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Ministry News |
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Awards Nominations |
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Training, Resources and Requests for Input |
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Conferences and Events |
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Category: Uncategorized
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Member news: last strategic planning webinar today and more
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AFHTO 2017 Conference: Call for presentation & poster abstracts
Present your ideas and initiatives at the AFHTO 2017 Conference: “Improving Primary Care Together”
Ontario’s health system continues to undergo transition with far-reaching implications. For the benefit of all Ontarians, primary care needs to be at the centre of this transformation. AFHTO’s 2017 Conference will show how we can all improve primary care together. We’ll 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. But to do this we need YOU. We need your experience and point of view to show how primary care can forge ahead in an ever-changing system. Submit an abstract to present a concurrent session or poster in 7 core themes at the AFHTO 2017 Conference on October 25 & 26, 2017.
The deadline to submit abstracts for concurrent sessions and posters is May 8, 2017 at 9:00 AM (EST)
Reduced registration fee for concurrent session presenters: For each approved concurrent session, up to 2 presenters will each be granted a $50 discount off the conference registration fee. Additional discounts apply for patients presenting at the conference. (Discount doesn’t apply for poster displays.
Conference key dates
- April 6, 2017 Applications for concurrent session and poster abstracts open
- May 8, 2017 Deadline to submit concurrent session and poster abstract
- Late June 2017 Conference registration opens
- October 25 & 26, 2017 AFHTO 2017 Conference
Do you know anyone with interesting and innovative initiatives to share? Please forward this email to your colleagues, community partners and stakeholders to make sure everyone has an opportunity to present their initiatives. And don’t forget, the deadline to join a working group is tomorrow, April 7. Help shape the conference program and get first look at all the exciting work your colleagues are doing. For more information, you can contact us by phone (647-234-8605) or e-mail (info@afhto.ca).
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Data to Decisions eBulletin #55: Moving right along…
AFHTO members are using D2D 4.1 to improve: Watch the D2D 4.1 webinar (again!) to hear how your peers are using D2D to narrow down their focus for QI, trend progress over time, and connect with LHINs in sub-region planning. You could get more QIDSS! MOHLTC is open to proposals. Consider checking out these resources for information on how to make a solid business case for expanding QIDSS to a full FTE, create new partnerships and/or reconfigure existing partnerships. MOHLTC is also open to proposals for additional IHP staff. Contact us for more information. Options for the “Access” indicator in your QIP: If you are looking for a better way to report “access” in your QIP, remember that you are NOT required to use the “same/next day” indicator. Check out these options. Coming this Fall: D2D 5.0! Keep an eye on our D2D Planning & Preparation page for information about new indicators and updates to our tools. À Bientôt! AFHTO’s second Patient Priorities Questionnaire is coming soon in English and French. Watch for it coming early in April. Read about the 2014 survey here.
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Ask for QIDSS Funding in your 2017-18 AOP Submission!
Business case for QIDSS proposals for 2017-2018 annual operating plan submissions
The MOHLTC has signalled an openness to consider proposals in 2017-18 annual operating plan submissions to expand funding for QIDSS among AFHTO members. To support teams in making a case for their request for QIDSS funding, AFHTO has compiled the following messages you might consider including in your submission. In addition, members may want to review previous guidance for making QIDSS proposals, budget advice (FAQ # 6-11) and a case study of different approaches to deploying QIDSS. See also input from members involved in QIDSS partnerships regarding success factors. Please consider this information when budgeting for your new QIDSS role. Note that AFHTO has never had nor will have ANY role in decisions regarding which teams are approved for QIDSS funding nor how much funding is allocated. All QIDSS funding has gone and will continue to go directly to the host team for the QIDSS (usually on behalf of a partnership of teams who intend to collaborate on the deployment of the QIDSS). AFHTO’s role is to coordinate and support AFHTO members and QIDSS to ensure that collectively, the QIDSS resources (including the central team at AFHTO) achieve the goals of the QIDS program which was to advance measurement and improvement of quality of team-based primary care for ALL AFHTO members. This unique and unorthodox combination of local deployment with central coordination is definitely complex and at times difficult to navigate. It is also vital to ensuring that QIDSS remain closely tied to the immediate needs of front line providers while at the same time contributing to the “big picture” of demonstrating and improving value in team-based care. QIDSS have proven to be the “special sauce” that has made it possible for AFHTO to have a significant impact on the sector and the policy-makers that govern it. We look forward to success with the proposals for additional QIDSS funding to further enable AFHTO members to lead the sector.
Considerations in making business case for QIDSS roles
- General case for QIDSS:
- D2D has been far more successful in recruiting participants than other reporting initiatives
- QIDSS were the crucial enabler for teams to participate in Data to Decisions (D2D) which is increasing the capacity of teams to access and use EMR data to improve
- Capacity to access and use data is fundamental to improving performance in primary care. “Data Driven Improvement Using Computer-Based Technology” is the second building block recognized as crucial to high performance in primary care (Bodenheimer et al, 2014)
- Demonstrate good stewardship of QIDSS resources to date (if available for your partnerships)
- Number of teams in partnership have contributed to how many iterations of D2D
- Degree of alignment/consistency in patient experience questions between members of partnerships
- Extent of collaboration between partners: partnership agreement, joint work-plan, sharing of D2D (and other performance) data
- GAP that additional QIDSS support would fill
- Increase ability of all teams to participate in D2D and using their data to improve (ie cite how many hours per team QIDSS support is available – do NOT include travel time in this – ie if QIDSS spends 4 hours to travel to a team, they can only spend 3.5 hours supporting them) – suggest not explicitly referring to travel support resources as this is difficult for MOHLTC to support
- Increase access to consistent, timely, ongoing patient experience capture, dissemination and use between teams: ie same patient experience surveys and same methods across all partners
- Increase consistency of EMR data between partners
- Increase use of EMR data: outline some example projects of how you might use EMR data within your team to improve data quality and/or actual performance
- Enable teams or providers not part of your partnership to participate as your existing partners do – explicit plans for collaborating with non-team providers would likely be well received by MOHLTC
- General case for QIDSS:
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D2D 4.1 Post-Launch Webinar
Description: D2D 4.1 is live! Join us for a webinar on March 28 to ask questions and tell stories about how your teams are using D2D. Presenters:
- Carol Mulder (Provincial Lead, QIDS Program)
- Sean Blaine (Lead Physician at STAR FHT, past president of AFHTO)
- Ross Kirkconnell (Executive Director at Guelph FHT, chair of QIDS Steering Committee)
- Monique Hancock (Executive Director at STAR FHT and chair of Indicators Working Group),
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Primary Care Access: Options for Measurement
Access to primary care is important to patients, AFHTO members and MOHLTC. Based on international comparator reports, Canada and Ontario have performed badly on this measure with no improvement in performance over the past 5 years or more. However, these international healthcare rating reports consistently focus on “ability to get an appointment on the same or next day” as a reflection of access to primary care. There is considerable evidence and input from patients and providers that this might not be the only or best way to measure access.
Arguments against using “same/next day” as a meaningful measure of access
The % of people who are able to get an appointment within the same or next day when they need it (the so-called same/next day indicator) may not truly reflect what is important to patients and providers in terms of access to primary care. Some of the evidence to this effect is as follows:
- For all five iterations of D2D to date, about 80% of patients report having a “reasonable wait” for an appointment with about 53% being able to get an appointment on the same or next day. Reasonable access clearly includes appointments NOT on the same or next day.
- The increase in low acuity ER visits for patients whose wait times for primary care are high does not happen until after 3 days and plateaus at 7 days. ER use is widely seen by patients as being medically necessary and only moderately related to ability to access their usual source of Primary Health Care.[i]
- Of the 11 key performance targets identified by patients (through Patients Canada), the only reference to “same day” service is about getting phone calls returned. Other aspects of access that are explicitly mentioned are access to EMR for appointment booking and review of results and access to non-Emergency-Department after-hours care.
Alternative approach to measuring access
Given the political traction of the “same/next day” indicator as a measure of access, especially in light of international comparisons, it is inevitable that the indicator will continue to be of interest to MOHLTC and LHINs. It may also be important to some (although clearly not all) patients and providers. To address this, AFHTO is advocating for a more balanced, meaningful approach to measuring access that includes:
- Combining it with “reasonable wait” to continually highlight the difference between the two ways of understanding access.
- Adding other measures of access of interest to patients such as phone responsiveness and electronic solutions to allow patients to book appointments online and view their EMR.
- Considering a more comprehensive, relationship-based measure of quality such as that embodied by the D2D Quality Roll-Up indicator to monitor primary care system performance.
Reporting on Access in your QIP
Teams are required to submit a QIP. They are, however, NOT required to include any particular set of indicators in their QIP, contrary to general and historical impression. If a team feels the recommended indicators for QIPs that are presented in the QIP Navigator reporting template are not appropriate for their team, they can choose to include other indicators that are more meaningful for them. Make a comment to this effect in the Navigator for the relevent indicator. Then add a new ‘custom’ indicator to the Navigator to enter data for the team’s preferred indicator. For example, your team may choose to enter data for “reasonable wait for an appointment” (as defined in D2D) in addition to or instead of data for “same/next day” appointment. For more information, contact HQO or improve@afhto.ca.
[i] Green, ME, Khan; S, Frymire, E, Kopp, A, Kiran, T Glazier, RH. Association Between Patient Perceptions of Access to Care and Emergency Department Use-2013-2015. 2016 NAPCRG Annual Conference. Poster.
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AFHTO 2017 Conference: Join to shape the conference program by April 7
Announcing the theme for the AFHTO 2017 Conference Improving Primary Care Together
You can play a vital role in shaping the conference by joining a working group today. Through your participation you’ll be among the first to learn about exciting developments in the field, influence the development of conference programming and discover the thought leaders in your chosen area. Working group members also earn a $50 discount off their registration fee. Please pass this invitation along to your patients, colleagues and staff. Having diverse voices, especially patients, in the working groups helps us build a varied and relevant program.
Conference Themes
Working groups are being set up for each of the seven concurrent streams and for the Bright Lights Awards program. The seven concurrent streams will focus on:
- Effective leadership and governance for system transformation
- Planning programs for equitable access to care
- Employing and empowering the patient and caregiver perspective
- Strengthening partnerships
- Optimizing use of resources
- Using data to demonstrate value and improve quality of care
- Clinical innovations for specific populations
Working Group Details
Concurrent program working group members: The task requires a total of 4-10 hours of effort between April and May, specifically:
- April 6 to May 8: AFHTO staff will manage the call for proposals process.
- Week of April 17th: working groups will have an initial teleconference to brainstorm ideas on specific topics and speakers to contact/encourage to submit a presentation abstract.
- May 9 to 23: each working group member individually reviews and scores presentation abstracts for their program.
- May 25 to 31: working groups will teleconference to review scores and determine the program for this theme.
Sign up by April 7, 2017 to confirm participation and select your conference theme. “Bright Light” Awards Review Committee: The task requires a total of 6-12 hours of effort in July and August, specifically to individually review and score nominations followed by a group teleconference to determine the award winners. Sign up by April 7, 2017. Volunteers will also be needed at the conference itself, for example at the registration desk. There may be other duties instead as we update our conference program but like other volunteers described above, onsite volunteers will receive discounted conference registration. Sign up today. Registration Fees for Conference Working Groups:
- Conference working group members and presenters receive a $50 discount off their registration fee.
- We understand patients face additional financial and time pressures and do not want the registration fee to limit participation in a working group. Patients participating in full in a conference working group will be eligible for complimentary registration (to be determined once the working group task is complete).
- AFHTO members still receive a 50% discount on conference registration fees.
Conference key dates:
- April 6, 2017 Applications for concurrent session and poster abstracts open
- May 8, 2017 Deadline to submit concurrent session and poster abstract
- Late June 2017 Conference registration opens
- October 25 & 26, 2017 AFHTO 2017 Conference
For more information, you can contact us by phone (647-234-8605) or e-mail (info@afhto.ca).
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HQO improves user experience for performance indicator reports
Health Quality Ontario (HQO) with input from health care professionals and patients, has improved the user experience on how it reports health system performance indicators for the primary care, long-term care and home care sectors – with improved navigation and easier to read graphs. Better data and reporting can help you make better decisions that impact all Ontarians. Visit www.hqontario.ca/systemperformance to see the changes.
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Data to Decisions eBulletin #54: Tools to help you keep getting better
D2D 4.1 is now live: Check out the interactive display to see how your team is doing, and see a summary of the results here! We’re looking forward to seeing you at our post-launch webinar on March 28th. In the meantime, if you have any questions about the platform or your results please contact Greg Mitchell. We’re working with patients to make D2D better: In the next few weeks we’ll be sending a survey to patients across Canada to help us understand what’s really important to them in primary care. Watch for an email with more information and consider sharing it with your own patient networks. Help for your QIP from Cancer Care Ontario: This toolkit will help you add cervical and colorectal cancer screening to your QIP and develop programs to improve care. Send your questions or comments to screenforlife@cancercare.on.ca. Even more help for your QIPs: HQO will host the third and final session of their QIP Group Support Webinar on Thursday, March 23rd. See their webpage for more information. The 2017-18 Annual Operating Plan (AOP) template is on its way! For help developing your AOP submission, check out our Program Planning & Evaluation Tools page, where you’ll find the NEW AND IMPROVED Program Performance Measures Catalogue with NEW quick reference guide and video walkthrough, plus a recorded webinar on program planning and AOP requirements.
Help spread the word about D2D – invite others to sign up for the eBulletin.