Ultimate Blogging Championship

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  • A1 – Recruiting Physicians for an Integrated Care Centre

    Session Cancelled

     

  • Message from the AFHTO President/Board Chair and AFHTO CEO

    Message from the AFHTO President/Board Chair and AFHTO CEO

    To the Leadership Triad:

    The Ontario health care environment is changing – as we move towards better integrated care for our patients through the development of the Ontario Health Teams, AFHTO stays firm in our belief that a strong health care system will only exist if it is built on the foundation of primary care.

    We continue to work on your behalf to educate the government on the importance of interprofessional team-based primary care as part of the solution to end hallway healthcare.

    We are acutely aware that these are challenging times for you, our members. Recently, many of you received letters from the Ministry indicating a ‘right correcting’ of budgets to reflect historical spend over the last three years. This focus on the government’s goal of finding cost savings and efficiencies may have serious implications for our teams and their commitment to delivering patient centred care.

    We strongly encourage you to let us know how the adjustments are impacting your teams and if front line delivery of care is going to be affected.

    In the interest of finding efficiencies the Ministry has also informed us that they will be cutting funding to AFHTO.  Retroactive to April 1st of this fiscal year, AFHTO’s QIDS Program (not the QIDSS in the field) will no longer receive funding support from the Ministry.

    Funded since 2013, AFHTO’s QIDS Program was pivotal in creating a culture of improvement through the implementation of our innovative Data to Decisions (D2D) Program, supporting our QIDSS and teams in the field with knowledge transition events and positioning team-based primary care to be leaders in quality improvement and decision support.

    A lot of that success was due to the phenomenal contributions and dedication from our various team members and we will always be grateful for that enthusiasm and continued support.

    Despite this change in our funding situation, the AFHTO Board remains committed to supporting our teams in QI and knowledge translation. The Board has met and has confirmed that AFHTO’s priorities this year will focus on advocacy, governance support and quality. We are also looking at ways to support our members during these transformative times.

    Despite these very challenging times, AFHTO’s very small team of staff are working hard to provide support and resources to our members to ensure they are ready to lead and continue to be a strong voice with the government and the policy-makers. And we thank each of you for being there to help us tell our story.

    The next few months will be a period of priority setting and re-focus on what matters the most to our members given our current financial constraints but also the daunting health transformation ahead of us.  We are looking at the members to provide guidance and support during these trying times and the Board will update you as we continue to learn more about how team-based primary care is being positioned in the Ontario Health and Ontario Health Team developments.

    As always, thank you for your ongoing support and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions and/or concerns.

    Beth signature

    Kavita signature

     

     

     

     

    Beth Cowper-Fung                                                                                                                                            Kavita Mehta

    President and Board Chair, AFHTO                                                                                                                 CEO, AFHTO

  • AFHTO Bright Lights Awards – nominations now open! Only until June 28

    Shine a light on your team’s achievements. Nominate an outstanding team or individual for a “Bright Lights” Award by June 28, 2019.

    AFHTO’s “Bright Lights” Awards recognize AFHTO members’ leadership, outstanding work and the significant progress being made to improve the value interprofessional primary care teams across Ontario deliver.

    There’s no better time to show what you can do. Select award recipients will receive an education grant.

    “Bright Lights” Award recipients are:

    • Innovators – making small changes for maximum impact to improve patient experience and outcomes
    • Team Players – interprofessional teams, collaborators and relationship builders
    • Demonstrating Impact – can show how their work is benefitting the health care system

    Awards will be presented at the AFHTO 2019 Conference Awards ceremony, which will be held at lunchtime on September 19, 2019.

    Not sure if your team’s achievements merit recognition? Never submitted a nomination before?  You can watch this 2016 webinar or view the slides for an overview of what reviewers are looking for and tips for writing a nomination.

    Award Categories

    Awards will be presented in seven categories this year:

    • Access to care: improving access to team-based care
    • Continuous care: ensuring seamless transitions for patients across the continuum of care*
    • Comprehensive team-based care*
    • Patient and family-centred care*
    • Community and social accountability*
    • Enabling high -performing primary health care
    • Special recognition for underrepresented teams
      • In 2018 Algonquin and Cottage Country FHTs won special recognition for effective response to rural community need. This year all new/underrepresented primary care teams will again have the opportunity to win an award for their contributions to Ontario’s healthcare system. The winner(s) will be selected based on the strength of their nomination to one of the six categories above.

    Education grants will be given to award recipients in the categories* above thanks to the generous donations of our sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim.

    Shine a light on your team – Make a nomination today:

    • Review the nomination categories in advance (see nomination guide pg. 3 for descriptions).
    • Review the nomination evaluation criteria (see nomination guide pg. 2 for details).
    • Complete the online nomination form and send all supporting materials before June 28, 2019.
    • Submit supporting documents to info@afhto.ca:
    • One to four high-quality photos of nominees in png. or jpg. format to be featured at the Awards Ceremony on September 19.
    • Take a video (up to 10 seconds long) with your smartphone and share with info@afhto.ca (optional).  
    • Signed statement to release photos for AFHTO use.
    • Any supporting evidence and materials as appropriate.
    • Deadline to submit photos and video is July 11, 2019.  

    We look forward to seeing your nominations and recognizing ALL the excellent work being done!

  • Nominate a partner or healthcare inspiration for an AFHTO Board award

    Nominate a partner or healthcare inspiration for an AFHTO Board award

    For the first time ever, the AFHTO board invites all member EDs, lead clinicians and board chairs to help them select the recipient of a Board award.

    Natalia Udarchik, PCAP Coordinator, Stonegate Health Centre accepts the 2018 Board award with guest

    The Board award recognizes an individual (or a group) who is not an AFHTO member but has significantly contributed to the development and growth of team-based primary care within their local community or at the provincial level.

    The winner(s) will receive their award(s) during the Bright Lights Awards Ceremony at the AFHTO 2019 Conference on Sep. 19, 2019.

    Submit a nomination for the Board Award category by June 11, 2019.

    Find out more about the criteria here. You can find the nomination template here.

    If you have any questions, please contact us at info@afhto.ca or call 647-234-8605 x 200.

  • Bits & Pieces: OHT updates, members’ stories, abstract notifications & more

    Bits & Pieces: OHT updates, members’ stories, abstract notifications & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In this Issue:  
    • Update: Ontario Health Teams
    • Members’ stories
    • AFHTO 2019 Conference presentation notifications sent out
    • Harvard ManageMentor deadline May 30
    • ECHO addictions medicine and psychosocial interventions
    • MOHLTC update: mental health and addictions
    • Today’s the deadline to sign up as IHP session lead
    • OCFP board nominations
    • Upcoming events regarding OHTs and more

    Update: Ontario Health Teams

    The first deadline for OHT submissions has passed, and the self-assessment applications are now being reviewed. Teams that submitted for this first round will hear back from the Ministry in June on the status of their application. The first OHT candidates will be announced in the fall.

    AFHTO continues to add tools and resources to the website. The following were most recently added:

    These are on the Ontario Health Teams page with other tools and resources. If you have any questions, please email us at info@afhto.ca.

    You can also email ontariohealthteams@ontario.ca with questions, and consider signing up for regular Connected Care Updates.  The May 17 update is available here.

    Members’ stories

    Officials from more than 20 agencies, including Couchiching FHT, have been meeting and working together to create a new Ontario Health Team in Orillia.
    <em>Officials from more than 20 agencies, including Couchiching FHT, have been meeting and working together to create a new Ontario Health Team in Orillia.</em>

    Couchiching FHT: Orillia group makes pitch to form Ontario Health Team

    Kawartha North FHT: Kawartha North FHT & Kawartha Lakes groups discuss forming Ontario Health Team

    Essex County NPLC: Essex County NPLC’s Peer-led Workshop Walks through Diabetic Foot Complication Prevention

    St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT: St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT Physician prescribes money to low-income patients: Vox interview

    AFHTO 2019 Conference presentation notifications sent out
    Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for concurrent session and poster presentations at the AFHTO 2019 Conference. A notification e-mail has been sent to each contact person so please ensure your group contact has received an e-mail including the words “AFHTO 2019 Conference” in the subject on May 24 or 27, 2019.

    If your contact person has NOT received this notification, please contact info@afhto.ca before Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

    Harvard ManageMentor deadline May 30
    Harvard ManageMentor is a self-directed online-learning program affiliated with the Harvard School of Business. It covers over 40 topics of vital relevance to today’s healthcare managers. Each module helps strengthen specific leadership skills that drive performance and results.

    For demo access:
    •    url: https://courses.edls.com/login.php?url=afhtogroup
    •    username: afhto_demo
    •    password:  harvard (all lower case)

    If you have any questions about Harvard ManageMentor and/or Spark, please contact Candace Dames at cdames@edls.com or (647) 838 2555. If you’re interested in participating, please contact Bryn Hamilton before May 30.

    ECHO addictions medicine and psychosocial interventions
    ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a collaborative model of healthcare education that leverages videoconferencing to empower providers to enhance their knowledge, confidence, and practice. This Fall, CAMH and St. Michael’s Hospital are collaborating on an ECHO that will focus specifically on empowering healthcare and service providers working with clients with substance related addictions. Specifically, this ECHO aims to build capacity in the treatment and management of substance use and addictions.

    They’re currently conducting a needs assessment to better understand the learning priorities of healthcare providers, with the goal of refining our curriculum. If you or someone you know would be interested in participating, please take a few moments to fill out the survey and provide your feedback. Deadline June 4.

    Find out more about ECHO Ontario AMPI here.

    MOHLTC update: mental health and addictions
    Ontario introduced the Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act yesterday. If passed, this act would establish a Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence within Ontario Health and support the province’s participation in the national class action lawsuit British Columbia launched last year against more than 40 opioid manufacturers and wholesalers.

    Read the news release here and Hill+Knowlton’s memo on the subject here.

    Today’s the deadline to sign up as IHP session lead
    Today’s the deadline to sign up as an IHP session lead for the popular individual professional sessions at the AFHTO 2019 Conference, so if you’re interested, please contact Beth MacKinnon by 5:00 p.m.

    OCFP board nominations
    The Ontario College of Family Physicians is currently seeking up to three family physicians to join their Board of Directors. Deadline June 5.

    Ontario Health Teams: a primary care perspective, June 5, 2019
    Lunch and learn session specifically for AFHTO members, hosted in partnership with Karima Kanani (Partner at Miller Thomson LLP). Register here.

    BoneFit Kingston, June 8-9, 2019
    Join the Bone Fit exercise training workshop for health professionals, where you will learn effective and appropriate exercise for people with osteoporosis. Learn more here.

    Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar, June 13, 2019
    Join CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO for a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addictions. Register here for the first webinar.

    Considerations for Primary Care Teams as a Not-for-Profit Corporation, July 17, 2019
    Join AFHTO & Grant Thornton LLP for their second webinar in the Financial Webinar Series. Register here.

    Integrated People-Centred Care – How? An Overview of the upcoming HSO:76000 Integrated People-Centred Health Systems Standard, June 19, 2019
    HSO will be providing a high-level overview of their upcoming Integrated People-Centered Systems Standard in this webinar. Learn more here.

     

  • Couchiching FHT & Orillia group makes pitch to form Ontario Health Team

    Collingwood Today article published May 27, 2019

    By Orillia Matters Staff, Collingwood Today

    If past success is any indicator, local organizations seeking to establish an Ontario Health Team (OHT) in Orillia have an excellent track record of collaboration to showcase in their application.

    As part of sweeping changes to the Ontario health care system prompted by the new People’s Health Care Act, local health organizations across the province are coming together to submit proposals illustrating how they can provide services under the structure of a local OHT.

    As many as 50 OHTs could be approved across Ontario in the coming years, which will eventually result in the phasing out of Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs).

    Orillia and area includes broad representation from primary care, long term care, hospitals and municipalities with a clear message that ‘we are ready and capable of engaging in this health system transformation’.

    “This new model is a natural fit for everyone at the table. We’ve been working in partnership in the best interest of patients for several years,” said Dr. Kim McIntosh.

    The Couchiching Regional Planning Table has engaged over 20 community agencies to complete the self assessment process.

    This includes a formal alliance with The Couchiching Family Health Team, County of Simcoe, Huronia Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic, Helping Hands, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, ProResp and Care Partners. Continous engagement with these and other agencies will guide us through the next steps of the OHT process.

    “The Couchiching Sub Region has been actively moving toward an integrated health system and exemplifies trusting patient and provider partnerships, coordination of care, measured performance and quality improvement,” said Lynne Davies, Executive Director of the Couchiching Family Health Team.

    Davies points out that “health leaders across Orillia and area are genuinely excited about the opportunities that the establishment of an OHT will bring to patients and families.”

    “OSMH is pleased to participate in this important exercise and we are committed to continuing our partnerships with local health care providers to ensure its success,” said Carmine Stumpo, OSMH President and CEO.

    “It is great to see local leaders joining together for the betterment of our community and our families’ health” said Jill Dunlop, MPP for Simcoe North.

    “Meaningful change in our healthcare begins and ends with improved frontline services. I look forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with these local groups to ensure the families of our region have integrated and better connected public healthcare,” Dunlop added.

    The province will invite select groups to submit a more in-depth application by July 12.

    The first Ontario Health Teams will be announced in the fall.

     

    Click here to view the complete Collingwood Today article.
     

  • AFHTO 2019 Conference: Presentation notifications sent out; hotel group rate and other key updates

    AFHTO 2019 Conference: Presentation notifications sent out; hotel group rate and other key updates

    conference tree picThank you to everyone who submitted an abstract for concurrent session and poster presentations at the AFHTO 2019 Conference. The working groups have now reviewed all submissions and a notification e-mail has been sent to each contact person.

    If you are part of a group that has prepared an abstract, please ensure your group contact has received an e-mail including the words “AFHTO 2019 Conference” in the subject on May 24, 2019.

    If your contact person has NOT received this notification, please contact info@afhto.ca before Wednesday, May 29, 2019. The notification e-mail is your assurance that your abstract has been reviewed by a working group for presentation at the conference and a decision made.

    The program with all concurrent session descriptions will be announced when registration opens in early June 2019.

     

     

    Other important updates

    • Hotel: Book by August 19 to take advantage of the $222 group rate (plus tax, single/double occupancy); after this date, availability and prices cannot be guaranteed. Call 1-888 627 8559 and state that you are part of the AFHTO Annual Conference group. Online reservations coming soon.
    • IHP individual sessions: we need volunteers to lead the popular individual professional sessions, so if you’re interested, please contact Beth MacKinnon by May 28, 2019.

    We look forward to seeing you at the AFHTO 2019 Conference!
    Health System Integration Built on the Foundation of Team-Based Primary Health Care
    September 19 & 20, 2019
    Westin Harbour Castle, One Harbour Square, Toronto

  • Budget Adjustments to Reflect Historical Spend

    Dear Leadership Triad,
     
    We understand letters from the Ministry are being received by some FHTs and NPLCs regarding budget adjustments for this upcoming fiscal year.
     
    In conversation with the Ministry, we were told that a 3-year line-by-line budget analysis was done to teams that have chronically underspent (i.e., teams that have sent back money to the Ministry each year). As a result – and with the government’s goal of finding cost savings and efficiencies in mind – some teams are seeing a reduction in their base budget. This is known as “right correcting” the budget to reflect actual spend. We anticipate that the budget adjustments will affect about 60% of teams.
     
    The Ministry indicated that budgets were reduced by only a proportion of the overall underspend, although the exact amount is not known.
     
    AFHTO has met with the Ministry’s Primary Health Care Branch and with the Minister’s Office to express our concerns, especially for those teams where frontline delivery of care may be affected. To help us better understand and communicate the impact these budget adjustments will have on our teams, please respond to these questions by May 31st:

    • How much of your budget has been reduced?
    • To apply the cost savings, where will you need to make your budget adjustments (i.e., what line items)?
    • Will frontline delivery of care be impacted? If yes, what does that look like?

    We will be collating your responses to feed back to the Ministry and the Minster’s Office, and hope to do so once we receive information from members in the field.
     
    For those who see substantial adjustments, we are seeking clarity on whether you can appeal to get the funds back or if you can reapply for those funds.
     
    As we continue to work with the Ministry and the Minister’s Office, we encourage you speak with your MPP to ensure they know how these budget adjustments will impact care in your community
     
    As always, please let us know if you have any questions and thank you for your ongoing support.

    Kavita Mehta
    Chief Executive Officer, AFHTO

     

    Status

    •  A letter was sent to the ministry on May 31 with members’ concerns and questions.
    • Ministry response was received on July 12.
    • AFHTO has followed up on unanswered questions, including why only FHTs and NPLCs were impacted. A Q&A is being prepared by the ministry and will be posted when received. 

  • Rapids FHT Opens Their Access to Care Centre

    Article by the Lambton Shield

    By Editorial Staff, The Lambton Shield

    A greatly expanded suite of services at the newly renovated medical building at 481 London Road in Sarnia is receiving kudos in the community for its ability to reduce the burden on the emergency department at Bluewater Health.

    So says Lynn Laidler, executive director of the Rapids Family Health Team, which on Wednesday hosted a ribbon cutting/grand opening of its Access to Care Centre as part of the Bluewater Medical Clinic.

    Services such as medical imaging, Bluewater Pharmacy, LifeLabs, medical supplies, cardiology, cannabinoid medicine, and OB-GYN services are now available at the facility, which is home to some 20 family doctors and nurse practitioners.

    “We believe we have greatly improved the healthcare access and quality of care to residents of Lambton County,” said Laidler.

    Patients who are experiencing conditions such as ear infections, urinary tract infections, and stomach conditions can be seen by a nurse practitioner between 8;30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

    The Sarnia Physicians Group operates its After Hours Clinic between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., Monday to Friday.

     

    Click here to access the complete Lambton Shield article

  • Bits & Pieces: final LeaderShift cohorts, palliative care & more

    Bits & Pieces: final LeaderShift cohorts, palliative care & more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In this Issue:  
    • Registration for final LeaderShift cohorts now open
    • Reminder- IHP session leads needed for AFHTO 2019 conference
    • Community access to palliative care via interprofessional primary care teams improvement project
    • Mental health, chronic pain, and substance use: addressing the connections
    • PHO antimicrobial stewardship advisory committee
    • Call for poster abstracts- Toronto International Conference on Quality in Primary Care
    • Health care consent advance care planning and goals of care e-learning modules
    • Upcoming events regarding OHTs and more

    Registration for final LeaderShift cohorts now open
    This is your LAST CHANCE to earn your LEADS certificate through LeaderShift for free! Applications for six new LEADS cohorts are now open (travel subsidies are available). Here are the cohorts you can apply for today:

    • North York: Sep. 10, 11, 24, 25, Oct. 9
    • Barrie: Sep. 17, 18, Oct. 2, 16, 17
    • Ottawa: Sep. 17, 18, Oct. 2, 16, 17
    • Toronto #3: Oct. 16, 17, Nov. 5, 19, 20
    • Mississauga: Nov. 6, 7, 21, Dec. 4, 5
    • London: Nov. 6, 7, 21, Dec. 4, 5

    Application deadlines are posted on the LeaderShift website. Spread the word to your colleagues, and if you applied for a cohort in 2018/2019 and didn’t get the opportunity to attend, this is your last chance to re-apply.
    If you have any questions please feel free to contact Nicola Kirwan at 416-256-3010 ex 219 or at nicola.kirwan@ocsa.on.ca.

    Community access to palliative care via interprofessional primary care teams improvement project

    As you are aware, the Ontario Palliative Care Network (OPCN) and its partners have developed the Palliative Care Health Services Delivery Framework (Delivery Framework) to address gaps in the availability and delivery of palliative care services across the province. To support Delivery Framework implementation, OPCN is partnering with a project called: CAPACITI (Community Access to PAlliative Care via Interprofessional primary care Teams Improvement Project). Teams are invited to participate the Readiness Self-Assessment to help to determine team readiness for Delivery Framework: CAPACITI implementation. Click here for more information and to find out if your team is eligible for CAPACITI.

    Irene Njoroge, an Advanced Practice Nurse with the Substance Use Service at Women’s College Hospital, describes some of the connections she sees between trauma, substance use disorders and chronic pain
    <em>Irene Njoroge, an Advanced Practice Nurse with the Substance Use Service at Women’s College Hospital, describes some of the connections she sees between trauma, substance use disorders and chronic pain in a <a href="https://vimeo.com/320005305">short video</a>.</em>

    Mental health, chronic pain, and substance use: addressing the connections

    Machealth has launched the fourth course in the Opioids Clinical Primer program. ‘Mental Health, Chronic Pain, and Substance Use: Addressing the Connections’ responds to some of the challenges associated with the overlap of chronic pain, mental health disorders and substance use disorders. It’s free and certified for up to 2 Mainpro+ credits and 2 MOC Section 1 hours for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

     

     

    PHO antimicrobial stewardship advisory committee
    Public Health Ontario (PHO) is currently recruiting members for the Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Committee (ASAC). This committee is multidisciplinary and advises PHO on matters related to antimicrobial stewardship.

    ASAC is currently seeking Practitioners from Long-Term Care and Primary Care.

    Candidates should send their expression of interest, with curriculum vitae and complete contact details to asp@oahpp.ca by June 7 2019. For more information, contact asp@oahpp.ca.

    Call for poster abstracts- Toronto International Conference on Quality in Primary Care
    The conference on Nov. 16 is designed to explore several aspects of health equity, including health disadvantages related to income, race, and social position. We will have the opportunity to hear from two panelists with experience working with primary care practices to screen for and address the social determinants of health in Canada and the U.S.

    Please submit your poster abstracts by June 3, 2019 on the conference website or here.

    Health care consent advance care planning and goals of care e-learning modules
    Hospice Palliative Care Ontario has launched the Health Care Consent Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care E-Learning Modules. Learners will move beyond advancing their knowledge & attitudes to develop clinical skills through:

    • Interactive case scenarios
    • Reflective questions
    • Videos of both simulated & real clinical encounters

    Registration can be accessed here.

    Ontario Health Teams: a primary care perspective, June 5, 2019
    Lunch and learn session specifically for AFHTO members, hosted in partnership with Karima Kanani (Partner at Miller Thomson LLP). Register here.

    ROI Stories of Entrepreneurship Webinar Series, May 28 – June 20, 2019
    Participate in the conversation around entrepreneurship by rural Ontario community organizations. This 4-part webinar series highlights case studies and are free of charge to attend. Find out more here.

    Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar, June 13, 2019
    Join CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO for a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addictions. Register here for the first webinar.

    Considerations for Primary Care Teams as a Not-for-Profit Corporation, July 17, 2019
    Join AFHTO & Grant Thornton LLP for their second webinar in the Financial Webinar Series. Register here.