Author: sitesuper

The Quality Improvement and Decision Support Steering Committee is pleased to announce the indicators to be included in Data to Decisions 1.0.  D2D 1.0 is a summary of primary care data that are currently available, comparable and mean the most to members in their efforts to advance quality of care for their patients.  Indicator selection was informed by AFHTO members through a survey conducted from April 24 to May 8. All AFHTO members are invited to contribute data for one or more of the selected indicators.  Please see table below to guide next steps for health teams. The selected indicators are as follows: From data recorded in EMR:

1. Childhood immunizations
2. Influenza immunizations among people over 65 years old

From survey data:

1. Patient experience with time spent with provider, opportunity to ask questions and be involved in their care
2. Access, as indicated by % of patients reporting they received appointments within the same or next day of booking

From data reported via ICES:

1. Colorectal and cervical cancer screening
2. Readmissions to hospital within 30 days of discharge for selected conditions
3. Cost of care per patient (hospital, ER, diagnostic, community care as well as primary care)
4. Regular primary care provider (% of all physicians visits with primary physician — formerly referred to as “Continuity of care”)

See data dictionary for more complete details on the definitions and data sources for each indicator. Additional information about D2D 1.0 is available on the members-only page of the AFHTO site.  The FAQ  document, updated early June 2014 to address questions raised in the membership-wide survey, includes background on the purpose of D2D 1.0 and the indicator selection process, among other information.  It will also be updated with plans for addressing the fate of other indicators not included in D2D 1.0.  There is also a brief slide deck to share with others on your health team or Board. Please contact Carol Mulder with comments and questions about D2D 1.0. Next steps for health teams:

Thank you to AFHTO members who met with MPPs before the election call. While the tactics now shift, the need to continue building support for team-based primary care is more critical than ever. Our three messages — expand access, enhance value and enable recruiting – are key.  If we are going to see progress on our core issues, we must work to achieve commitments from political parties that show they understand the value of primary care interprofessional teams and the need to invest in strategies to help us with our recruitment and retention challenges. Please help lay this foundation. Once a government is in place following the June 12 vote AFHTO, together with AOHC and NPAO, will be back at work making the business case for investment to recruit and retain staff to deliver team-based primary care. How can you help? –          Contact your candidates. Phone, write, or e-mail.

• To help you – click here for a list of candidates and their contact information organized by AFHTO member and by riding.  (These lists will be updated as more candidate names are compiled)
• – click here for a brochure and key messages to use in your communications.

–          Invite candidates for a tour of your facility. Although election candidates will be very busy and focused on attaining votes, they may be interested in a facility tour to see what you’re providing to their constituents. For example, RNAO’s campaign has resulted in the following MPP tours of health facilities.

• To help you – click here for a brochure, key messages and a powerpoint you can use during the tour.

–          Attend all candidate debates. This is an easy way to introduce yourself to the candidates and meet with the influential people in your community. Asking a question about their commitment to expand and enhance team-based care raises awareness and potentially gain a firm position or commitment.

• To help you – click here for suggested questions.

–          Use social media to raise awareness. If you have a twitter account, this is an easy way to engage decision-makers and your community.

• To help you – click here for a list of potential tweets and hashtags to consider.

AFHTO will send updates to you as we learn more about the health care policies and positions of each of the parties. Midway through the campaign we’ll be sending a questionnaire to the central party offices asking them to commit to our 3 key priorities. We’ll send you collated responses before Election Day. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help coordinating things, or if you have additional questions.

AFHTO is pleased to announce that the Statutory Compliance Toolkit is now available on our members-only website. AFHTO’s Statutory Compliance Toolkit ensures that boards and Executive Directors are well informed about their legal obligations and have access to the basic tools and resources to ensure compliance and/or risk mitigation. This resource is customized for FHT and NPLCs and highlights the key laws that boards need to know and the impact that those laws have on the organization and on the board members personally. The Statutory Compliance Toolkit was developed by legal experts from DDO Health Law and overseen by AFHTO staff. If you have any questions please contact Clarys Tirel, Provincial Lead, Governance and Leadership by email clarys.tirel@afhto.ca or phone 647-234-8605 ext. 201.

AFHTO is pleased to announce that the Fundamentals of Governance guidebook, toolkit and videos are now available on our members-only website. AFHTO’s Fundamentals of Governance is intended to provide the boards of Family Health Teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics with essential, basic information that will help them to become high performing boards and organizations. The material can be used as:

• An introduction to governance for new board members
• A refresher and ongoing education resource for all board members
• A guide to assess whether your board is using leading governance practice and identify opportunities for improvement
• A valuable source of sample policies, position descriptions, assessment tools and other resources to help boards fulfill their governance role.

This resource covers all the elements of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Accountability Reform Initiative to help boards meet the requirements to be granted greater budget flexibility. (Note: MOHLTC’s Accountability Reform Initiative is currently in place for FHTs; we anticipate it will be offered to NPLCs in the next year or two.) Fundamentals of Governance was developed by governance experts and advisors at The Osborne Group, and overseen by AFHTO’s Governance and Leadership Advisory Committee. As a result, it is customised to address governance questions and issues relevant to FHTs and NPLCs. If you have any questions about AFHTO’s Fundamentals of Governance, please contact Clarys Tirel, Provincial Lead, Governance and Leadership by email clarys.tirel@afhto.ca or phone 647-234-8605 ext. 201.