Tag: Access to Care

Bits & Pieces: In year reconciliation materials, mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar & more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In This Issue
In-year reconciliation deadline webcast slides and video Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits slides and video Measuring Up 2019	The Unnecessary Conference – Choosing Wisely Canada’s National Meeting Opportunity with Geriatric Mental Health Education Network on Jan 24 Upcoming events on preparing for audits and more

In-year reconciliation deadline webcast slides and video

On Monday, December 16, a webcast was held with the ministry to discuss submission of the year-end expenditure forecast and resulting in-year surplus. The presentation, recording and Qs and As are now posted on our website.

If you’d like to make a voluntary contribution to AFHTO, please contact accounts@afhto.ca for an invoice and set up for EFT if preferred.

Mental health and addiction QI collaborative webinar

Join CMHA, AMHO, and AFHTO on Jan. 14 for a second of a 4-part webinar series on community and primary care QI projects and initiatives with a focus on mental health and addictions.

In preparation for Ontario Health Teams, learn about opportunities for collaboration with your local mental health and addiction agencies and how to implement quality improvement initiatives. You can also see the recording and slides from the first webinar in June.

Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits slides and video

On Dec. 10, AFHTO hosted a webinar featuring Minto Mapleton and Peterborough FHTs’ focus on virtual care.

Minto Mapleton is 4th out of 125 FHTs in the use of eVisits with the most referrals for respirology and psychiatry. And Peterborough has been supporting unattached patients since August 2018 through their Virtual Care Clinic (VCC) in Peterborough and a NP run PFHT Clinic in Lakefield that supports rural unattached patients and seasonal visitors.

Visit our site to see the slides and video.

Measuring Up 2019

Health Quality Ontario, now the Quality Business Unit of Ontario Health, has released Measuring Up 2019 — a yearly report on the performance of Ontario’s health system. This year’s report, with Bright Lights award winner Dr. Paul Gill, Maitland Valley FHT on the cover, focuses on a set of 10 key indicators and is based on the Quadruple Aim of health care improvement: better health outcomes, better patient experience, better provider experience, and better value and efficiency.

Findings include:

About 69% of Ontarians say the timing to see their primary care provider when they were sick or had a health problem was “about right.” About 17% say their wait was “somewhat long” and about 13% say it was “much too long.”
In a 2019 survey, 54% of primary care doctors in Ontario reported that their job was “extremely” or “very” stressful, while 37% said it was “somewhat” stressful.
Ontarians’ life expectancy is flattening, mainly due to a steep increase in opioid-related deaths.

Find out more here.

The Unnecessary Conference – Choosing Wisely Canada’s National Meeting
There’s a fine line between what is necessary and unnecessary in health care. The Unnecessary Conference will explore the nuanced ways in which overuse permeates health care delivery and what people are doing about it.

The Unnecessary Conference takes place on May 25 and 26, 2020 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Ontario and is hosted by Choosing Wisely Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Association. You can get involved by submitting an abstract to be considered in their interactive breakout sessions. For more details, visit their site.

Opportunity with Geriatric Mental Health Education Network on Jan 24
Geriatric Mental Health Education Network, Baycrest has a gap in their schedule on January 24, 2020. They’d be happy to facilitate if any external site would like to present a challenging case.

Also, if individuals would like to forward clinical challenges, or send questions about geriatric mental health, they could have an interprofessional panel to discuss, with everyone’s input. For details, please contact Anna Virdo or Cindy Grief, Geriatric Psychiatrist, Medical Director for Mental Health, Baycrest.

Preparing for Audits, Jan. 15, 2020
Register early for AFHTO’s upcoming Financial Webinar Series session. Learn how to prepare for audit season. Register now!

Unlocking the Future Of Healthcare: Digital Health Forum, Jan. 25, 2020
Attend the Lung Association’s First Digital Health Forum online, for free. Learn more here.

December 17, 2019

QI in Action eBulletin #92: How Can Teams Help Meet The E-Service Needs of Patients?
In this issue
- What are Patients’ E-service Needs?
- Prescription Renewals
- Consult with any Healthcare Provider Online (Email, Virtual Visits, etc.)
- Specialist Referral Confirmations and Notifications
- How have Other Teams Implemented Digital Health Tools?
- Digital Health Week and the QIDS-Essential Summary
- Resources
- Upcoming Webinars and Conferences
What are Patients’ E-service Needs?
Canada Health Infoway conducted 4 public surveys throughout Canada between 2014 and 2018 to assess the availability, use and public interest in digital access to their health information and e-services.1 Some of the key takeaways from the survey results were:
- The availability of e-services isn’t meeting the demands of Canadians
- Canadians accessing their health information online has doubled between March 2017 to March 2018
- The four e-services that Canadians want the most are¹:
  - Prescription renewal (4 million Canadians have lost or damaged a prescription and as a result 700,000 Canadians have gone without medication)
  - Online access to health records
  - Specialist referral confirmations and notifications for confirmed appointments with specialists
  - Online booking for appointments
Survey data from Connecting Patients for Better Health 2018 report by Canada Health Infoway

However, over the years despite the increased interest for e-services, the access for the services has not increased.

Prescription Renewals
- PrescribeIT allows providers to directly transfer prescriptions to the pharmacies of the patient’s choice. PrescribeIT fully integrates with existing electronic medical records (Telus PSS is live, OSCAR to be available early 2020) and pharmacy management systems. Health Canada has provided Canada Health Infoway the funding to create and launch PrescribeIT and it’s being provided at no charge to prescribers.
  - Benefits include:
    
    Enhanced security and patient privacy: prescriptions sent through PrescribeIT are transmitted as data via an encrypted two factor authentication process and details entered directly into the pharmacy software.
    
    Rx Dispense notifications in the EMR: Rx dispense, and cancellations notifications are sent to the EMRs when a PrescribeIT^TM order has been received and processed through the a PrescribeITTM enabled pharmacy.
    
    Enhanced Communication: Replace fax or phone calls with secure messaging directly from the EMR (currently available for select PrescribeIT^TM enabled pharmacies)
    
    Renew Rx Requests electronically from the EMR: Reduce administrative work in faxing/scanning renewals
Consult with any Healthcare Provider Online
- Provider to specialist: eConsults are available through OTN for physicians and nurse practitioners to access specialist advice in a timely manner. Non-urgent matters have a response time of an average 2 days! This program also consists of Teledermatology and Teleophthalmology
  - A case study illustrating timely patient care through eConsult use in primary care, can be found here.
  - A case study illustrating the use of eConsult to support timely access to specialist advice, reducing anxiety and decreasing unnecessary referrals, can be found here.
- Patient to Provider: Interprofessional teams can sign up with ThinkResearch to access VirtualCare allowing family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, social workers, dietitians and other clinicians to host virtual visits.
  - Virtual visits are a way for patients and providers to communicate directly over a safe, secure, online platform via chat messaging, phone, or video.
  - Since the launch of this program, in collaboration with eCE and the Waterloo Wellington LHIN in March 2018 14,200 virtual visits have been provided.
  - Patient and provider-initiated visits are available
  - Admins (reception/nursing) can triage and book virtual visits, supporting clinical workflow
  - Visit transcripts and attachments can be exported to the EMR via HRM
  - A published case study illustrating the patient experience with virtual visits in primary care can be found here.
  - A published case study on the provider experience with virtual visits in primary care can be found here.
  - Use and benefits of provider-initiated virtual visits are highlighted within a published case study here.
Specialist Referral Confirmations and Notifications
- The eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) leads the System Coordinated Access (SCA) Program, outlined in the Ontario Health Teams: Digital Health Playbook (August 2019). The SCA Program deploys the Ocean eReferral technology developed from an innovation procurement (with a consortium consisting of ThinkResearch, CognizantMD and the Centre for Effective Practice) to delivering more than 60,000 eReferrals integrated from within primary care EMRs (Telus PSS, QHR Accuro, OSCAR).
  - Providers from the eight LHINs involved in the SCA procurement can gain access to this service within the existing government investment.
  - Learnings from System Coordinated Access in Waterloo-Wellington:
  - Over 38,000 were processed electronically over the last 12 months in Waterloo Wellington within the diabetes, diagnostic imaging and orthopedics referral pathways.
  - Additional services added include Home and Community Care, Mental Health and Addictions.
  - For the referrals sent, 33% of patients included their email address and were enabled to digitally access their referral status and efficiently book and confirm appointments.
  - Patient experience surveys results (N=2,060) show 80%-90% satisfaction.
How have Teams Implemented Digital Health Tools?
- Teams provide Health Records Access Online and Online Appointment Booking in different ways. Some of the publicly available services are:
  - Multiple resources within the Ontario Health Teams: Digital Health Playbook, some of which may be of interest to you:
    
    Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) is publicly available for patients to look up their immunization records. (The link to this varies depending on your location)
    
    Teams can reach out to EMR vendors to discuss the availability of these features.
  - There are several technology options available to implement online appointment booking. Some teams have reached out to EMR vendors for these features (ex: Medeo, HealthMyself). Some teams use standalone appointment booking software that aren’t integrated with EMRs. Another option is that teams have implemented an appointment booking email address through which patients can email appointment requests.
- Click here to read more about how teams are (Register for Digital Health webinars below for more information!):
- Increasing Patient e-communications
- Providing Online Booking for Appointments
- Providing Virtual Visits
- Increasing Access for Unattached Patients through Virtual Care
- Collaborating to Create and Distribute EMR Forms
Digital Health Week (Nov 11-17) and the QIDS-Essential Summary

Let’s celebrate all the digital health initiatives our teams have taken! You can also read about the Making and Meaning of the Quality Improvement Decision Support Program in the QIDS-Essential Summary.

Join the Digital Health Week conversation by tweeting #ThinkDigitalHealth and share your teams’ stories.

Resources:
Upcoming Webinars and Conferences:
Digital Health Week – November 11-17, 2019

IHPs OHTs and Health System Transformation Webcast -Nov 14, 2019 12 – 1:30 pm

Toronto International Conference on Quality in Primary Care – Nov 16, 2019

The Digital Health Toolbox: Enabling High-Performance Teams in The Delivery of Integrated, Patient-Centred Care Webinar – Nov 28, 2019 12-1 pm

Increasing Access to Patients through Virtual Care Visits Webinar – Dec 10, 2019 12-1 pm

References:
1 https://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/component/edocman/3564-connecting-patients-for-better-health-2018/view-document?Itemid=101

In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #91 or other back issues here!
Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.
November 14, 2019

Bits & Pieces: Digital health toolbox and virtual care webinars & more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In This Issue
Digital health toolbox webinar Nov. 28 Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits webinar Dec. 10 Members’ stories QIDS-ESSENTIAL: the making & meaning of the Quality Improvement Decision Support program	Happy Nurse Practitioner Week Primary Care Virtual Community Upcoming events on Digital health and technology in integrated care and more

Digital health toolbox webinar Nov. 28

The current healthcare landscape poses pressure to modernize health care delivery, striving for an integrated, higher-quality patient-centred model.

Digital health tools, when designed, deployed and maintained to meet user needs, play an important role in enhancing patient and provider experience, and unlocking opportunities for a greater understanding of patient population and the delivery of proactive care, while optimizing the use of resources.

The Digital Health Toolbox: Enabling High-Performance Teams in The Delivery of Integrated, Patient-Centred Care webinar on Nov. 28 features speakers from the eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE), who will highlight different tools and how they can be meaningfully used in the delivery of care, including eReferrals and CDPM support. Register today.

Increasing access to patients through virtual care visits webinar Dec. 10

Minto Mapleton FHT is a small team that has set an example of how to use multi digital solutions to increase rural patient centred care. They currently use digital tools such as e-faxing, Ocean tablets, Telus apps and much more to increase office efficiency. They are taking advantage of OTN tools and are ranked 4th out of 125 FHTs in the use of eVisits with the most referrals for respirology and psychiatry. They have also piloted the eHealth Centre for Excellence Virtual Care initiative that allows patients remote access to visits.

Peterborough FHT has been supporting unattached patients since August 2018 through their Virtual Care Clinic (VCC) in Peterborough and a NP-run PFHT Clinic in Lakefield that supports rural unattached patients and seasonal visitors. Along with access to the VCC & PFHT Clinics, PFHT has opened their group programs and services to these patients who can now register online without a referral from a primary care provider thereby removing unnecessary barriers.

Join this webinar on December 10, 2019 to learn more about their innovative digital health programs.

Members’ stories

Chatham-Kent, Thamesview and Tilsbury District FHTs– Chatham-Kent’s Physician Recruitment and Retention Task Force to bring more doctors to the area

Central Lambton FHT – connecting care at the Central Lambton Family Health Team

Inner City FHT – New program transitions individuals living with HIV/AIDS out of Toronto’s emergency shelter system

Summerville FHT – Summerville FHT Strategic Plan 2019-2022

QIDS-ESSENTIAL: the making & meaning of the Quality Improvement Decision Support program

As the QIDS program turned five last fall, the QIDS Secretariat within AFHTO decided that the milestone merited not just another report or case study but a different kind of account, one that would capture the QIDS journey with a wider lens, from both a philosophical and practice perspective. QIDS-Essential: The Making and Meaning of the Quality Improvement Decision Support (QIDS) Program is the result.

Happy Nurse Practitioner Week

Happy Nurse Practitioner Week to all the NPs working in primary care teams across Ontario!

Thank you for your hard work, your dedication to your patients and your teams. Please take some time this week to reflect on the work that you do and know that you make a difference in the lives of your patients and your communities.
To celebrate this important week, the NPAO has developed a NP Week Toolkit.

Primary Care Virtual Community

Next webinar: Nov. 21, 2019 | 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

The Primary Care Virtual Community (PCVC) is a collaboration designed to support the front-line practitioner experience of the Quadruple Aim. The PCVC has been developed by AFHTO and the Ontario College of Family Physicians and is facilitated through The Change Foundation.

The upcoming webinar will continue a dialogue on 10 Ontario-based “High Impact Actions,” which have been co-defined by the Community, and offer examples of how these actions may already be enabling meaningful improvement in primary care.

Join the community now and be a part of this important conversation!

A webcast for IHPs: OHTs and health system transformation, Nov. 14, 2019
Please join us on from 12 PM to 1:30 PM for an overview of OHTs, and to hear from teams proceeding to full application whose OHT development has included close collaboration with IHPs. They will speak to their work to date and highlight how IHPs are engaged. All members are encouraged to join (not just IHPs!)
Register today!

Health Justice Tuesdays – Health and Human Rights Law, Nov. 19, 2019
Register for the last Health Justice Tuesday session held by one of our members, St Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT. Learn more here.

Cyber Security and Data Breaches- How Vulnerable are you? Nov. 20, 2019
The next Financial Webinar Series webcast co-hosted by AFHTO and Grant Thornton LLP is right around the corner. Join us for an hour on data, cyber security and policies and procedures to mitigate possible issues. Register today!

Digital health and technology in integrated care, Nov. 20, 2019
The next session of the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) Canada Virtual Community. Find out more here.

November 12, 2019

Bits & Pieces: Focus on City of Lakes FHT, members in the media & more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In this Issue:
Focus on City of Lakes FHT Youth Opportunities Fund registration deadline Oct. 9 Executive Director OHT Mentorship Program Members in the media Collaborative Governance workshop slides Ontario Health Team digital supports	Call to create transition fund to support patient medical homes in primary care Call for applications – TUTOR-PHC 2020 ECHO Concussion pilot Upcoming events focused on physiotherapists, social workers and more

Focus on City of Lakes FHT

City of Lakes FHT has shared a video that covers their mission, vision and introduces their interdisciplinary healthcare team and services. Watch it on our site.

Youth Opportunities Fund registration deadline Oct. 9
Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) announced the deadlines for three grant streams.

AFHTO members may be eligible for the System Innovations Stream, which supports collaboratives that are strengthening the quality and responsiveness of systems so they work better for youth facing systemic barriers.

Organization Registration Deadline: Oct. 9, 2019
Grant Application Deadline: Nov. 6, 2019
Up to $250,000 per year
2 to 6 years

Executive Director OHT Mentorship Program
Many changes are happening across the health care sector, and teams are at varying levels of planning and participation in the development of an OHT.

If you’re an executive director who’s part of a team that’s ‘in development’ or ‘in discovery,’ and would benefit from guidance or support from an ED who’s in full application, please complete this short survey by Friday, October 18. You’ll be connected with an ED who can offer insight on successes, challenges and lessons that they’ve been learning along the way!

Members in the media

Belleville NPLC: holding a “Pap Party” during Cervical Cancer Awareness week

East Wellington and Guelph FHTs: feature on the Guelph and Area OHT

Minto Mapleton, Mount Forest and Upper Grand FHTs: Minto council receives report on Rural Wellington Ontario Health Team

North Durham FHT: Durham continues to push for an Ontario Health Team

Windsor FHT: feature on their Bright Lights award-winning team care centre

Collaborative Governance workshop slides

The slides from this Sep. 17 preconference workshop, Collaborative Governance: Moving at the Speed of Trust, which explored different ways of approaching the initial governance structure of an OHT, are now available on our site.

Ontario Health Team digital supports
The eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) is committed to supporting the OHTs throughout the application and selection process. To understand exactly how the eCE can support OHTs with the digital health components outlined in the full application, read eCE’s Role in the Full OHT Application.

Call to create transition fund to support patient medical homes in primary care

On Oct. 3 leaders from the Canadian Association of Social Workers, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Nurses Association and the College of Family Physicians of Canada called on federal party leaders to commit to establishing a targeted $1.2 billion Primary Health Care Transition Fund. Read the news release here.

Call for applications – TUTOR-PHC 2020
Transdisciplinary Understandings and Training on Research – Primary Health Care, is a one-year, pan-Canadian interdisciplinary research capacity building program that has been training primary and integrated health care researchers and decision-makers from family medicine, nursing, psychology, epidemiology, social work, occupational therapy, education, policy and many other disciplines since 2003.

The call for applications is open to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, mid-career clinicians, and decision makers in primary health care. For more information, please go to the website. Please contact Project Coordinator, Rob Van Hoorn (tutor@uwo.ca) if you’re interested in applying. Deadline is Dec. 2, 2019.

ECHO Concussion pilot
Starting Nov. 13, ECHO at UHN will be launching a NEW 10-session pilot on Concussion. The series will focus on diagnosing and managing patients with concussions and applying the current guidelines.

This is online interactive case-based learning fully funded by the Ministry, where you will connect with an inter-professional team of experts including physiatry, neurology, neuropsychiatry and family medicine. To register or find out more, visit their site.

Essential Skills For Social Work With Groups, Oct. 14- Dec. 10, 2019
A 4-part modular course to expand existing social work knowledge and refine group work skills, held by the OASW. Learn more here.

Liver Disease in Primary Care: Approach to Fatty Liver, Oct. 17, 2019
Part of ECHO Liver quarterly evening series. Find out more here.

PHC Connect, Nov. 8, 2019
Physiotherapists working in primary health care organizations across Ontario are invited for an interactive day of networking, professional development, and discussion hosted by the Ontario Physiotherapy Association at Burlington FHT. Attendees will hear from guest speakers about the changing health environment, the impact, and opportunities for primary health care and physiotherapists working in this sector. Click here for more information and to register. For any questions, please contact Maryam Ahmed at mahmed@opa.on.ca.

Annual Toronto Geriatrics Update Course, November 1 & 2, 2019
Learn about topics such as osteoporosis updates, capacity assessments, managing dementia and reducing falls among older patients. Hosted by the Sinai Health System and UHN. Coupon code available here.

October 8, 2019

Bits & Pieces: OHT current state survey, Health Canada funding opportunity & more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In this Issue:
OHT current state survey Health Canada/PHAC funding on substance use Hotel group rate deadline Aug. 19 Reminder- call for applications: patient digital identity, access and authorization	Deadline to join our IHP Advisory Council is July 31 Ministry response on budget adjustments CPSO consultations on draft policies due Aug 2 Upcoming events for NPs, RDs and more

OHT current state survey
Thanks to those of you who have reached out to let us know the current status of your OHT applications. Great to see the level of primary care leadership across the province as OHT implementation progresses!

We’re now asking EDs to complete this short survey to share some more detail on your team’s state and needed supports. We hope to hear from all teams, including those not part of this first round. It should only take 5-10 minutes of your time.

We’re working closely with the OMA and OCFP to map out primary care involvement and to ensure teams have access to supports that will help improve OHT development and eventual implementation.

Please complete the survey by Friday, August 2, 2019.

If you have any questions, please contact bryn.hamilton@afhto.ca.

Health Canada/PHAC funding on substance use
On July 17, 2019, the Government of Canada launched two new anticipatory Calls for Proposals. Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) will fund projects in three streams:

Harm reduction, community-led and front-line initiatives;
Increasing access to pharmaceutical grade medications as a safer alternative to the contaminated illegal drug supply; and
New approaches that address problematic methamphetamine use.

The application deadline is Thursday, September 26, 2019. More information, including detailed Guidelines for Applicants, can be found here: Substance Use and Addictions Program. If you have questions or you would like to request an application form, please contact hc.SUAP-PUDS.sc@canada.ca.

Separately, the Public Health Agency of Canada will fund projects that use evidence-based approaches to reduce barriers to care for people who use drugs. Letters of Intent must be submitted by August 30, 2019 and the deadline to request the application package is 11:59am ET, August 7, 2019.More information can be found here: Pathways to Care. If you have questions, please contact phac.cgc.solicitations-csc.aspc@canada.ca with the subject line: LOI Pathways to Care.

Hotel group rate deadline Aug. 19

With the AFHTO conference in September this year, the deadline to get the hotel group rate is Aug. 19. After that, rooms are released to the public, with no guarantees. Please book before the deadline to secure your spot.

Reminder- call for applications: patient digital identity, access and authorization
The Ministry of Health invites AFHTO members to submit applications for establishing a public-facing digital identity, authentication and authorization (IAA) service for patients in Ontario’s health system. Full details on the eligibility requirements, the submission and review process, and project requirements and deliverables can be found in the Call for Applications document.

The closing date for submissions is August 9, 2019 at 12pm EDT. Please send any questions to digitalhealthsecretariat@ontario.ca.

Deadline to join our IHP Advisory Council is July 31
There are two vacancies on AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council and we’re inviting all AFHTO-member IHPs to apply. More information and the Terms of Reference are here. One vacancy is a regular two-year term and the other is a one-year term for a maternity leave.

Interested members are asked to complete this application by Wednesday, July 31. Any questions, please contact Beth MacKinnon.

Ministry response on budget adjustments
AFHTO wrote to the ministry on May 31 with members’ questions and concerns about budget adjustments. The response was received on July 12 and has been posted for the triad.

We’re in touch with the ministry on unanswered questions, and we’ll keep members posted as we receive more information.

CPSO consultations on draft policies due Aug 2
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario is requesting feedback on draft policies, all due Aug. 2:

AFHTO 2019 Conference, September 19- 20, 2019
Members get 50% off registration; plus early bird rates are in effect! Get your member access code from your administrator and come explore Health System Integration Built on The Foundation of Team-Based Primary Health Care. Register now!

FHT RD Conference + RD Research Afternoon, October 17- 18, 2019
Education, networking and brainstorming opportunities to leave you feeling motivated about nutrition in primary care. Find out more here.

NPAO Conference: Stronger Together: Our Time is Now, September 12-13, 2019
Register for the NPAO Annual conference to network and engage with your NP colleagues. Learn more here.

BORN Conference, November 7-8, 2019
Held in Ottawa, the BORN conference connects the conversation between health-care providers, administrators, policy makers, researchers and students. Find out more here.

July 24, 2019

Bits & Pieces: join the IHP Advisory Council, free conference registration & more

Your Weekly News & Updates

In this Issue:
Join our IHP Advisory Council! Call for applications: patient digital identity, access and authorization How to come to the conference for free IHP Session Leads needed	Considerations for Primary Care Teams as a Not-for-Profit Corporation, July 17 Senior Friendly Care Learning Series Ebola Virus Disease readiness memo Upcoming events including BoneFit and more

Join our IHP Advisory Council!
There are two vacancies on AFHTO’s IHP Advisory Council, which was established in May 2018 to provide input on team-based care matters related to IHP issues; to give advice and input to the AFHTO board, staff, and leadership council; and to foster leadership across the IHP community within team-based models of care.

We’re inviting all AFHTO-member IHPs to apply! More information and the Terms of Reference are here. One vacancy is a regular two-year term and the other is a one-year term for a maternity leave.

Interested members are asked to complete this application by Wednesday, July 31. Any questions, please contact Beth MacKinnon.

Call for applications: patient digital identity, access and authorization
The Ministry of Health invites AFHTO members to submit applications for establishing a public-facing digital identity, authentication and authorization (IAA) service for patients in Ontario’s health system.

Interdisciplinary and collaborative project teams made up of health care providers, technology providers and community-based associations and advocacy groups are encouraged to submit applications.

Full details on the eligibility requirements, the submission and review process, and project requirements and deliverables can be found in the Call for Applications document.

The closing date for submissions is August 9, 2019 at 12pm EST. There will be an information conference call during the week of July 22-26. Please RSVP your interest to attend by July 19.

Please send any questions to digitalhealthsecretariat@ontario.ca.

How to come to the conference for free

We have several openings for program hosts. These volunteers help keep our sessions on track and get complimentary registration in return. See the role description here and email paula.myers@afhto.ca if you’re interested by Thursday, July 18, 2019.

We also have a new referral program. All non-members have to do is say who recommended them during registration and the organization with the most referrals wins a complimentary registration! This offer is good until Friday, August 9, 2019. Find out more here.

IHP Session Leads needed
Other volunteer opportunities exist with the IHP Sessions- we still need leads for these individual sessions:

Administrative
Respiratory therapists
Social workers

All IHP session leads get a $50 discount on conference registration. Email us for more information.

Considerations for Primary Care Teams as a Not-for-Profit Corporation, July 17
Presented by Melanie Dugard, CPA, CA, Principal, Grant Thornton LLP, the second webinar in the Financial Webinar series is tomorrow, July 17, 12 noon- 1:00 p.m. It focuses on:

Role of a Board Member
Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act
CRA’s Risk Identification
Project Corporate tax filing requirements – HST, T2 and T1044 Not-for-Profit Information Returns

You can register here.

Senior Friendly Care Learning Series
Co-developed with geriatric clinical experts from Ontario, on behalf of the Regional Geriatric Programs of Ontario, the sfCare Learning Series supports clinicians and organizations in providing best practices in care for frail older adults, and is a companion resource to the sfCare Framework.

Available at no charge, the series comprises introductory educational modules for clinicians, along with supporting posters and patient handouts on 7 key clinical topics: delirium, mobility, polypharmacy, pain, loneliness, nutrition, and urinary incontinence. You can join their next webinar on July 26 to learn more.

Ebola Virus Disease readiness memo
A memo from the Office of Chief Medical Officer of Health regarding an update on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) readiness in Ontario regarding updated EVD guidelines, laboratory testing and educational webinars has been provided in English and French.

Considerations for Primary Care Teams as a Not-for-Profit Corporation, July 17, 2019
Join AFHTO & Grant Thornton LLP for their second webinar in the Financial Webinar Series. Register here.

BoneFit, September 2019 to March 2020
The BoneFit schedule has been released for sessions in Sault Ste Marie, Guelph, Ottawa, Chatham and Kingston. Hosted by Osteoporosis Canada. View the schedule here.

The Osgoode Certificate In Privacy Law And Information Management In Healthcare, November 5- December 3, 2019
Attend this one-week certification program, suitable for professionals in the healthcare field. Find out more here.

July 16, 2019

Peterborough FHT collaboration: Virtual care clinic opens for patients without doctors or NPs

The Examiner article published on August 21, 2018 By Jessica Nyznik, The Examiner

A new virtual care clinic for residents without a doctor opens Wednesday on King St. The Peterborough Virtual Care Clinic is on the fifth floor of Jackson Square at 185 King St. It’s for patients who don’t have access to a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

It’s also been designed to recruit new physicians to Peterborough. The clinic will provide primary care and connect patients with existing services in the community, as well as specialists. Patients will meet with a registered practical nurse and connect with a family doctor through a secure video session.

Lori Richey, executive director of the Peterborough Family Health Team, said the clinic will be a “staging house” to gather patients for new physicians coming to the area. “It’s a fantastic recruitment tool for new physicians, because many don’t want to start a family practice from scratch,” Richey said. Two new physicians will be starting in the area in the fall, but they won’t fill the need locally.

About 7,000 people in the city and county don’t have primary care, Richey estimated. Doctors typically have a patient list of 1,500 people, which means roughly six new doctors are needed. “This allows us to continually be proactive with recruitment,” Richey said.

At the clinic, virtual doctors will work the same day each week for continuity of care. So, if a patient visits the clinic on a Monday and needs a followup appointment, they’ll be rebooked on a Monday, so they’ll see the same doctor. To start off, the clinic will run three times a week and will eventually expand its hours when needed.

Current hours are Mondays, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Wednesdays from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Peterborough Virtual Care Clinic accepts walk-ins, but appointments can also be made online at pvcc@peterboroughfht.com or by calling 705-536-0882 The clinic is a collaborative effort of the Peterborough Family Health Team, the city and the Virtual Family Physician Network.

The city is funding the clinic until the end of March through its physician recruitment fund. The Peterborough Family Health Team plans to open another clinic in Selwyn Township in the fall. It won’t be virtual though and patients will have access to a nurse practitioner.

Click here to access The Examiner article

October 15, 2018
Primary Care input needed on interface with child and youth mental health services

Many families first attempt to access child and youth mental health care through you; their family doctor, pediatrician, walk-in clinic or hospital emergency department. Primary care professionals often report feeling ill-equipped to manage child and youth mental health concerns. To further complicate matters, community-based child and youth mental health services typically have limited funding and long waitlists. Children, youth and families need a more efficient and effective system of mental health care with more collaborative, coordinated partnerships across primary care and child and youth mental health sectors. The Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health’s latest policy-ready paper will summarize the latest knowledge on evidence-informed approaches to ensuring a seamless interface between Ontario’s primary care system and community-based child and youth mental health service systems. A key step in this process is to ask community-based service providers, primary care physicians and professionals, families and youth what they think: What’s working, what’s not, and how things can be improved? They’re looking to engage primary care professionals in a one-hour telephone conversation about your insights and experiences on the intersection of Ontario’s primary care and child and youth mental health services. Say what worked, what didn’t and how things can be improved. By participating, you’re helping to shape how child and youth mental health services are delivered in Ontario and identify priorities for change. Interested individuals will be contacted throughout July and early August to schedule a one-hour telephone interview. They can also host a telephone focus group with multiple participants. If you have an existing group meeting they could call into, let them know. This document provides additional details on the project and process. For more information on this policy-ready paper and to RSVP, please contact Veronica Hoch at vhoch@cheo.on.ca or by phone at 613-737-2297 ext. 3478.

June 22, 2016
FHTs lead to improved diabetes care / Auditor’s report on CCACs
Two important reports were released in this past week:
- CMAJ published evidence that the combination of physician payment reform and team-based care led to improved diabetes care. “Our study suggests that Ontarians might be healthier if everyone had access to team-based care” said lead author Dr. Tara Kiran of St. Michael’s Hospital Academic FHT.
  - Click here for more.
- The Auditor General’s Special Report on CCACs instructs government to “take a hard look” at CCACs and the delivery of home and community-based care. As health system reforms move forward, AFHTO joins with its colleagues on the Ontario Primary Care Council to call on government and others in Ontario’s health system to ensure primary care is supported to fulfill this central role in coordinating care.
  - Click here for more.
September 25, 2015
Minister’s Year Two Progress Report / Valuing comprehensive interprofessional primary care

Today the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care presented her Year Two Progress Report on achievements in implementing Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care. The key piece for AFHTO members is the second of the Plan’s three goals – Faster access and a stronger link to family health care. The Minister’s presentation to the Empire Club in Toronto included a brief video on Health Links which clearly puts the patient and his/her primary care provider at the centre of improving care for high-needs patients. It is this message that AFHTO continues to press with our political and health care leaders – the evidence of the value of comprehensive interprofessional primary care, its impact on outcomes and total cost of care for patients, and the need for sufficient funding to support recruitment and retention of the staff required to deliver this value. In her speech the Minister signaled there would be announcements soon concerning remuneration and working conditions for personal support workers, who typically make minimum wage and face uncertain hours. It is too soon to tell what funding may be available in the next fiscal for FHTs, NPLCs and other interprofessional primary care models, but we do know that the issues and challenges have been clearly understood.

January 27, 2014

Tag: Access to Care

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