Client Directed Home Care Invoicing, CDHCI, is the part of Alberta’s home care programme that most people have never heard of. It matters because it changes who comes to the door.
How it works
After the case manager assesses your parent and finds a stable, predictable need, you can ask to use CDHCI. Since October 2025 Alberta reimburses approved providers at a set hourly rate for the authorized monthly hours. Instead of the contracted provider for your postal code, you choose an approved provider. That provider bills Alberta Blue Cross for the funded hours at the funded rate. If the provider charges more than the funded rate, you pay the difference.
Who it suits
- Needs that are predictable week to week, such as a morning routine or three afternoons of companionship.
- Families who can manage the paperwork, or who have a provider willing to do it with them.
- Anyone who wants the same caregiver every visit. Contracted providers rotate staff; under CDHCI you choose an agency that does not.
Who it does not suit
Care that changes a lot from week to week, or a situation that is deteriorating quickly, is usually easier under the standard contracted service. Nursing tasks are handled differently again. Ask the case manager which route fits; they will tell you.
The arithmetic
Our personal care rate is [$XX] an hour. The funded rate changes and we will put the current gap in writing for your plan so there are no surprises on the first invoice.
