Ultimate Blogging Championship

Category: Uncategorized

  • Help strengthen political support for team-based primary care during the election campaign

    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.

    –          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 2014 Conference: Thank you for submitting abstracts!

    Over 150 submissions were received for concurrent session and poster presentations at the AFHTO 2014 Conference. Thank you to all those who applied!

    A confirmation e-mail has been sent to the contact person for each abstract submission. If you are part of a group that has prepared an abstract, please ensure your group contact has received the e-mail with line: “AFHTO 2014 Conference: thank you for submitting abstract”. If your group has NOT received this confirmation, please contact conference@afhto.ca by Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 1:00 PM (EST). The confirmation e-mail is your assurance that your abstract has been received and will be reviewed by a working group for presentation at the conference.

    Final concurrent session and poster presentations will be selected by June 9, 2014. The program will be announced when registration opens in late June 2014.

    We look forward to seeing you at the AFHTO 2014 Conference! In Partnership with Patients: True Integration of Care October 15 & 16, 2014 Westin Harbour Castle, One Harbour Square, Toronto

  • Now available: Statutory Compliance Toolkit for FHT and NPLC boards

    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.

  • Mental Health Networking Groups Around the Province

    Southwest Networking Group Includes FHT Mental Health Providers from Kitchener-Waterloo area to Stratford, London, etc. Contact: Andrew Coghill, Happy Valley FHT, St. Marys andrew@stmmc.ca W: 519-284-3450 M: 519-317-9467 Toronto Area Networking Group Toronto Contact: Cleo Haber Mt. Sinai Academic Family Health Team, Toronto W: 416-586-4800 ext 8129

  • “Fundamentals of Governance” for FHTs + NPLCs is now available

    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.

  • Fundamentals of Governance Videos

    Introduction to Fundamentals of Governance

    Board Structure and Processes

    Executive Leadership

    Stakeholder Relations

     

  • Register now for the QIDS Innovations Knowledge Sharing Symposium, May 26, 2014

    Register now for the QIDS Innovations Knowledge Sharing Symposium

    Date:               Monday, May 26, 2014, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM
    Location:        St. Paul’s Bloor Street, 227 Bloor Street East, Toronto

    What is the QIDS Innovations Knowledge Sharing Symposium?
    The QIDS Innovations Fund recipients and other FHTs are accelerating progress in the use of data management tools and techniques, implementation of multi-practice performance measurement and other QI strategic priorities.

    Six teams have received funding under the QIDS Innovations program. Within two short months they made tremendous progress and reported back to AFHTO with the results and learning from their work.

    The purpose of the QIDS Innovations Knowledge Sharing Symposium is to share peer learning, collaboration and professional development so that all members can contribute to and take advantage of their peers’ work. Follow this link to learn more about the QIDS Innovations Projects that will be presenting.

    Come and learn about the innovative steps your peers are taking to:

    • Get data out of the EMR
    • Understand clinician priorities for measurement
    • Map out what to report, when and to whom
    • Automate patient encounter feedback, tracking and reporting
    • Establish frameworks for sharing data between FHTs

    Who should attend?
    All members are welcome. Sessions will be of particular interest to those leading or involved in clinical quality improvement, measurement and decision support, data management or technology deployment projects.

    This could include Executive Directors, Quality Improvement leaders, Decision Support Specialists, Medical Directors, IT Leads and Specialists, and Program Leads.

    Registration Details

    Space is limited to approximately 80 registrants. Please confirm your attendance by Friday, May 16

    Complete the registration form online and mail a cheque to:
    Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO)
    60 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 800
    Toronto, ON   M4T 1N5

     Registration fee:
    $70 (plus HST)
    Payment must be received by Monday, May 26th

     Cancellation policy:
    Cancellations received up to and including May 16, 2014 will receive a refund. Cancellations received after May 16, 2014 and no-shows are non-refundable.

    Substitution policy:
    Registered delegates may transfer their registration to another person. There is no charge if the delegate takes full responsibility for changing the name. AFHTO will not transfer any fee or payment of balances.

    Symposium Contact: Denise Pinto at improve@afhto.ca.

  • The Data to Decisions 1.0 Indicator Selection Voting Process Now Live!

    Data to Decisions 1.0 What’s meaningful to you?

    We Need Your Views The Indicator Selection Voting Process is Now Live

     Open Until May 8th 2014

    Data to Decisions 1.0: Advancing Primary Care (D2D 1.0) was launched on March 31, 2014. It is an opportunity to get an early start on sharing and reporting data on the indicators that are most comparable, currently available and mean the most to you.

    • D2D 1.0 will present a small number of indicators that are meaningful, comparable and currently available.
    • Participation in D2D 1.0 is completely voluntary – all members will be invited but NOT required to contribute data
    • D2D 1.0 will help AFHTO advocate for and inform measurement in ways that make sense to interprofessional primary healthcare organizations.
    • The work is being led by the Indicators Working Group of the Quality Improvement Decision Support Steering Committee (QSC) and supported by Quality Improvement Decision Support  Specialists (QIDSS)

    Indicator Shortlisting and Selection: Hundreds of indicators are potentially available to primary care organizations. To get to the shortlist for member voting, the Indicator Working Group started with the “menu” of indicators defined by the Starfield and HQO Primary Care Performance Measurement Frameworks as these have a sound basis in research. Shortlisting involved identifying the smaller subset of 43 indicators already in use in leading examples of analytical reports in organizations such as CPCSSN, ICES (EMRald), Dorval Family Health Team (Starfield model) and Health Quality Ontario. You are being asked to vote on a final short list of 26 indicators developed in consultation with QIDS Specialists drawing on their direct knowledge of local data availability and feasibility. Who should vote? The voting (or survey) process is open to all members. Votes are non-identifying. Voters’ are requested to identify their LHIN to enable the Indicators Working Group to get a sense of geographic representation in the responses. You are also free to decide how to complete the survey, for example whether individually or working through the questions as a group. Follow this link to get access to the survey. Next Steps and Key Dates:

    • Survey open until May 8th
    • Mid-May initial feedback on voting results. QIDS Specialists start working on test extraction of data
    • Late May: Indicator Working Group finalizes its recommendations
    • Late May: Privacy Impact Assessment completed
    • Early June: QSC makes final decision on indicator list
    • Late June: Data submission begins.
    • The target delivery date is October 2014

    How do I find out more? Follow this link to review the “D2D 1.0: What is Meaningful to You” Webinar for additional background and to learn more about the indicator selection and voting process. Review the Frequently Asked Questions (these will be updated regularly while the survey is open—please send us your questions) Review the D2D Indicators Short List: Data dictionary Connect with your QIDS Specialist – they are actively involved in this project Contact the provincial team:

  • Building Political Support Webinar held on April 15, 2014

    The Political Action webinar was held on Tuesday, April 15, 4:00 – 5:00 PM Eastern time. Public Affairs consultant Patrick Nelson joined AFHTO President Keri Selkirk and ED Angie Heydon to:

    • Give an overview of the current political landscape as it relates to primary care;
    • Review AFHTO’s political action activities and responses to date;
    • Share tips and techniques for making the most of your meetings with MPPs and candidates;
    • Answer your questions and ensure you receive the support you need for your meetings

    AFHTO’s advocacy campaign – “Better Care. Healthier Families. Best Value.” – is reinforcing the message across the full political spectrum.  The call to “enable recruitment” is one of three key messages in campaign. Kicked off in the Legislature on the 10th Anniversary of the announcement of Family Health Teams, the campaign brochure has been mailed to all MPPs and AFHTO’s President and ED have met with the opposition health critics. We need your help to keep up the momentum.  We encourage you to book a meeting with your local MPP and election candidates as soon as possible. To make it as easy as possible, we’ve prepared a number of materials to support your efforts:

    • A slide presentation that you can use to guide your meeting. (Note that we’ve left space for you to insert local successes and challenges).
    • A PDF of the campaign brochure that you can print to use in your meetings or in other ways appropriate to your community.
    • A key messages document and spreadsheet with riding and MPP contact information for each AFHTO member was e-mailed to you at the end of March.

  • Board Structure and Processes

    This section on Board Structure and Processes includes the following topics:

    • Bylaws
    • Membership in the Corporation
    • Annual General Meeting
    • Roles and Responsibilities of the Board
    • Board Composition and Recruitment
    • Conflict of Interest
    • Board Orientation
    • Board Policies and Governance Manual
    • Board Committees
    • Effective Board Meetings
    • Board Evaluation
    • Board Work Plan

    Tools

    Videos Exploring the Mixed Governance Model- interview with Dr. Rob Annis Strengthening Governance- parts one and two– interview with Dr. Allan Grill Board Evolution and the role of continuing education- interview with Dr. Joseph Lee