Ultimate Blogging Championship

Author: sitesuper

  • EMR Communities of Practice: Increasing Quality and Access to EMR Data

    Access to data in primary care is difficult, largely because the quality of data in Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) is poor. While it is important to improve the quality of data going into EMRs, it is also worthwhile to get better at using the data and systems as they are. Over 30 Quality Improvement Decision Support Specialists (QIDSS) are dispersed across the province to help members access and use data better to improve care, supported by our Quality Improvement in Primary Care Community of Practice.

    EMR COP handout pic-2016-01-27

    Change Concept – EMR Communities of Practice (CoPs): AFHTO convened CoPs for 4 EMRs (TELUS PS, QHR’s Accuro, OSCAR, P&P) to engage EMR vendors, QIDS Specialists, Physicians, Interdisciplinary Healthcare Providers, and practice staff to continuously improve user expertise and access to EMR data. Unlike most EMR “user groups” the CoPs have the following characteristics:

    • have equality of members
    • focus on issues in common
    • are led by users (QIDSS, physician, etc.)
    • set priorities collectively via action item list
    • solve problems collaboratively through sharing of best practices
    • are accountable to the community
    • have their own social networking platform
    • meet regularly

    Objectives

    1. Leverage the wisdom of the field
    2. Change conversations with EMR vendors to expedite improvement
    3. Identify data extraction tools and processes

    Lessons Learned Outcome Measures

    1. Rapid spread of solutions – 67 teams have implemented standard queries to improve access to data in custom forms, an item assigned high priority by 86% of the Telus PS CoP members.
    2. Improved vendor role and engagement – Vendor representatives invited to participate are product managers and developers as well as sales staff. They participate as equal members – with rapid resolution to problems posted on the online forum.
    3. Use of solutions beyond AFHTO membership – A query to more accurately identify patients with COPD is being spread to all EMR users through partnership with the Ontario Lung Association.

    Access to good quality EMR data remains a challenge, with low maturity in EMR use and low functionality. Integration with other systems is increasing but still problematic. Increase in the spread of standard EMR data entry and extraction tools, however, illustrates that people and processes can increase the value of the technology, with the goal of being able to show improvements in care.

    EMR CoPs have transitioned to OntarioMD

    The EMR communities of practice (CoP) have transitioned from AFHTO to OntarioMD effective March 31, 2020. AFHTO would like to thank all members for their continuous support and participation. We would also like to sincerely thank CoP leads for their dedication to these groups! We look forward to a smooth transition. 

    OntarioMD is in the process of updating membership lists for existing CoPs. Please take a few minutes to fill in this form through which contact info is being collected. OntarioMD will use this information to send all meeting invitations and updates regarding the CoPs after March 31, 2020. Moving forward, the central contact email will be communities@ontariomd.com.

    Listserv emails have been updated to: 

    • For OSCAR users: oscaromdcop@emaildodo.com
    • For Accuro users: accuroomdcop@emaildodo.com
    • For Telus PS users: telusomdcop@emaildodo.com
    • For P&P users: p-pomdcop@emaildodo.com

    If you have any comments, questions or concerns about this transition, please take a few minutes to fill out the following surveys: 

    Thank you for your continued support and participation in these important meetings!
     

     

  • Data to Decisions eBulletin #21

    Please vote here to refine indicators for next iterations of D2D. If you’ve had any concerns or questions about these indicators, please voice them! Click here to learn more about emerging evidence that high quality comprehensive, patient-centered care costs less. Like a good argument? Come to the Family Feud between Emerg and family doctorss about who could or should be doing what to help keep patients out of the Emerg department. Want ICES data for your team and for D2D 3.0? Join the 70 teams who have already signed up on the HQO portal to get team-level administrative (i.e. ICES) data, including data for D2D indicators NOT available in the physician-level reports. Deadline is Oct 30 – physician agreement is needed in order to sign up. Help spread the word about D2D. Invite others to sign up for the eBulletin online.  What is D2D? Data to Decisions (D2D) is a member-wide summary of performance on indicators that are both possible for members to measure and that are meaningful to members. See the D2D page for more information.

  • AFHTO 2015 Conference: Tips for your arrival and stay at the conference

    It’s now one week to the AFHTO 2015 Conference on October 28 & 29! We look forward to seeing you all as we welcome close to 900 delegates from around the province. To ensure a smooth experience, please see below for some helpful tips for planning your arrival and stay at the conference:

    Planning your Conference Experience

    • Today is the deadline to pick your sessions and ensure your personalized schedule will be printed on your name badge. Click on the “Edit/change registration” icon in your confirmation email to do so.
    • The conference program is available online and a printed kit will be handed out on arrival.
    • Displays at the Conference: Feel free to visit our poster and exhibit displays during your breaks.
    • Wi-Fi will be available to conference attendees for 1 device per person (smartphone, tablet, computer or other electronic device).
    • For information on our Concurrent Sessions, Opening and Closing Plenaries, Bright Lights Awards Dinner, and all other conference sessions click here .

    Conference On-site Registration opens at 7:30 AM on both Oct. 28 and 29

    • Conference registration is in Convention Centre North, Second Floor. For a map of the convention centre see page 3 of the registration kit.
    • If you can no longer attend the conference and someone else is taking your place, please forward your registration confirmation e-mail to him/her to show it at the registration desk

    Sharing your AFHTO experience

    • The official AFHTO hashtag is #afhto2015 – be sure to follow @afhto on twitter and “like” AFHTO on Facebook for regular updates at the conference.

    Hotel Registration & Directions

    As you may have heard, there was a recent flooding at this venue. Westin staff have assured us that their meeting space was not affected and as such, the conference will proceed as scheduled. For those who have booked rooms, we’re working with hotel staff to minimise any potential disruption to your stay and we’ll be sure to provide further updates as soon as we receive them.

    • Hotel room registration is in the main building.
    • Check-in is at 3:00 PM and check-out is at 12:00 PM.
    • Coat and bag check will be available in the Convention Centre North, street level foyer
    • Directions:
    From Pearson: Toronto Hotel Airport Shuttle Pearson Express By car:   Maps and Directions Parking in and near the hotel Public Transit:   TTC:                      www.ttc.ca GO Transit:          www.gotransit.com VIA:                       www.viarail.ca

    This program has been accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 17 Mainpro-M1 credits. Attendance at this program entitles certified Canadian College of Health Leaders members (CHE / Fellow) to 2.5 Category II credits for Oct 27th Governance in Primary Care; 1.5 Category II credits for Oct 28th pre-conference (Leadership and IHP Sessions); 4 Category II credits for the Conference towards for their maintenance of certification requirement.

  • AFHTO’s 2015 Annual Report to the Members is now available

  • AFHTO 2015 Conference: Invitation to submit questions for closing plenary

    The AFHTO 2015 Conference culminates with the closing plenary – “Evolution of a sustainable health system – Where do we go from here?” Please read below then reply  to submit questions you would like the panel to address.

    With the Minister’s release last Thursday of the Report on behalf of the Primary Health Care Expert Advisory Committee, the door is now open for consultation and feedback. Given this opportunity:

    Unfortunately, Deputy Minister Dr. Robert Bell has had to withdraw from the closing panel due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict. He is keen to speak with AFHTO members and has been re-scheduled to open the Bright Lights Awards dinner instead.

    Once again, AFHTO members are invited to reply to submit questions you would like to have answered in the discussion “Evolution of a sustainable health system – Where do we go from here?” by the panelists:

    • David Price, Co-Chair, Primary Health Care Expert Advisory Committee and Chair, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences Centre
    • Sean Blaine, incoming AFHTO President + Lead Physician, STAR FHT (Stratford)
    • Paul Huras, CEO, SE-LHIN
    • Cathy Faulds, OCFP President + Lead Physician, London FHT
    • Kavita Mehta, Executive Director, South East Toronto FHT + an AFHTO Past President
    • Sonia Mastroianni, Patient Advisory Committee member, South East Toronto FHT

  • Report on behalf of the Primary Health Care Expert Advisory Committee

    Dear AFHTO members: As you see below, Minister Hoskins has released the Report on behalf of the Primary Health Care Expert Advisory Committee and invited feedback. With the AFHTO Conference less than two weeks away, we have a ripe opportunity to engage members in developing AFHTO’s response.  AFHTO staff and the AFHTO board executive are working through the opportunities in the conference program, and will be back to you with updates early next week. As it says in the title of AFHTO’s 2015 Annual Report, released yesterday in the Annual General Meeting notice – we have Collective Impact: The Power to Shape Our Future. We look forward to the discussions at the AGM and conference. Angie Angie Heydon, Chief Executive Officer Direct phone: (647) 234-8503 | Email: angie.heydon@afhto.ca

    *********************************************************************

    On behalf of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, I’m pleased to provide you with a copy of the Baker-Price Report on Primary Care. Our government is committed to improving performance, accountability, and access in Ontario’s primary-care sector. Our priority is to put patients first by ensuring that primary-care providers and services are organized around the needs of the population. This includes ensuring access to a primary-care provider for every Ontarian that wants one. That is why we engaged a panel of experts to provide advice on how to improve the delivery of primary care for Ontarians. The panel, led by Elizabeth Baker and Dr. David Price, was asked to provide advice on ways to better integrate primary-care providers with each other and within the health-care system. They also looked at how we can continue improving access to primary care and to interdisciplinary care teams. We thank the panel for their work and their report. The report is one of many pieces of advice the government is considering when discussing how to strengthen primary care in Ontario. This report, along with the recommendations of other reports submitted to the government over the past few years, will help inform our work as we go forward. It’s important to know that as we go forward we do not intend to create additional layers of administration. We are focussed on ensuring Ontarians are connected to a primary care provider and can see them in a timely way when they are sick. We are also committed to letting patients choose their own provider. I look forward to discussing the future of primary care with you as soon as you’ve had an opportunity to develop your thoughts – and am happy to answer any questions you may have now. Jesse Rosenberg Director of Policy Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long Term Care  

  • AFHTO 2015 Conference – Registration Kit

    AFHTO Conference Reg Kit_v8_ONLINE

  • 2015 Annual Report Collective Impact: The Power to Shape Our Future

    We are pleased to share our latest Annual Report – Collective Impact: The Power to Shape Our Future. This report highlights the progress AFHTO members have made, and the emerging research evidence on the added value of primary care teams.

               Leadership + governance             =     Growing VALUE for Ontario’s + measurement + improvement              patients and communities

    This formula is driving the collective work of AFHTO members – family health teams and nurse practitioner-led clinics – and the results are showing. We are making visible progress toward the vision that all Ontarians will have timely access to high-quality and comprehensive primary care – care that is informed by the social determinants of health, delivered by collaborative teams, and anchored in an integrated, equitable and sustainable health system. Around the world, cost-effective and high-performing health systems share a common characteristic – they are based on a solid foundation of comprehensive primary care. We hope you enjoy reading what AFHTO members are doing to strengthen that foundation, and we look forward to continuing to work with members and stakeholders toward this vision.

  • AFHTO Annual Meeting – Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at 8:30 AM

    All who work within an AFHTO member organization or serve on its board are welcome to attend the AFHTO Annual Meeting. It takes place just before the official opening of the AFHTO 2015 Conference on:

    Wednesday October 28, 2015 at 8:30 AM
    Harbour Ballroom A+B, Westin Harbour Castle
    One Harbour Square, Toronto, Ontario

    At this Annual Meeting, the AFHTO board will present:

    • The Annual Report to the Members. Click here for a PDF copy.
    • A print copy of the Annual Report will be mailed to each member organization, and conference attendees will receive a copy in their registration kits. Further updates will be provided at the meeting.
    • A report on AFHTO’s financial outlook, in addition to the annual Audited Financial Statements.
    • The board’s Nominations Report for the election of the board of directors. It includes the election process and candidate information. Nine candidates are standing for election to the six available positions.

    There will be plenty of opportunity for AFHTO members to ask questions and present opinions. You are also most welcome to send me your comments and questions in advance.

    Each AFHTO member organization is entitled to designate one voting representative for the meeting.  Voting delegates will be required to register before the meeting to receive their electronic voting keypad.

    The Notice of Meeting, agenda and reports for AFHTO’s Annual Meeting have been sent to the e-mail addresses AFHTO has on file for the Board Chair, Executive Director and Lead MD/NP of these eligible organizations. AFHTO members may request this package from Sombo.Saviye@afhto.ca. Each member organization is asked to contact her in advance to indicate who will be the organization’s voting representative so that a voting package can be prepared in advance for that person.

  • Health Quality Ontario’s releases 2015 Measuring Up Report

    Health Quality Ontario (HQO) has released its yearly report on Ontario’s health system, Measuring Up. Based on the Common Quality Agenda, the report presents a profile of Ontarians’ health, the performance of our health system and a comparison with the rest of Canada and other countries. As such, we encourage members to review it.

    The section on primary care (pg. 40) presents indicators related to access to primary care, patient involvement in decisions related to their care and recommended screening tests, with some comparisons at the LHIN, provincial and international levels. A number of these same indicators are reported specifically for AFHTO members in Data to Decisions (D2D). In our most recent report, D2D 2.0 results indicated AFHTO members are doing better than average for primary care in Ontario (e.g. in same day/next day access). D2D is showing encouraging results for AFHTO members and provides guidance for further improvement, watch for the next iteration of D2D in January 2016.

    Measuring Up precedes a report specifically on primary care expected to be released in November 2015. HQO states on pg. 112 that the new report “will mark the beginning of regular, focused reporting on primary care in Ontario. This will include an upcoming report on the experiences of primary care physicians, comparing Ontario with other countries through the 2015 international survey by The Commonwealth Fund.” For further details you can read the relevant articles and reports below: