Model (PCPCM), which aims to increase access to family physicians in Alberta, was launched in the spring of 2025. The new model offers incentives for doctors to support a minimum of 500 patients. According to a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta report, there were 4,400 doctors registered as “family medicine physicians in Alberta in at the end of March 2025, an increase of 361 compared to the previous year.
Visits to the Alberta Find a Doctor website reached a total of 1,236,728 in 2024-25, a 4% increase on the previous year, while the number of users fell 6.7% to 710,214.
Although the availability of physicians and NPs remains limited in some communities, Alberta’s two biggest cities – Calgary and Edmonton – saw the greatest increase in availability in 2024-25. The number of accepting providers increased by over 400% in the Calgary area between March 2024 and 2025 and more than 180% in the Edmonton area.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Alberta Find a Doctor By the Numbers report.
About Alberta Find a Doctor
Alberta Find a Doctor is a website that connects Albertans with primary care providers and clinics. Launched in 2019 by Primary Care Networks, it includes more than 3,800 family physicians and over 120 nurse practitioners. Funded by Alberta Health, it has attracted more than 4.6 million visits and 2.8 million users since its inception. For more information, please visit albertafindadoctor.ca.
Visits to the Alberta Find a Doctor website reached a total of 1,236,728 in 2024-25, a 4% increase on the previous year, while the number of users fell 6.7% to 710,214.
Although the availability of physicians and NPs remains limited in some communities, Alberta’s two biggest cities – Calgary and Edmonton – saw the greatest increase in availability in 2024-25. The number of accepting providers increased by over 400% in the Calgary area between March 2024 and 2025 and more than 180% in the Edmonton area.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Alberta Find a Doctor By the Numbers report.
About Alberta Find a Doctor
Alberta Find a Doctor is a website that connects Albertans with primary care providers and clinics. Launched in 2019 by Primary Care Networks, it includes more than 3,800 family physicians and over 120 nurse practitioners. Funded by Alberta Health, it has attracted more than 4.6 million visits and 2.8 million users since its inception. For more information, please visit albertafindadoctor.ca.