A new Alberta pilot is giving select Saskatchewan-based providers in Lloydminster read-only access to Alberta Netcare when caring for Alberta patients. (photo/Jeremy Cockrill)

By Kenneth Cheung

HEALTHCARE

Alberta health records now shared with Sask. providers in Lloydminster

Jan 16, 2026 | 6:00 AM

Alberta has launched a tightly controlled pilot project that allows a small number of Saskatchewan-based health-care providers in Lloydminster to view Alberta health records when treating Alberta residents – a change enabled by recent amendments to provincial legislation.

The pilot, which began this January, gives read-only access to Alberta Netcare for select community-based providers located on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster. The access is limited to providers delivering ongoing care to Alberta patients and does not allow them to add, edit, or upload information into the system.

According to Alberta’s Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services, the pilot will initially involve one community pharmacy and one physician office, with participation restricted to eligible physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners and pharmacists who meet Alberta’s regulatory, privacy and security requirements.

Access is role-based and limited to patient information considered appropriate to a provider’s professional role and care context.

“The pilot will run long enough to validate onboarding processes, access controls, and safeguards before any broader application is considered,” the ministry noted.

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If the pilot validates successfully, access is expected to expand to a wider group of eligible providers in the Lloydminster area as part of a broader deployment planned for the summer.

Health care in Lloydminster is split by the provincial border, with the city’s only hospital operating under the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and Alberta-side services governed by Alberta Health Services (AHS).

Why Lloydminster and why now

The changes follow amendments to Alberta’s Health Information Act and the Alberta Electronic Health Record Regulation, which clarified the authority of the Ministry of Primary and Preventive Health Services to grant Netcare access to out-of-province providers delivering ongoing care to Albertans, provided “strict privacy, security, and accountability requirements are met.”

That authority is limited to communities listed in Alberta’s Schedule of Communities Outside of Alberta Eligible for Alberta Electronic Health Record Access. Lloydminster is currently the only community included.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com