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  • AFHTO “Bright Lights” Awards – nominations now open!

    Calling all AFHTO Members to shine a light on your team’s accomplishments. Nominate an outstanding team or individual for a “Bright Lights” Award by July 26, 2017.

    The “Bright Lights” Awards recognize leadership, outstanding work and significant progress being made to improve the value delivered by interprofessional primary care teams across Ontario. Select award recipients will receive an education grant valued at $3,000. “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

    NEW FOR 2017 –Awards will be presented at the AFHTO 2017 Conference Awards ceremony, which will be held at lunchtime on October 25, 2017. This means it’s now open to all attendees at AFHTO 2017 Conference. Not sure if your team’s achievements merit recognition? Never submitted a nomination before?  You can watch this 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:

    1. Effective leadership and governance for system transformation*
    2. Planning programs for equitable access to care
    3. Employing and empowering the patient and caregiver perspective
    4. Strengthening partnerships*
    5. Optimizing use of resource*s
    6. Using data to demonstrate value and improve quality of care*
    7. Clinical innovations for specific populations

    Education grants will be given to award recipients in the categories* above thanks to the generous donations of our sponsor Merck Canada. Funding is being finalised for other categories, so stay tuned for further developments.

    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.3 for details).
    • Complete the online nomination form and send all supporting materials before July 26, 2017.
    • 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 October 25.
      • Signed statement to release photos for AFHTO use.
      • Any supporting evidence and materials as appropriate.
      • Deadline to submit photos is August 11, 2017.

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

  • Webinar: Protecting Personal Health Information

    Protecting Personal Health Information was presented on Monday, June 26th 2017  by AFHTO and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner  of Ontario (IPC).

    Protecting Personal Health Information

    The protection of personal health information while facilitating the effective provision of health care is important to patients and health professionals. This session will focus on the recent amendments to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) under Bill 119 to establish a regime for the provincial electronic health record, breach reporting requirements, unauthorized access and communicating personal health information by email.

    • Missed the webinar? Want to share it with your FHT/NPLC board members or colleagues? Watch a recording below.

     This presentation is provided for informational purposes and is not legal advice. The information provided on Bill 119 is subject to change as the regulations have not been proclaimed.

    Biography – Fida Hindi

    Fida Hindi is Health Law Counsel at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC). Fida provides the Commissioner with a broad range of legal services with an emphasis on issues relating to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Fida is a Certified Information Privacy Professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Prior to joining the IPC, Fida worked at an International Bay Street law firm on matters relating to privacy, information management and general civil and commercial litigation.    

  • Member news: AFHTO board nominations, EOI for Indigenous teams and more

    Below are relevant updates and items for AFHTO members, some with fast-approaching deadlines:

    AFHTO News
    AFHTO 2017 Conference registration now live: Members receive a 50% discount on registration. Contact your administrator for your access code. Learn more here.  Interested in serving on the AFHTO board of directors? Nominations are open until Thursday, July 6, 2017.

    News Relevant to Primary Care
    Expression of Interest to establish an Indigenous IPC Team: application process now launched by the Ministry. Indigenous member teams are invited to apply. Deadline August 21, 2017. Patients First – latest updates available here, including news on the latest CCAC transfers to LHINs and the “Achieving Excellence Together” Conference.
    Funding and remuneration of interdisciplinary primary care teams in Canada: a conceptual framework and application – BMC Health Services Research article Medical Assistance in Dying Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017: slides from the Ministry’s May 16 webinar now available.

    Resources, Reports and Requests for Input
    Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) seeking input from teams in Northeastern Ontario: o Now working with the Réseau du mieux-être francophone du Nord de l’Ontario (Réseau) to identify physicians, NPs, receptionists and IHPs providing services in both official languages. Legal information for patients: Steps to Justice is a new website from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) providing information on common legal problems in family, housing, employment, social assistance, criminal, and other areas of law.
    o By answering a quick 5 minutes questionnaire by phone, you will contribute to the goal of capturing the present picture of French-language services being offered in Northeastern Ontario. The findings will be used by both NOSM and the Réseau to direct their efforts in improving the access to primary care services and human resources planning. If you are a family physician or a nurse practitioner and would like to participate, please contact Doniya Quenneville, project lead, at (705) 674-9381 ext. 203 or 1-866-489-7484 or by email at dquenneville@rmefno.ca. Deadline is August 1st, 2017. Rainbow Health Ontario seeking input from health and mental health providers working with children and youth: 5- minute survey to assess capacity in addressing the needs of gender-diverse child and youth clients/patients. If you have any questions, please contact Ilene Hyman i.hyman@utoronto.ca. Deadline July 15, 2017. Standards for Post-Concussion Care: recently released by Ontario Neurotrauma Foundation (ONF)
    Engaging Patients in Patient Safety – a Canadian Guide: developed by Canadian Patient Safety Institute in collaboration with Health Quality Ontario and various partners.  

    Conferences and Events
    Protecting Personal Health Information, June 26, 2017: webinar co-presented by AFHTO and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario  Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) workshops: o Mood Disorders: Advanced Strategies for Primary Care Physicians, Sep. 22, 2017
    Strategies for Building and Maintaining an Effective Board in Primary Care, July 11, 2017: first webinar in a series of webcast and online learning modules from AFHTO’s partnership with Governance Centre for Excellence. o Women’s Health Intrauterine Contraception: Theory to Practice, Sep. 23, 2017  
    NPAO Conference, Sep. 21 – 23 2017: and NPAO Patient Choice Award – deadline June 23, 2017.  

     

  • Expression of Interest to establish Indigenous Interprofessional Primary Care Teams

    On May 25, 2016, the Government of Ontario launched the Ontario First Nations Health Action Plan (OFNHAP), a multi-year initiative to improve health care for Indigenous peoples in Ontario. A key part of this Plan is the creation or expansion of new primary care teams; community-based models of primary health care that are designed based on the needs and cultures of the communities they will serve. We are pleased to inform you that the Expression of Interest (EOI) process for this important initiative has now opened. This process is an initial step associated with this commitment and will allow for the submission of applications for interprofessional primary care teams, which will then be evaluated and assessed. As part of the assessment process, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (the “ministry”) will engage an inter-ministerial committee as well as a committee of Indigenous partners. While the primary focus of this initiative is on northern First Nations communities, as a means to addressing significant gaps in primary care access, Indigenous organizations and communities across Ontario are also welcome to submit applications through this process. Below are an Application Kit and Guidance documents that have been developed to assist organizations and communities participating in the EOI process. The submission of Application Forms will close on August 21, 2017. Applications received after this time will not be considered. We encourage interested organizations to read all of the Guides and materials in the Application Kit in order to prepare a comprehensive application for evaluation. If you have further questions, please email the ministry at IIPCT@ontario.ca or contact John Roininen, Northern Lead, Primary Health Care Branch, at 705-564-7494 or 1-866-727-9959. Relevant Links:

  • Coordinated Care Plan Template Revised

    Health Quality Ontario has launched a newly revised coordinated care plan (CCP) template. Using Quality Improvement methodology, they worked with system partners to review the current CCP template, aligning the updated content with innovative practices. The goal of this refresh is to increase patient engagement by focusing on patient values, wishes, and concerns and by outlining the patient’s journey rather than episodic events. This new CCP includes physical, mental, and social components and will help integrate care plans among patients, providers, and caregivers. To achieve this goal, the new CCP template includes the following key updates:

    • The new template is shorter and modular. Optional sections (medication lists, assessments, recent hospital visits) are now placed in the appendix.
    • The “More About Me” section includes questions on the social determinants of health.
    • Language now aligns with the Health Care Consent Act, the Substitute Decision Act, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act.
    • A new section on palliative care has been added.

    A comprehensive user guide is included with the revised template. In addition, further discussion is underway on how best to support teams in integrating this version into their current processes including the use of electronic solution to enable coordinated care. More information on this will follow in the future. Relevant Links:

  • Engaging Patients in Patient Safety – A Canadian Guide

    Patients and families have valuable experiences and perspectives to share when it comes to the quality and safety of their care, but engaging in those conversations can be difficult. Engaging Patients in Patient Safety – A Canadian Guide is an online resource with best practices and practical tips on how to conduct thoughtful and meaningful engagement with patients and families; to learn from their perspectives and experiences; and to build a safer system.

    This online resource can be used across all health care settings and demonstrates how thoughtful engagement and partnership can lead to safer care for patients and more successful health outcomes.

    It was created in partnership by Health Quality Ontario, The Canadian Patient Safety Institute, The Atlantic Collaborative on Health Quality and Patient Safety, and in consultation with patients and health care providers across Canada.

    Relevant Links:

  • Data to Decisions eBulletin #61: D2D 5.0 Update

    Start compiling your D2D 5.0 data now! Use our updated online Data Dictionary, Data Input Toolkit and Step-by-Step Guide. And if you’ve signed up for your Team-Level Primary Care Practice Report, you can find it here. If you haven’t signed up, you can still get a report in late August if you sign up by June 30th. Updates to previously-announced changes for 5.0. In response to member feedback, and to take advantage of late-breaking chances to get help from outside experts, some of the changes we told you about earlier are being deferred. Check here for more information. Do you want D2D data at a site or FHO level? You can now add data at the sub-team level (i.e., for individual FHOs, sites, etc.) in your team’s D2D submission. This will help you compare sub-groups within your team. For more details, check out the Step-by-Step Guide. Ready to take off your mask? Lots of you have told us you’re happy to unmask yourselves to your peers in D2D 5.0. Your board may want to weigh in on this. Consider setting up that conversation now, to have their decision in hand by September. Like everything else in D2D, this is completely optional.

    D2D 5.0 Timeline

    Help spread the word about D2D – invite others to sign up for the eBulletin online. 

     

  • 2017 Conference Themes

    Improving Primary Care Together

    The AFHTO 2017 Conference program will be built around 7 core themes.
    1. Effective leadership and governance for system transformation
    2. Planning programs for equitable access to care
    3. Employing and empowering the patient and caregiver perspective
    4. Strengthening partnerships
    5. Optimizing use of resources
    6. Using data to demonstrate value and improve quality of care
    7. Clinical innovations for specific populations

     

    Concurrent Theme Descriptions

    Download a printable PDF of the theme descriptions here.

    1. Effective leadership and governance for system transformation

    During this time of health system transition, and eventual transformation, effective leadership is more critical than ever. Boards and team leaders need to be both responsive and proactive in order to deal with changes at both the local and systemic levels, some of which are more beneficial than others. This stream will focus on the best ways to guide your team through these changes, including creating a culture of collaboration, supporting leadership development, board to board collaboration and tools for good governance.

    2. Planning programs for equitable access to care

    Only 25-30% of Ontarians can currently access interprofessional team-based primary care and there is a need to achieve greater equity in access to care for diverse populations across the province. To meet this need primary care teams are planning for populations facing myriad barriers to care. This stream will focus on proven ways to identify and respond to these needs, providing care for patients without access to team-based care, all the while ensuring that it does not overwhelm current resources and relationships are leveraged from existing partnerships.

    3. Employing and empowering the patient & caregiver perspective

    Interprofessional primary care teams were created to provide patient-centred care and many have done so, but with varying levels of success. Patient and caregiver voices are needed to ensure they receive the care and services they need and expect. This stream focuses on the ways teams can effectively include patients and caregivers in their care, whether it be strategic planning or influencing care and service delivery to achieve better outcomes.

    4. Strengthening partnerships

    Primary care teams are an intrinsic part of a high quality health care system. With so many organizations at local, regional and provincial levels, finding the right partners can be a daunting experience. And yet, in order to provide population-based patient care in a complex environment, forging new partnerships and strengthening current ties are necessary. This stream highlights how primary care teams can do so, whether it be with social and community organizations or through LHIN sub-region collaboration, to provide services such as care coordination.

    5. Optimizing use of resources

    Primary care teams are challenged every day to provide optimal patient care and they face these challenges, often under less than optimal circumstances, such as limited staffing and isolated patient populations. This stream focuses on making the most of resources, providing lessons which can be applied in diverse team-based primary care settings. Topics of interest include reducing unnecessary treatments and ways small, rural and Northern teams provide patient care.

    6. Using data to demonstrate value and improve quality of care

    In times of restraint it’s not enough to know you do great work, you have to show it too. It’s equally important to know where improvement is needed. Through Data to Decisions and other initiatives primary care teams are doing exactly that, demonstrating higher quality comprehensive, patient-centered care is related to lower healthcare costs. This stream will share experiences of teams using data to inform program planning and evaluation, optimizing use of EMRs and improving overall quality of care.

    7. Clinical innovations for specific populations

    Interprofessional primary care teams are well positioned to care for patients with chronic and complex conditions through comprehensive programs using the skills and expertise of diverse healthcare providers working together for the good of the patient. This stream focuses on initiatives teams employ to reach specific populations such as newcomers, LGBTQ and Aboriginal youths and address gaps in care. Topics of interest include palliative care, mental health, and medical assistance in dying (MAID).

  • D2D 5.0: Team Profile Indicators – Research Study

    In D2D 5.0, we are giving teams the opportunity to answer additional team profile questions, which will help AFHTO members better understand what team characteristics are enablers of quality improvement. Additionally, teams will be able to contribute this data to a provincial study on the delivery of integrated care for individuals with multi-morbidity. As always, participation is optional. You may choose to answer some or all of the team profile questions but not participate in the study. Or you may choose not to answer any of the team profile questions. However, if you wish to participate in the study, you must answer all of them.

    What are the objectives of the study?

    1. Examine the determinants (organizational features and team characteristics) of integration (collaboration) within primary care teams.
    2. Assess the association of integration efforts in primary care teams with Emergency Department visits and acute care admissions for conditions that can be managed in the community.

    You are invited to participate in a research study designed to evaluate the delivery of integrated care within primary care teams in Ontario – with an emphasis on Family Health Teams (FHTs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs), given their inherent focus on a team-based model of care. Your participation will play a vital role in helping to understand the drivers of integration and the impact of integrated care within primary care teams on important patient and system-level outcomes.

    What’s in it for me?

    Your responses to the questionnaires will offer key insights into the drivers and extent of integration within your primary care team. For participating in the project, your practice will receive customized reports highlighting the practice’s integration score and a summary of how your results compare with other study participants.

    Who is involved?

    This research study will be managed by Dr. Walter Wodchis – Principal Investigator for the Health System Performance Research Network and Associate Professor at the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto, with support from Association of Family Health Teams (AFHTO) and Association of Ontario Heath Centers (AOHC). All Family Health Teams (FHT) and Community Health Centers (CHC) are invited to participate in this study. The University of Toronto Office of Research Ethics has approved this study (Study Protocol #33699).

    What is being asked of you?

    The 12 questions of the Organizational Profile Questionnaire (OPQ) are included in the Team Profile Data section of D2D 5.0.  They take about 10 minutes to complete. Clicking on the Team Profile Data Submission button in the D2D submission platform will take you to a team profile survey. You will be asked whether you are willing to be contacted by the researchers.

    • If you answer “yes,” you will be asked to provide contact information for our research partners to follow up with you, and your answers to the OPQ questions will be included in the research data.
    • If you answer “no,” you will not be asked to provide contact information, and your responses to the OPQ questions will not be included in the research data; however, they will still be included in D2D data analysis.

     How will the OPQ data be used?

    1. De-identified OPQ data will be analyzed and individual practices will receive a summary of their results including comparisons to aggregated findings across all participants.
    2. Data will be linked with other administrative data and anonymized before being analyzed.

    What confidentiality practices will be followed?

    Our research partners will link the practice-level survey results to practice-level summary data based on health administrative data including rates of patient emergency department visits, hospitalizations and hospital admissions. The linkage with health administrative data will be undertaken at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) which holds the health administrative data. After linkage, all identifying information will be removed from the data. Analyses of linked practice-level data will be undertaken using anonymized data. Only aggregate data will be used in any reports or publications resulting from this study.

    How do I learn more?

    If you have any questions or require any additional information about the study you may contact Carol Mulder, AFHTO’s Provincial Lead for the Quality Improvement Decision Support Program, or our research partner Anum Khan from the University of Toronto. You may also contact the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Toronto at 416-946-5763.

  • AFHTO 2017 Conference: Registration now live

    Registration now open for the AFHTO 2017 Conference!

    Improving Primary Care Together October 25 & 26, 2017 – Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, Ontario

    Every day, it seems, brings new developments in the transformation of Ontario’s health system. Each shift has the potential for far-reaching implications. For the benefit of all Ontarians, primary care needs to shine throughout the changes. At AFHTO’s 2017 Conference over 850 interprofessional primary care providers, patients and community partners will explore how we can all improve primary care together. The program will highlight how to make the most of opportunities and minimize challenges, both locally and regionally, to improve health, health care, and value for the people of Ontario. Join your peers from across the province to learn to how you can play your part.

    See the full Conference Schedule here. For general information, you can visit our conference page. We look forward to seeing you at the AFHTO 2017 Conference!