Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: key issue

  • Over 90% of Family Health Teams belong to AFHTO

    Family Health Team membership in AFHTO surpassed the 90% mark as of in the last week of September.  171 of Ontario’s 186 FHTs have now joined. AFHTO is the voice for Family Health Teams (FHTs) in this province.

  • AFHTO-OMA survey of physicians working in FHTs (due Oct.16)

    The purpose of this AFHTO-OMA collaboration is to inform both associations on the experience of physicians working in this model, and gain insight into their needs, ideas, issues and concerns.  The results will be released as part of a joint OMA/AFHTO presentation and discussion at the AFHTO 2011 Conference on Oct. 26. FHT physicians will receive the link to the on-line survey from the Lead Physician or ED of your FHT. If you have not received this link, please send an e-mail to info@afhto.ca . Please include your name and the name of the FHT in which you practice in order to receive the link. Responses must be submitted by Sunday, October 16. Thank you for your assistance, and we hope to see you at the AFHTO conference. Sincerely, Dr. John McDonald                                                               Dr. Stewart Kennedy President                                                                               President Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario                   Ontario Medical Association Lead physician, PrimaCare FHT, Paris                               Physician, Harbourview FHT, Thunder Bay

  • CIHR Training Grant in Interdisciplinary PHC Research: applications due Oct.31

    Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research– Primary Health Care — “TUTOR‐PHC” Program information and application forms for TUTOR-PHC are now available on TUTOR-PHC’s website at http://www.uwo.ca/fammed/csfm/tutor-phc/applications/applicationforms.html For more information about TUTOR-PHC, go to http://www.uwo.ca/fammed/csfm/tutor-phc/ Who should apply?

    • Graduate Students from Canadian Universities that are interested/ engaged in primary health care research regardless of their home discipline
    • Post‐doctoral fellows, policy-makers, OR clinicians* that are interested/ engaged in primary health care research

    *Clinicians can include any type of Health Professional in Primary Health Care (i.e. Physician, Nurse, Social Worker, Dietician, Occupational Therapist, etc.). Please see our website for more information. The deadline for applications is October 31, 2011 (program runs from May 2012 to April 2013).

  • Citizens’ Reference Panel calls for expansion of family health teams in Ontario

    Twenty-eight Ontarians who have looked at the inner-workings of the province’s health system recommend more collaboration, integration and accountability to help ensure the sustainability of high-quality, accessible and publicly-funded health care. One of these recommendations states, “We urge the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to accelerate the expansion of integrated family health teams throughout the province.” The report, released on June 22, 2011, was commissioned by PwC (formerly called PricewaterhouseCoopers). They invited 28 randomly-selected citizens from across the province to meet over three weekends in Toronto from April-June 2011. One male and one female panel member was selected from each of the 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) and with the age profile matching that of the population distribution of the province. This process and their discussions were facilitated by public engagement company, MASS LBP. Their recommendations can be summarized into five themes (below). Click here for links for the entire report and executive summary .

    1. Improve Accountability and Incentives. Link compensation for physicians to measurable patient outcomes and satisfaction, encourage health professionals to form interdisciplinary primary health teams, expand reporting in hospitals that measure quality and patient satisfaction.
    2. Strengthen Community Care. Requires strengthening of partnerships, mobilization of volunteers, creation of patient and community support groups, reduce cyclical funding constraints, prepare for an aging population with new resources for community services that keep people at home.
    3. Improve Access and Timeliness. Expand family health team models. Utilize nurse practitioners more widely in primary care clinics and emergency departments, and develop a centralized specialist referral system.
    4. Expedite eHealth and improve information-sharing. Communicate the importance of eHealth while addressing access and privacy issues.
    5. Step up Prevention and Promotion. Direct a share of alcohol and tobacco taxes towards health promotion. Expand nutrition and phys-ed in schools, more public education on active living, better food labeling.

  • Study on interprofessional teamwork in FHTs finds link to strong leadership & EMR use

    The May 2011 edition of Canadian Family Physician reports on a study of team members in Ontario’s FHTs, by Dr. Michelle Howard and others from McMaster University. Click here to access the full report.

    Key findings are:

    • Interprofessional teamwork, by way of family health teams (FHTs), shows promise as a strategy to facilitate optimal primary health care.

    • This study aimed to understand how organizational factors influenced team climate and to determine whether there were modifiable factors that predicted a better team climate in the FHT setting.

    • Team climate is positively predicted by strong leadership, group or developmental culture, and use of electronic medical records within the FHT.

    • The lack of relationships found between most organizational factors, such as governance or mix of health professionals, and team climate suggests that interpersonal aspects of teamwork override organizational aspects, and that individuals who commit to working in this environment will engage in teamwork regardless of other factors in the environment.

  • Progress of Family Health Teams showcased in Annals of Family Medicine

    A number of leading experts from Canada and abroad comment on Ontario’s experience in setting up Family Health Teams.  The Annals of Family Medicine has published these responses to an article on FHTs in the March 2011 edition of this American journal. The original article had been written for the benefit of Americans trying to come up with models of their own, by a team led by Walter Rosser of Queen’s University. This publication was reported by Canadian Press, and the story picked up in a number of Ontario newspapers. Click here to read the journal article. Click here to read the commentary. Click here to read the Canadian Press story as it appeared in the Globe and Mail, March 16, 2011.

  • Keep the voice for FHTs strong – Renew your AFHTO membership for 2011-12

    AFHTO’s membership year begins on April 1. Notices and registration forms were e-mailed to all FHT leaders on March 3. Why join? – click here. What are AFHTO’s plans? – click here to see the AFHTO Strategic Plan 2011-2013. What are the fees? – click here. Need a registration form? – click here. AFHTO is the only group that advocates on behalf of ALL family health teams. It is led by, representative of, and accountable to all member FHTs, and provides a focal point for FHTs to learn, share concerns and speak with a common voice. For more information, contact info@afhto.ca.

  • New resources for FHTs on www.afhto.ca

    The most recent posts include: ·         Ideas and resources for FHT planning ·         The Progress of FHTs in Ontario, recently published in Annals of Family Medicine ·         AFHTO Strategic Plan 2011-13 and FHT Survey Results ·         Updated information on learning events On our Members Only website, you’ll find new posts on the following pages: ·         Members Only News:  AFHTO’s notes from the March 11, 2011 ministry teleconferences on NP-SERT, and a copy of the ministry’s February 2011 FHT Newsletter ·         Finance: information on applying for and using HST rebates ·         Human Resources: learning modules on Progressive Discipline and Termination of Employment ·         Health and Safety: learning modules on Respect in the Workplace and Investigations in the Workplace, and information on meeting the training requirements regarding Workplace Violence, link to resources from the Public Services Health & Safety Association ·         Chronic Disease Prevention and Management: links from the Ontario Lung Association’s Respiratory Health Forum ·         Improving Access to Care: a set of published articles on advanced access in academic family medicine settings ·         Governance: a presentation on changes arising from the new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, and a a generic template for practice-sharing agreements To receive a username and password to enter the Members Only site, your FHT must become a member. Each member FHT shares one username and password among its board and staff members. If you’ve misplaced yours, please send an e-mail to info@afhto.ca and we’ll respond the next day.   Join AFHTO or renew your membership today For more information, click here. Why join AFHTO? By joining the two-thirds of FHTs who are already members your FHT will: ·         Strengthen the voice of all FHTs in Ontario ·         Receive updates on issues and other information pertinent to FHTs ·         Be invited to participate in consultation or problem-solving processes with the Ministry ·         Have access to news and resources on AFHTO’s Members Only website ·         Be able to register staff members for the AFHTO annual conference at a reduced rate ·         Be able to vote for AFHTO’s board and on motions presented at the Annual General Meeting

  • AFHTO Strategic Plan 2011-13 and FHT Survey Results

    This strategic plan charts the next steps in the journey to establish FHTs as a highly-valuable and valued model for delivering primary health care to Ontarians, and to develop the capacity for its representative body, AFHTO, to be their strong and effective voice. A draft plan, built upon the consensus achieved among 150 FHT leaders in November 2009, was sent out to all FHT leaders for consultation at the end of January.  On February 9, 2011, about 70 FHT leaders joined a web meeting to learn more about the plan and give initial feedback.  This was followed up with a survey sent to all FHT leaders to invite further feedback, and 127 responded. Survey respondents were unanimous in their agreement with the vision, mission, principles and values proposed in the draft strategic plan.  The strategic directions and initiatives reflect the priorities indicated by the survey respondents. The speed and strength with which this plan can be implemented fully depends upon the support of FHTs. To access the AFHTO Strategic Plan 2011-13, click here. Survey results  are posted on AFHTO’s members-only website. Log in with your FHT’s username and password, then click here to access the survey results.

  • All FHT leaders are invited to give input on AFHTO’s future

    A web-based meeting attended by over 70 FHT leaders on February 9 indicated agreement with AFHTO’s general direction.  We would like to hear more from you about where we place our priorities and how we resource the work needed to advance them. Whether or not you participated in the web meeting, we invite all FHT leaders to complete a brief survey to give more detailed input on your association’s direction and the ways in which we can power this work through volunteer resources and sustainable infrastructure.  The link to the survey was e-mailed to all FHT leaders on February 10. If you missed the survey link, please e-mail caitlin.burgess@afhto.ca to receive it. To download a copy of the draft strategic plan, please click here To view the slides from the February 9 meeting, please click here . AFHTO works with FHTs and for FHTs as the advocate, champion, network and resource centre for this innovative model of care.  The draft strategic plan flows from the direction provided by 150 FHT leaders at the AFHTO leadership retreat held in November 2009.  It aims to take AFHTO to the next level with the goal of delivering greater value to all members. About two-thirds of the February 9 participants responded to each of the polls conducted at the meeting.  These FHT leaders told us:

    • All agreed that AFHTO’s vision, mission, principles and values continue to reflect their expectations for their association.
    • All agreed that the 10 priority initiatives proposed in the draft strategic plan reflect some or all of the key priorities their FHT holds for AFHTO.
    • Four-fifths of those who responded (about half of the group) were willing to volunteer their time to work on AFHTO projects.
    • All support AFHTO’s work. Naturally, the level of financial support that individual FHTs are able to provide is mixed. We hope to learn more from you about what is fair and affordable to enable all FHTs to become members in their association.

    We look forward to your participation in this survey.