A health system in Alberta, Canada, plans to end a contract that involves radiologists at Calgary and Edmonton hospitals next year, according to a report posted March 17 by Global News.
The move by Alberta Health Services is an effort to reduce costs for advanced imaging exams, such as MRI and CT, and use any savings toward to reduce wait times for these exams, the Global News wrote.
But the action won't help, Dr. Robert Davies, president of the Alberta Society of Radiologists, told the publication.
"The issue with waitlists for CT scans for cancer and other important issues has nothing to do with radiologist fees or needing to save a little bit of money here or there," Davies told the Global News. "The fact is we massively underfund CT scans and, to a lesser degree, MRIs, compared to the national average."
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
