Provincial Integrated Respiratory Services - Central Access and Triage

Provincial Integrated Respiratory Services (PIRS) provides in person, virtual, and on-call respiratory care to Albertans and healthcare providers who require community support for the following:

• Chronic home ventilation for Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL) and First Nations Insured Health Benefits (FNIHB) clients
• Rural and suburban hospital respiratory support
• Adult tracheostomy tube management
• AADL respiratory benefits funding navigation
• CPAP funding file adjudication for low-income seniors

• clients ≥ 18 yrs old must have a diagnosis of neuromuscular disease, spinal cord disorders / chest wall dysfunction
• a consult completed by a chronic ventilation respirologist and must include a diagnosis, indication for ventilator, client history, documentation of prior BPAP compliance, daytime ventilation hours, or retained bulbar function for mouthpiece ventilation request or dependence on BPAP ≥ 16 hours and documentation of daytime hypercapnia or failure to thrive secondary to increased work of breathing

• confirmation of client’s hospital discharge plan / home management care plan which addresses other non-oxygen benefits
• a second ventilator is based on client residence more than 100 km from PIRS service site or ≥ 16 hours / day ventilator usage

• application required
• by appointment
• professional referral required

Services will be provided based on receipt of AADL or NIHB funding approvals, or referrals from acute care sites. Communications and / or services are typically provided within 24 - 72 hours, and are dependent on the location of service provision.

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Closed Saturday and Sunday. On-call services provided from 4PM - 8AM every day including weekends and stat holidays.