EDAC/PLC News: Continued Advocacy for FHTs as Primary Care Leaders

To: The leaders of AFHTO’s member organizations

Below are relevant highlights from recent meetings of AFHTO’s Executive Director Advisory Council (EDAC) and Physician Leadership Council (PLC):

• Recruitment & Retention Advocacy
•  FHT-MOHLTC Contract Renewal
• Ministry of Labour Safe at Work Initiative
• Care Coordination
• OMA invitation to submit negotiation priorities
• AFHTO Conference 2017
• Governance & Leadership Program Update
• QIDS Program Update

Recruitment & Retention Advocacy

We are starting Phase 3 of the campaign! A RFQ was issued on May 25th to HR firms requesting proposals to complete a 2017 market refresh on behalf of AFHTO, AOHC and NPAO on the recommended compensation rates for each profession. The work will commence in June with a target completion date of September.

FHT-MOHLTC Contract Renewal

A number of clauses are under consideration for change in the new FHT contract (see May 19 email update). We anticipate the new contract will be released once the consultation process between the OMA and Ministry is complete (best guess is July).

Ministry of Labour (MOL) Safe at Work Ontario Initiative

Starting in September, the MOL will be conducting random site visits to FHTs + CHCs to carry out proactive inspections to determine compliance with the OHSA and associated regulations. AFHTO is partnering with Public Services Health & Safety Association to equip members with appropriate resources and training. Register now for the June 12th webinar (10-11am or 1-2pm) to find out more! (additional capacity has been added to both webinars)

Care Coordination Table

In January 2017, the Ministry convened a Care Coordination Collaborative Table to review the future role and placement of over 4,100 care coordinators now employed by the LHINs.   The Ministry has indicated its expectations are:

1. To align care coordinators with sub-regions;
2. Increase the presence of care coordinators within a community;
3. Improve alignment and integration of care coordinators and primary care. 

We know not every primary care practice wants to embed a care coordinator, and that there may be a variety of approaches to developing continuity by building a relationship with a one point contact.  We encourage members to start having conversations with their LHINs to discuss what the role of the care coordinators could look like, and how best to integrate care coordinators and system navigators into primary care to ensure smooth transitions.

Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Invitation to Submit Negotiation Priorities

The OMA has invited AFHTO to provide input on key areas of focus for consideration for the Physician Services Agreement discussions with the Ministry. AFHTO and key member stakeholders also look forward to a face to face meeting with the OMA to discuss and better understand member perspectives and strengthen communications between the two Associations.

• Letter to the OMA Negotiations Committee – June 21, 2017

AFHTO Conference 2017 – Improving Primary Care Together

Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for concurrent session and poster presentations at the AFHTO 2017 Conference. The program with all concurrent session descriptions will be announced when registration opens in late June 2017. This years conference will include two workshops for EDs and Physician Leaders:

1. Beyond Schedule A: Evidence-Based Program Planning for Community Needs
2. Demonstrating Resilience and Leadership Through Times of Change: Tools for Physician Leaders

If you are interested in participating in the development of these workshops, please contact bryn.hamilton@afhto.ca

Governance & Leadership Program Update

• AFHTO has partnered with OHA’s Governance Centre of Excellence (GCE) to offer members a series of governance learning modules. The first webcast will look at Strategies for Building & Maintaining an Effective Board. Details coming soon!
• Teams are continuing to evolve their boards and strengthen governance practices – if you’re looking for additional governance support or training contact AFHTO:
  • over 70% of FHTs have been approved for the Accountability Reform Initiative based on the submission of the Governance & Compliance Attestation – a 40% improvement from last year!
  • Nearly 1/4 of teams report having ‘skills based’ boards in place, and over a dozen more are in the process of recruiting targeted skill sets to enhance the function of the board.
• AFHTO requested the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario offer members a free webinar on the latest health privacy developments. Invite coming soon!
• We are looking at ways to support primary care physician leadership and executive director development, including exploring partnerships with OCFP, LHINs, + education institutions. Have an idea? Let AFHTO know.

QIDS Program Update

• D2D 5.0 – we will be inviting teams to unmask themselves in their D2D submission – you may want to check with your boards NOW as data submission is open mid-August through mid-September (TOTALLY fine to say no to unmasking of course)!
• Improvement Initiative – D2D 5.0 will add a module to collect demographic and contextual data (everything from board structure to EMR data access). This data will help teams understand the context and characteristics that contribute to high performance, making it easier to take local action to improve. Like everything else in D2D, participation is optional.
• Check out the last eBulletin for news about Patient Priority Focus Groups, help for patients with depression, an upcoming QIDSS KTE day, and more!