Links to information from Aug.21 “QIDS Program Town Hall” are posted on AFHTO’s Members-Only website. The Town Hall gave the opportunity to share information and gather input. Participants raised questions concerning sharing of QIDS Specialist positions, costs, and lines of accountability among other issues. To access these and other QIDS resources, login to the Members-Only site (top right of your screen — contact info@afhto.ca for assistance if needed) then click on https://www.afhto.ca/news-events/news/qids-resource-documents/ . Keep in mind the AFHTO Annual Conference, Oct. 22-23, features a number of sessions that will help your FHT in its use of data to improve care, in streams such as Leadership and governance for quality, Using Data to Improve Care, Meaningful use of EMRs and EMR vendor sessions.
Tag: Highlights
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Sept.13 deadline for proposals targeted to medically complex patients
The Ministry has issued a call for applications for demonstration projects from general and family practice physicians and groups across the province to provide multidisciplinary care for individuals, who have high medical and functional care needs, may have a high number of interactions with the health care system and may have a high risk of hospital admissions and/or re-admissions. This is another call arising from provisions in the 2012 Physician Services Agreement, following last Friday’s close of the call for applications to expand IHP services in community. The key elements of such a demonstration project should include:
- A target population of medically complex patients identified using a pre-defined identification method;
- A core team of providers which can include physicians and inter-professional health providers;
- Transitional Care Services including bundled evidence based services aimed to stabilize the patient at home and prevent re-admissions, and/or Medical Home Services including a wide range of services tailored to medically complex patients’ needs;
- Collaborating partnerships.
Demonstration projects will be funded for a 12 month period starting October 2013. Approved applicants will be expected to track evaluation metrics and to participate in a full project evaluation upon completion of the demonstration project. Funding may be paid directly to the physician or a physician group depending on the specifics within the application. The weblink to the live application is now available at http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/complex/. Physicians will receive mailed information regarding this initiative starting today (Aug.19).
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AFHTO Members: Invitation to participate in a QIDS program town hall meeting
Please join AFHTO for an interactive, online “members town hall” on the QIDS program. When: Wednesday, August 21, 2013, 12:00pm to 12:45pm The town hall is open to all members and will provide an opportunity for you to:
- Hear about work your colleagues are doing to develop QIDS partnerships and QIDS Specialists recruitment
- Learn more about the status of implementation supports and resource available from AFHTO
- Contribute your ideas and advice to key elements of the program, such as QIDS Specialist role descriptions, partnership agreements and the provincial steering committee
- Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Click here for information on how to register for the webinar. (Members Only log-in required, contact info@afhto.ca for assistance).
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Registration for the AFHTO 2013 Conference is now live!
The AFHTO 2013 Conference to be held on Tuesday, October 22 and Wednesday, October 23 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
- Register you and your team for the conference before early-bird registration ends Sept. 20
- Review the Full Conference Program
- Reserve a room at the preferred group rate at the Westin Harbour Castle
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Nominate a team or individual for an AFHTO “Bright Light” Award by July 31, 2013. Winners in three of the award categories will receive an education grant.
We look forward to seeing you!
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AFHTO 2013 Conference: Call for “Bright Light” Award Nominations
The deadline for AFHTO “Bright Light” nominations has been
extended to August 6, 2013.
Nominations are open for the second annual AFHTO “Bright Light” Awards program recognizing leadership, outstanding work and significant progress being made to improve the value delivered by Family Health Teams across Ontario. Awards will be presented at the AFHTO 2013 Conference Awards Dinner, on October 22, 2013.
Nominate an outstanding team or individual for an award in one of eight award categories. Winners in three of these categories will receive an education grant*.
Make a nomination
- Click here to see the review criteria and nomination questions to prepare your nomination.
- Click here to complete the online nomination form. All nominations must be completed online and in full. To avoid the risk of losing information, it is best to complete the online form in one session.
- Any supporting data may be e-mailed separately to info@afhto.ca.
Nominations for “Bright Light” awards will be reviewed and selected by the “Bright Light” Review Committee.
“Bright Light” Award Categories
- Leadership and governance for quality
- Using data to improve care*
- Improving care for “the 5%”
- Integration: building the team beyond the FHT
- Advances in health promotion and chronic disease management*
- Improving care for seniors
- Innovation in interprofessional collaborative team implementation
- Meaningful use of EMRs*
* Thank you to our generous sponsors for providing education grants to award winners in the categories marked above:
- Merck Canada Inc. for providing a $3,000 education grant for the “Bright Light” award recipient in the Using data to improve care category.
- Boehringer Ingelheim for providing four award recipients in the Advances in health promotion and chronic disease management category with the opportunity to attend the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Conference on March 9-11, 2014, in Washington, DC.
- QHR Technologies (Accuro EMR by Optimed) for providing a $3,000 education grant for the award recipient in the Meaningful Use of EMRs category.
Please note: Sponsors have no role in establishment of award criteria, call for nominations, judging or selection of the program winners.
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Nominations to the AFHTO Board are open until August 1
Are you interested in serving on the AFHTO board of directors? The Governance Committee of AFHTO’s board invites anyone associated with an AFHTO-member teams to apply. Click here to see the Governance Committee letter to members and role descriptions. (Please note member login information is required to see this page, contact info@afhto.ca for assistance.)
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Report from quarterly meeting with MOHLTC FHT Unit, June 3, 2013
FHT Executive Directors representing AFHTO and AOHC members met with the FHT Unit on Monday. Topics covered included:
- QIDSS implementation: how the allocations have been made and what to expect in their implementation
- Physiotherapy in FHTs: timing and process to apply for positions
- Health Links: staffing implications for FHTs that are coordinating and/or taking on care for more patients
- Changes in Ministry reporting: ensuring FHTs have adequate training and lead time
- Flexibility and accountability in FHT budgets: finding the way toward greater budget flexibility while enabling the Ministry to ensure good value and appropriate oversight for public funds
- A number of specific budget pressures: recognizing that 2013-14 budget packages are already in the approval process, these were noted with the view to improving the situation for the 2014-15 budget cycle
- Transfer of rostered patients within a group: FHTs are seeking clarification of Ministry policy and application
- As well as quick updates on other issues.
These topics zeroed in on the priority issues identified and developed by AFHTO’s ED Advisory Council and Board of Directors, with input from the AOHC CFHT ED Executive group. Please click here for the full report from the meeting. This report details the background, updates from the meeting and next steps on each of these items. Understanding the financial constraints within which the FHT Unit must operate, the AFHTO and AOHC group appreciated their openness to involving FHTs, through their associations, to find ways to optimize these scarce resources to deliver the best outcomes possible for patients. The specific next steps include:
- Consulting with AFHTO, AOHC and NPAO on implementation of physiotherapy positions in the interprofessional primary care models.
- Convening a joint working group in the fall, with the aim to implement some initial improvements in the accountability reporting for the 2014-15 fiscal year, and thereby set the stage to enable greater flexibility in use of budgets.
- Receiving evaluation and recommendations on the QIDSS roll-out from AFHTO’s QIDSS Steering Committee.
- Giving the opportunity for FHTs, through their association structures, to give input into priorities for funding.
The meeting participants were:
- MOHLTC: Phil Graham (Manager, FHTs and Related Programs), Richard Yampolsky (Program Manager, FHT Implementation), Fernando Tavares (Senior Program Consultant).
- FHT EDs: Randy Belair (Sunset Country FHT in Kenora), John Golanch (Owen Sound and Sauble FHTs), Lynne Poff (North Hastings FHT in Bancroft), Keri Selkirk (Thames Valley FHT in London)
- Association staff: Angie Heydon and ClarysTirel (Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario), Sophie Bart and Tara Galitz (Association of Ontario Health Centres).
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Couchiching FHT an innovative approach to health care
Couchiching FHT is featured for growing primary care in their community. They have developed innovative diabetes and congestive heart failure clinics and geriatric programs to help keep patients healthy and at home longer. They have recently opened a brand new facility to provide care from one location for their Orillia community. Click here to read the full article in the Orillia Packet.
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2013 Ontario Budget: Highlights for FHTs
When it comes to health care, the key planks in the 2013 Ontario budget are Health Links, the Seniors’ Strategy and the recently announced funding increases for home care. The health care sections of the budget summarize government priorities and commitments in this area. Click here to read health-related excerpts from the budget. Full text of the budget can be downloaded at http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/budget/ontariobudgets/2013/papers_all.html