Alberta Health Minister Ron Liepert revealed his new Vision 2020 health-care plan Monday in Edmonton. (CBC)

Improving patient access by moving more procedures and services from hospitals to clinics and other facilities is the goal of a new Alberta government plan to reshape health care over the next 10 to 15 years.

"This is not about costs," said Health Minister Ron Liepert. "This about delivering what we do today more effectively and meeting that critical problem that has crept into the system called access. At the end of the day, if it turns that we can do it more cost-effectively, well that's certainly a bonus."

The document — which is called "Vision 2020," and was released Monday by Liepert — contains few details, and gives no cost estimates for any of the changes. It also does not outline which services the province could move to clinics or to outpatient facilities.

Liepert said the province will review what can be moved or streamlined over the next year.

"Bottom line is that we need to change the role of hospitals," he said. "By making more community-based health services available, overall wait times in hospitals will be reduced, but we have to be willing to change."

Broad goals, suggestions

The document outlines a number of broad goals and suggestions of what the government wants to do.

The plan proposes the use of "care teams" with nurse practitioners and pharmacists so physicians would have more time to work on complex cases.

Wait times for services like the treatment of cardiac problems, cancer and mental health and addictions could be monitored in "real time" through the use of technology.

The province also plans to review all existing hospital projects and future construction plans for how they will serve the community.

Greater use of tele-health services could improve health care in rural areas, the report proposes, and incentives could attract more nurses and other health care professionals to work outside the cities.

Emergency medical technicians will also be encouraged to call doctors to determine if a patient can be treated onsite or at a clinic, instead of being taken to a hospital emergency room.

With files from the Canadian Press