This email was sent to EDs/Admin Leads, lead clinicians and board chairs of AFHTO member teams.
Dear triad members,
Since last fall, AFHTO has been working with members and consultant Dale McMurchy to develop recommendations for the next FHT contract. The current contract expires in March 2023, and AFHTO will be providing recommended changes to the Ministry of Health this fall on behalf of our membership. Our input can influence the next stage in the evolution of interprofessional primary care.
As part of the process, we have consulted with our FHT Contract Working Group (seven EDs in various models) since the beginning. We’ve held multiple consultations where we heard from well over 100 members, and we presented draft recommendations to our board in March. We have also received feedback from the ministry and kept the OMA involved in the conversations.
Next, we’d like you to consider joining one of the three working groups we’re forming based on the top areas for advancement that have been identified and where further discussion is needed:
Accountability and Performance Discussion Group
- The goal is to work towards aligning current reporting and performance measures, standardizing expectations related to performance and accountability, and to have initial discussions towards laying the groundwork for developing a provincial primary care performance framework.
- Key considerations will be the nature and timing of reporting, applicability, and level of evidence of performance measures, as well as the feasibility, effort, and resources needed.
FHT/Physician Affiliation Discussion Group
- The goal is to clarify and strengthen FHT/physician partnerships (with affiliated and possibly unaffiliated physicians) by exploring requirements for a shared agreement/MOU.
- Key considerations for the agreement/MOU template content will include guiding principles and goals; expectations related to roles, responsibilities and outcomes; team collaboration and shared care; and use of resources.
Governance Discussion Group
- The goal is to revisit the current governance models from a lens of ensuring the boards have a diversity of skills, experience and backgrounds representative of the community served, and are responsive to health equity, community/patient needs, and patient experience.
- Key considerations will include the minimum standards for the Governance and Compliance attestation; how Boards are held accountable for performing their fiduciary, strategic, and generative duties; the requirement for board education and training; and any additional considerations for blended salary and academic models.
We would like each working group to have 8-10 members, with a mix of EDs, physicians, and board members. We also hope to include 1-2 QIDSS on the Accountability and Performance Discussion Group.
These groups will review the materials developed to date and help us finalise our recommendations to the ministry. We anticipate 3 to 4 meetings for each discussion group between June and September, with the first meeting planned for early June. Timing and frequency will be determined during the first meeting, and we will work to minimize the burden.
We would like to emphasise that the recommendations we develop will be submitted to and discussed with the ministry, who will make the final decisions.
If you’re interested in joining one discussion group, please complete this quick survey by Friday, May 13.
Any questions, please contact Bryn Hamilton at bryn.hamilton@afhto.ca.
Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to these discussions.
Sincerely,
AFHTO