Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: Management/Operations

  • Winter Highlights 2023: AFHTO Leadership Council

    Fernando Tavares, Program Manager, Primary Health Care Branch, OHIP, Pharmaceuticals and Devices Division, MOH joined the AFHTO Leadership Council on February 17. Below are highlights from that meeting and updates on work that is underway.

    Q & A with Fernando Tavares
    Fernando Tavares joined the Leadership Council meeting for an hour-long Q&A session to discuss various topics, including provincial factors that are shaping and influencing the direction of team-based care in Ontario. Questions focused on the shift to a population-based approach to care, the future state of OHTs, relations between MOH and OH, HHR challenges, and organizing primary care. You can access the recording here.

    We are also pleased to announce that Fernando will join us for another Q&A session to provide a brief update on the Annual Operating Plan (submission timelines + process), discuss further details on the FHT contract extension including updates to the Governance & Attestation document, and review details of the “Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care” investment of $30 million to help bridge the gap in accessing interprofessional primary care.  All EDs are invited to attend the session on March 28th @ 12:00pm. Click here to register.

    Preliminary Survey to Capture MHA Funding Impact
    Further to our memo released on January 30th,the IPHCC has developed a preliminary survey to assess the progress and utilization of the MHA funding. Recognizing that teams have until March 31st to spend these funds, the intent of this survey is to capture the work you have underway and identify areas where we can provide further guidance, if necessary. The survey should take 5-7 minutes to complete. Please note this is not a replacement for the fulsome evaluation that the IHPCC will send to you in April. Read the full message here.

    Please complete the survey here before March 10. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help to inform the feedback provided to the Ministry as well as the final survey you will receive in April. If you can’t access the link or have questions about the survey, please contact Abisola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.

    Market Salary Review & Compensation Working Group
    In 2022, multiple associations and organizations came together as the Community Compensation Working Group to jointly support a market survey in order to get a better idea of the wage disparity and compensation challenges across interprofessional primary care, community support services, community mental health and long-term care. The market salary review will be conducted for 78 positions across the primary and community care sectors. The Working Group has since partnered with Eckler Ltd. to begin this work with an estimated completion by end of spring 2023. Once complete, recommendations will be presented to the government and funders on reasonable, fair, and equitable compensation across the healthcare sector. Our goal is to demonstrate the significant pay gap and wage inequities across the community sector and to compel government to pay healthcare providers and staff the compensation they deserve.

    To ensure a successful market study with a substantive sample, Executive Directors are being asked to complete a survey that will accompany the market review. Surveys are targeted to be launched in late February 2023. If you have questions about this market study, please feel free to contact, Abisola Otepola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.

    IHP roles and responsibilities
    IHP members requested updated information on roles and responsibilities of IHPs to aid in the coordination and management of their respective teams. AFHTO is currently validating information that had been provided and is planning to release the information over the coming months.  Following the release of the guidance document, plans are in place to host a webinar series with a focus on individual IHP disciplines/roles. The goal is to have generative discussion around individual roles and responsibilities, challenges, and key enablers using the guidance document as the starting point. This work will be done in partnership with associations and key stakeholders. Preliminary timelines for this will be summer 2023.

    A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care – what we know to date
    On Feb 2nd 2023,  Health Minister Sylvia Jones launched Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, a plan that sets the vision and direction for Ontario’s health system strategy for the next few years. We were thrilled to see an investment of $30 million to expand or create new teams and help bridge the gap in accessing interprofessional primary care for vulnerable, marginalized, and unattached patients to ensure they can connect to care where and when they need it.

    AFHTO has been advocating for years around expansion of team-based care and it’s great to see the first large investment to expand teams in the province in a number of years. The details of what the implementation will look like (new teams or expansion of already existing teams) is still being worked through and we hope to provide you with more information as we continue to dialogue with the Ministry and Ontario Health. To read more about the Your Health plan please click here.

    PCN Primer
    Within the Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care we were also pleased to see the commitment to help support organizing primary care by:

    Creating a connected health care system through Ontario Health Teams by supporting collaboration and engagement with primary care providers across the province through the creation of primary care networks. Every Ontario Health Team will include a group of primary care providers organized in a network to be part of decision-making and to improve access to care for patients.

    To support the notion of primary organization, AFHTO along with our SGFP and OCFP partners have developed a concept discussion paper for the Ministry that outlines preliminary recommendations for the establishment of Primary Care Networks (or PCNs) in Ontario. A two-page primer summarizing the key concepts of PCNs can be seen here. We look forward to further consultations with our members and stakeholders over the coming months to refine the draft recommendations presented.

    $8.1M Funding Announcement for Expansion of Teams
    The provincial government is providing $8.1 million in new annualized base funding to enhance access to primary care in key regions of the province. “This funding will support various interprofessional primary care organizations, including 18 Family Health Teams (FHTs), 2 Community Health Centres (CHCs) and 2 Nurse Practitioner Led-Clinics (NPLCs), to continue the delivery of high-quality care that Ontarians know and deserve.” If your team is receiving new base funding and you’re able to share details, please contact us so we can share.

    2023 Pre-Budget Submissions
    On February 6, 2023 AFHTO submitted our recommendations to the government for their 2023 budget. Our recommendations are broken into four sections:

    1. Make team-based primary care available to more Ontarians through an investment of an additional $75 million pre year for 10 years (recommendation provided in partnership with the Primary Care Collaborative)
    2. Address the health human resource (HHR) crisis in primary care through the creation of a primary care HHR table (recommendation provided in partnership with the Primary Care Collaborative)
    3. Provide mental health and additions services and home and community care in coordination with primary care
    4. Provide resources to support the implementation of primary care networks (PCNs) and recognize PCNs as the organizing model for primary care. 

     
    AFHTO has begun to set up meetings with government bodies to present our recommendations and hopes to begin meeting with officials very soon. Members are encouraged to present the pre-budget submission to their own MPPs if given an opportunity to meet. Please let us know if we can help in your local advocacy efforts!

    AFHTO Conference
    Mark your calendars for October 25, 2023, with pre-conference sessions beginning on October 24th. Now’s the time to start thinking about your submissions for Bright Lights!  Stay tuned for more details over the coming weeks.  

    Introducing our new benefit- discount on CPS Full Access
    While you may open our emails because you know you’re getting the latest and most relevant updates, you might have forgotten about other benefits available to you. Here are some which can facilitate not just your work, but that of staff, clinicians, and board members as well, or simply make life a little easier, including a 40% discount on CPS Full Access.

    As we move into the spring, we continue to thank you for the great work you all do. If there are ways we can support you, please let us know.

  • Introducing our new benefit- discount on CPS Full Access; plus, take advantage of ALL your AFHTO benefits and perks

    Introducing our new benefit- discount on CPS Full Access; plus, take advantage of ALL your AFHTO benefits and perks

    To AFHTO member EDs/Admin Leads,

    Leading in primary care has never been easy and it would be an understatement to say the work has only become more challenging these past couple of years. That’s why you should take advantage of every opportunity available, and that includes making the most of your AFHTO membership.

    While you may open our emails because you know you’re getting the latest and most relevant updates, you might have forgotten about other benefits available to you. Below are some which can facilitate not just your work, but that of staff, clinicians, and board members as well, or simply make life a little easier.

    New benefit – 40% discount on CPS Full Access

    Is This Your Clinic?
    A patient’s prescription is at the pharmacy and the pharmacy team cannot fill it.  
    The pharmacy is attempting to contact your office.
    They have questions or need to find an alternative because either the patient refuses to pay for what was prescribed, the drug is in short supply/not available, or the dosing or directions need clarifying.
    It’s taking numerous attempts back and forth between your office and the pharmacy.  
    Meanwhile work is piling up, the patient is becoming frustrated and now either calling the office too or giving up and won’t pursue the prescription.

    If you spend time clarifying prescriptions, use CPS Full Access, a Canadian-developed platform that features up-to-date Canadian information such as:

    • Current drug shortages.
    • Health Canada–approved product names, indications, dosing and patient information.
    • Warnings, recalls and safety alerts.
    • Evidence-based therapeutic content and algorithms.
    • Drug tables with price ranges.  

    FREE TRIAL UNTIL APRIL 1st, 2023
    Go to: cps.pharmacists.ca
    Username: AFHTO
    Password: AFHTO@CPS

    Annual subscriptions are normally priced at $769 plus HST.

    As a member of AFHTO, you can get your annual CPS Full Access subscription starting April 1, 2023, at a reduced rate of only $460 plus HST per year, which includes both web and mobile applications.

    After April 1st, 2023, to subscribe, contact CPS Client Service Team at service@pharmacists.ca  
    Quote code: AFHTO for your 40% discount

    For more information:

    This benefit is being offered on a trial basis for a year, at which time we will assess participation rates.

    Membership benefits:

    HOOPP handbook cover with woman giving a little boy a piggyback ride, both laughing

    Eligibility to join Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)

    • Employers Joining HOOPP – this page outlines some of the benefits for employers and an overview of the process
    • HOOPP Plan Features – this page outlines the many great features of the Plan that are available to all HOOPP members
    • The HOOPP Handbook – this member booklet provides a detailed overview of the Plan
    • If you’re interested in participating in HOOPP, you can contact Bill Kontos, Business Development Manager

    (NOTE: AFHTO continues to advocate to try to reduce the OHA membership fee to participate in the HOOPP program and will continue this work).

    Discount perks

    • Reduced rates for Community Health Ontario Group Insurance Plan (CHOGIP)- English and French
      • Available as a benefits program courtesy of our partnership with the Alliance for Healthier Communities (Alliance) and Addictions and Mental Health Ontario (AMHO)
      • As a reminder, benefits for primary care teams are set at 22.5% to enable teams to access benefits and pension. For more information on the CHOGIP program please contact our Benefits Consultant, Pierre Huneault at pierre@dibrina.com.
    • Perkopolis employee discounted program
    • GoodLife Fitness discounts

    And lest we forget- UpToDate® discounts

    Desktop monitor, tablet and smartphone all showing UpToDate information

    As an AFHTO member, you are able to save on an individual subscription to UpToDate® and optional add-on products.*

    AFHTO professional members can SAVE 15% off  on a subscription to UpToDate.

    AFHTO trainee members can SAVE 20% off on a subscription to UpToDate.

    AFHTO Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants SAVE 20% off annual (or longer) subscription rates on a three-year professional subscription to UpToDate.

    To take advantage of this offer, log in as an AFHTO member, and then click on either:

    Also included:

    There are so many calls on your time and budget, so take advantage of all we have to offer.

    Member renewal and voluntary contribution request coming up

    We’ll be sending out member renewal notifications and voluntary contribution requests as well in early March. Just a reminder as the end of the financial year approaches. If you have any questions, please feel free to email info@afhto.ca.

    *Savings on annual and longer subscriptions only and based on subscription type. AFHTO member prices are reflected in the UpToDate storefront when you are signed in to the AFHTO website with your membership login. Applicable taxes may apply.

  • Preliminary Survey to Capture MHA Funding Impact

    Dear EDs and Admin Leads,

    Further to our Memo released on January 30th, the IPHCC has developed a preliminary survey to assess the progress and utilization of the MHA funding. Recognizing that teams have until March 31st to spend these funds, the intent of this survey is to capture the work you have underway and identify areas where we can provide further guidance, if necessary. The survey should take 5-7 minutes to complete. Please note this is not a replacement for the fulsome evaluation that the IHPCC will send to you in April. 
     
    Please complete the survey before March 10, by clicking this link. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help to inform the feedback provided to the Ministry as well as the final survey you will receive in April. 

    Please note the following from the IHPCC regarding the evaluation framework:

    The scope of eligible work is wide, and you may have included unique innovations: we recognize that person-centered mental health is achieved not only by direct services to patients, but also supporting family and caregivers, and may include both individual services as well as panel or population education and outreach interventions, including efforts to address social determinants of mental health. This funding also provides an opportunity to reach systemically marginalized and people facing greater risk, including Indigenous, Black and Francophone communities, children, and youth, as well as those with chronic physical diseases (e.g., diabetes, heart disease and strokes, hypertension, lung diseases like COPD and asthma, kidney disease, etc.) which are associated with higher risk of concurrent mood and anxiety disorders, lower treatment adherence and poor health outcomes. Efforts that are culturally appropriate, motivate patient and caregiver autonomy and include measurements-based assessment (e.g., PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, Audit-C, etc.) and stepped-care interventions strongly demonstrate the value of all your work.  

  • Winter Highlights 2023: AFHTO IHP Advisory Council Meeting

    We are pleased to launch the first AFHTO IHP Advisory Council Communique. The Council meets on a quarterly basis to provide input on primary care team matters related to IHPs, give advice to the AFHTO board and staff, and foster leadership across the IHP community. The council’s Terms of Reference and membership listing can be accessed here. Below are highlights from the winter 2023 council meeting.

    Market Salary Review & Compensation Working Group
    In 2022, multiple associations and organizations came together as the Community Compensation Working Group to jointly support a market survey in order to get a better idea of the wage disparity and compensation challenges across interprofessional primary care, community support services, community mental health and long-term care. The market salary review will be conducted for 78 positions across the primary and community care sectors.

    The Working Group has since partnered with Eckler Ltd. to begin this work with an estimated completion by end of spring 2023. Once complete, recommendations will be presented to the government and funders on reasonable, fair, and equitable compensation across the healthcare sector. Our goal is to demonstrate the significant pay gap and wage inequities across the community sector and to compel government to pay healthcare providers and staff the compensation they deserve.

    To ensure a successful market study with a substantive sample, Executive Directors are being asked to complete a survey that will accompany the market review. Surveys are targeted to be launched in late February 2023. If you have questions about this market study, please feel free to contact Abisola Otepola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.

    IHP Roles & Responsibilities

    As many of you are aware, members requested updated information on roles and responsibilities of IHPs to aid in the coordination and management of their respective teams. AFHTO is currently validating information that had been provided and is planning to release the information over the coming months.  

    Following the release of the guidance document, plans are in place to host a webinar series with a focus on individual IHP disciplines/roles. The goal is to have generative discussion around individual roles and responsibilities, challenges, and key enablers using the guidance document as the starting point. This work will be done in partnership with associations and key stakeholders. Preliminary timelines for this will be summer 2023.

    FHT and NPLC Contracts
    In late January teams received letters from the Ministry of Health with regards to the NPLC and FHT contracts for the upcoming fiscal year. The Ministry intends to transfer the contract management and oversight of the NPLCs to Ontario Health, effective April 1, 2023. All provisions in the NPLC Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.

    A separate letter went to FHTs noting the FHT contract has been extended for another year. The FHT contract now expires on March 31, 2024. Although there should be no direct impact to IHPs, we understand there may be questions on the NPLC transition process and what this might mean for the potential of a future transition of the FHT contracts to OH. We’re speaking regularly with MOH and OH and will provide regular updates to our members.

    Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care
    On Feb 2nd 2023,  Health Minister Sylvia Jones launched Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, a plan that sets the vision and direction for Ontario’s health system strategy for the next few years. We were thrilled to see an investment of $30 million to expand or create new teams and help bridge the gap in accessing interprofessional primary care for vulnerable, marginalized, and unattached patients to ensure they are able to connect to care where and when they need it.

    AFHTO has been advocating for years around expansion of team-based care and we were pleased to see the first large investment to expand teams in the province in a number of years. The details of what the implementation will look like (new teams or expansion of already existing teams) is still being worked through and we hope to provide you with more information as we continue to dialogue with the Ministry and Ontario Health. To read more about the Your Health plan please click here.

    AFHTO Conference
    Mark your calendars for October 25, 2023, with pre-conference sessions beginning on October 24th. Now’s the time to start thinking about your submissions for Bright Lights!  Stay tuned for more details over the coming weeks.  

    PCC & AFHTO Pre-Budget Submissions & Local Advocacy

    On February 6, 2023 AFHTO submitted our recommendations to the government for their 2023 budget. Our recommendations are broken into four sections:

    1. Make team-based primary care available to more Ontarians through an investment of an additional $75 million pre year for 10 years (recommendation provided in partnership with the Primary Care Collaborative)
    2. Address the health human resource (HHR) crisis in primary care through the creation of a primary care HHR table (recommendation provided in partnership with the Primary Care Collaborative)
    3. Provide mental health and additions services and home and community care in coordination with primary care
    4. Provide resources to support the implementation of primary care networks (PCNs) and recognize PCNs as the organizing model for primary care. 

     
    AFHTO has begun to set up meetings with government bodies to present our recommendations and hopes to begin meeting with officials very soon. Members are encouraged to present the pre-budget submission to their own MPPs if given an opportunity to meet. Please let us know if we can help in your local advocacy efforts!

    Connect with your peers using AFHTO’s IHP Directory
    IHPs in AFHTO member teams are encouraged to sign up to AFHTO’s IHP Directory! This directory will help improve AFHTO’s communication to IHPs, and it will support IHP networking, information sharing, and collaboration.

    After you sign up, you will be emailed a link to a spreadsheet with the names, professions, team names, and work emails of all IHPs who have signed up for open communication. You may sort by profession to see the names of those in the same discipline as you.

    AFHTO will be checking the directory and emailing links to new registrants every 1-2 weeks. We look forward to improved communication from AFHTO to IHPs, and across IHPs in AFHTO-member teams!

    Ongoing Communication
    We hope ongoing communiques will create an opportunity for you to learn and stay involved with what the AFHTO IHP Advisory Council is working on providing to the primary care community and fellow IHP members! Please contact us at any time if you have any questions and please encourage the IHPs in your team to sign up for these communiques. 

  • Bits & Pieces: interim CEO announced and more

    Bits & Pieces: interim CEO announced and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Interim CEO announced
    • Connect with your peers using AFHTO’s IHP Directory
    • New one-and-done therapy can help curb severe COVID-19 infection and more
    • Open grant: optimizing team-based primary care
    • Updated information about accessing the provincial PPE/testing supplies stockpile
    • Health Connect Ontario is now Health811
    • Seeking older adults with multiple chronic conditions
    • Help address social isolation and loneliness in older adults
    • Upcoming events including Long COVID and more

     

     

    Interim CEO announced

    From President and Board Chair, Sara Dalo:

    “I am pleased to share that the AFHTO Board has appointed Bryn Hamilton to become AFHTO’s interim CEO, effective March 27, 2023. Many of you already know Bryn as AFHTO’s Director of Governance and Integration, supporting our membership through her focus on primary care integration, strengthening Board governance practices and supporting health system integration. Bryn has been with AFHTO since 2014 and is well versed in the needs of the members and the health system transformation currently underway. We invite you to join us in welcoming Bryn in her new role!”

    Visit our site to find out more about the recruitment process and sign Kavita’s farewell e-card.

    Connect with your peers using AFHTO’s IHP Directory

    IHPs in AFHTO member teams are encouraged to sign up to AFHTO’s IHP Directory! This directory will help improve AFHTO’s communication to IHPs, and it will support IHP networking, information sharing, and collaboration.

    After you sign up, you will be emailed a link to a spreadsheet with the names, professions, team names, and work emails of all IHPs who have signed up for open communication. You may sort by profession to see the names of those in the same discipline as you.

    AFHTO will be checking the directory and emailing links to new registrants every 1-2 weeks. We look forward to improved communication from AFHTO to IHPs, and across IHPs in AFHTO-member teams!

    New one-and-done therapy can help curb severe COVID-19 infection and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update multiple pages on our site with resources and news:

    Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates. You can find links to related pages here as well.

    Open grant: optimizing team-based primary care

    The Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) has launched an open call for proposals supporting primary care practitioners and teams in augmenting and optimizing interprofessional team-based care in their practices. Funding up to $200,000 CAD is available. Deadline Feb. 20, 2023.

    Updated information about accessing the provincial PPE/testing supplies stockpile

    From the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (MPBSD):
    “In November 2022, we informed you that the current Remedy ordering platform will be sunset by April 1, 2023, and replaced with a new system. We have now received information on the new system (the centralized PPE Supply Portal), including instructions on how each primary care practice will need to set up an account to access the new system.” This document outlines the steps required to onboard primary care teams to the PPE Supply Portal and a link to the registration form. Registration deadline is Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

    Health Connect Ontario is now Health811

    Health Connect Ontario has changed its name to Health811.

    The focus and function is still the same – it remains a resource Ontarians can access 24/7 to receive health advice, speak with a registered nurse, get assistance finding local health supports and to find trusted health information. Health811 can be accessed by calling 811 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007) or by going online at Ontario.ca/Health811 or Ontario.ca/Sante811. Read the memo (EN and FR) for more information.

    Seeking older adults with multiple chronic conditions

    older adults with multiple chronic conditions recruitment poster linked in the blurb

    A PhD student from Ontario Tech University, Julie Vizza, is looking for participants to take part in a study entitled, “Experiences with medication management in interprofessional care models: A study of older adults with multiple chronic conditions”. It will examine the experiences of older adults who have been prescribed multiple medications to manage multiple chronic conditions and who are followed by a FHT in Ontario.

    Its purpose is to understand the impact of managing multiple medications and how individuals conceptualize their medication management care team. The results will offer important ideas on how care can be improved to better support patients in managing their medications.

    Eligible participants are currently being followed by a FHT in Ontario. See the poster for additional criteria. If you know of any older adults that may be interested in sharing their experiences or to learn more about the study, please contact: julie.vizza@ontariotechu.net.

     

    Help address social isolation and loneliness in older adults
    The Canadian Coalition for Seniors’ Mental Health has begun a new project on Social Isolation and Loneliness. It’s intended to lead in the development and promotion of Canadian guidelines for health and social service providers to identify and address isolation and loneliness among older adults. The survey’s focus is to learn more about the attitudes, experiences, knowledge, and ideas of people working directly with older adults, regarding the topic of social isolation and loneliness. It should take roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. Find out more here.

    OHT Engagement Learning Series – Session 3 of 7: Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Feb. 21, 2023
    Hosted by Institute for Better Health and Trillium Health Partners. Register here.

    Sickle Cell Disease: A New Quality Standard for High-Quality Care in Ontario, Feb. 22, 2023
    This session will introduce Ontario Health’s recently released Sickle Cell Disease quality standard and describe how it can drive QI and improve care for Ontarians across the health system. Register here.

    Long COVID, Feb. 24, 2022
    57th in the series “Changing the way we work” on Friday, February 24, 2023, at 7:55-9:15 am, hosted by UofT and OCFP. Register here.

    Strategies to Increase Client and Family Engagement, Feb. 27, 2023
    Hosted by RNAO and presented by Victorian Order of Nurses (VON). Register here.

  • Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care

    This email was sent to EDs/Admin leads, board chairs and lead MDs/NPs of AFHTO member teams

    Dear Triad Members,

    Today Health Minister Sylvia Jones launched Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, a plan that sets the vision and direction for Ontario’s health system strategy for the next few years. With a strategy focused on the patient experience by developing system capacity through increasing the health workforce, expanding ways people can access care and investing in health infrastructure, the plan focuses on three pillars:

    1. The right care in the right place – increasing access to care in community-based settings that improve convenience and relieve pressure on hospitals, long term care facilities and other areas of the health care system;
    2. Faster access to care – focused on cutting wait times which has led to delayed care, including backlogs for non-urgent surgeries and diagnostic procedures like MRI and CT scans;
    3. Hiring more health care workers – which includes new commitments to tackle the HHR crisis through further education and training, especially in hospitals, primary care settings, long term care homes and home care.

    In the first pillar, the plan talks about bringing together primary care. Two new commitments were announced that will help support organizing primary care and expanding access to team-based care:

    1. An investment of $30 million to create up to 18 new teams and help bridge the gap in accessing interprofessional primary care for vulnerable, marginalized, and unattached patients to ensure they are able to connect to care where and when they need it. In addition, this expansion will support primary care integration within Ontario Health Teams and sustain direct service delivery in existing interprofessional primary care teams that are experiencing increased operating costs.
    2. Create a connected health care system through Ontario Health Teams by supporting collaboration and engagement with primary care providers across the province through the creation of primary care networks. Every Ontario Health Team will include a group of primary care providers organized in a network to be part of decision-making and to improve access to care for patients.

    AFHTO has been advocating for years around expansion of team-based care and we were pleased to see the first large investment to expand teams in the province in a number of years. The details of what the implementation will look like (new teams or expansion of already existing teams) is still being worked through and we hope to provide you with more information as we continue to dialogue with the Ministry and Ontario Health.

    As part of that first commitment, it is also our assumption that already existing teams will be able to access funding to offset their increased operating costs. Once again, we will provide you with further details as they become available as we know many of you are dealing with increased costs that cannot be managed within your already constrained budgets.

    The formation of primary care networks is something that has happened organically in many OHT regions across the province and having this acknowledged in the plan is the first step toward organizing primary care and giving the important voice that the sector needs into local OHT planning, decision-making and collaboration. AFHTO, along with our partners at the Ontario College of Family Physicians and the OMA Section on General and Family Practice, has been advocating for the creation of these networks of family physicians, nurse practitioners and community specialists (where appropriate) in order to truly ensure primary care is the foundation of the OHTs and the health care system.

    The plan also provided details around increasing the health workforce by increasing the number of training spots for health care professionals every year including:

    • 455 new spots for physicians in training (160 undergraduate and 295 postgraduate)
    • 52 new physician assistant training spots
    • 150 new nurse practitioner spots
    • 1,500 additional nursing spots

    Expanding education and training programs through the Learn and Stay grant was announced as was the “As of Right” to allow health care workers registered in other provinces and territories to immediately start working and caring for people without first having to register with one of Ontario’s health regulatory colleges.

    What is not mentioned in the plan is a compensation strategy to address wage inequity between sectors and the need to increase salaries to keep up with inflation and cost of living. The government confirmed that there is separate work being done around this as they are looking at all sectors to support ongoing retention strategies. A reminder that AFHTO is working with our partners on a Compensation Market Salary Review to provide government with data to highlight the disparity in salary levels in the community/primary care level.

    There is a lot to digest in this plan and over the next few weeks we will provide you with more information as we find out more details. While we had hoped for more investments to ensure more Ontarians have access to team-based care, this is great news for team-based care which we hope will lead to further investments over the next few years.

    As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

    Yours in Good Health,

    The AFHTO Team

    Resources:

  • Updated Guidance for MHA Funding & Reporting Requirements

    Dear EDs and Admin Leads,

    As you are aware, we released guidance on potential options for you to direct your MHA funding.

    There is updated guidance from the Ministry of Health on (1) procurement guidelines and (2) inclusion of capital costs. The IPHCC has also provided details on a draft list of questions that you will be asked to answer in April via survey – there is no action to take at this point.

    1. Procurement Guidelines: If you are planning to partner with MindBeacon, AskForHelp.ca, or other provincial organizations that provide MHA services, you may need to spend over $10,000. Please note that the standard OPS procurement guidance will not apply in this case. The Ministry of Health will issue a formal notice on this exception, which you can share with your auditor (and Board) to assist with planning.

    2. Capital Costs: As you may be aware, initial guidance from the Ministry of Health stated that funding could not be used towards capital costs (e.g., leasehold improvements, equipment). However, to assist teams with maximizing the funds received, that guidance has since changed. You may now be eligible to direct funds toward capital costs, subject to approval from your MOH contact. Please reach out to your MOH contact for the required approvals.

    Please note that with these updates, you are still required to spend your funds on or before March 31st, 2023, or they will be subject to reconciliation and unspent funds will be recovered by the Ministry.

    3. Reporting Requirements: The IPHCC has been asked to lead a report back to the Ministry on how the MHA funds have been spent by all interprofessional team based models. IPHCC is working in collaboration with the Nurse Practitioner-Led Association (NPLCA), the Alliance for Healthier Communities (Alliance) and AFHTO on this report, with the hope that we can use the information to advocate for continued support of MHA in interprofessional primary care.

    You can find the list of draft questions here – much of the information was included on AFHTO’s initial guidance to teams, so you will likely have this information already. We ask that you please complete the survey with as much information as possible once it is officially released by the IPHCC, mostly likely in April. As you know, our goal is to make the case to government for sustainable funding. We appreciate you taking time to gather this information that will support future advocacy work.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at any time. Thank you as always for the services, programming, and support that you provide to your patients and community that are experiencing MHA issues and concerns.

    Yours in good health,

    The AFHTO Team

  • NPLC and FHT Contracts

    This email was sent to EDs/Admin leads, board chairs and lead MDs/NPs of AFHTO member teams

    Dear triad members,

    By now you would have received letters from the Ministry of Health with regards to the NPLC and FHT contracts for the upcoming fiscal year.

    In the letter to the NPLCs, the Ministry noted that it was implementing section 15.10 of the contracts:

    • The Ministry reserves the right to assign or transfer its roles and responsibilities under this Agreement to an agency of the Crown, upon giving the Clinic 60 days written notice of its intention to do so. In the event of any such assignment or transfer shall not require a formal assignment agreement, and upon such assignment or transfer, all references to the Ministry shall automatically apply to the Crown agency.

    As such, the Ministry intends to transfer the contract management and oversight of the NPLCs to Ontario Health, effective April 1, 2023. All provisions in the NPLC Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. The Ministry, along with Ontario Health, will be holding a Q&A about the transition and any questions the NPLCs have on Monday, February 6th from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. If you didn’t get a meeting invite, please contact your Ministry Senior Program Consultant.

    A separate letter went to FHTs that now notes that the FHT contract has been extended for another year. Your contract now expires on March 31, 2024. You MUST sign back your letters before March 15, 2023 to enable ongoing funding to flow to your FHT into the next fiscal year.

    We understand many of you will have questions on the NPLC transition process and what this might mean for the potential of a future transition of the FHT contracts to OH. We’re speaking regularly with MOH and OH and hope to have a Q&A in the spring for FHTs, once we have a better idea of what the next steps will be with the future of the FHT contract.  

    We also recognize the extensive feedback our members provided during consultations over the last year on ways to strengthen the FHT contract, and we provided these recommendations to the Ministry in November 2022. These recommendations will still be kept under consideration and are being discussed internally at the MOH and OH. While we won’t see changes to the FHT contract for another year, amendments to the attestation and Schedule A might happen sooner and this may require action from you prior to March 31, 2023. Alongside government, we will keep you apprised of expectations and timelines.

    AFHTO is here to support you as we continue building relations with OH, ensuring support mechanisms through them are clear, and as we work toward a more streamlined process for contract management.
    We will continue to work with you, with MOH, and with OH on next steps.

    Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

    Sincerely,
    Your AFHTO Team

  • Request to Participate in the 2023 Compensation Market Salary Review – Heads Up

    Dear Executive Directors and Admin Leads,

    As you may be aware, in 2022, multiple associations/organizations came together as the Community Compensation Working Group to jointly support a market survey to get a better idea of the wage disparity and compensation challenges. To ensure a successful market study with a substantive sample, we require your collaboration and participation to complete the survey that will accompany this review.

    Why it matters:
    This survey is particularly important considering the impacts of the pandemic on healthcare as well as human resources practices within organizations, and legislated compensation restraints that have impacted many organizations in Ontario. We know that recruitment and retention, as well as salary disparity, is one of the biggest challenges in primary care and getting data on what the levels currently are and what they should be is critical in supporting our HHR advocacy asks to government.

    Who and what will be covered:
    The Community Compensation Working Group includes over 1,200 unique organizations including: 302 primary care organizations comprised of Community Health Centres, Family Health Teams, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics, Indigenous Primary Health Care Organizations; 225 home and community care organizations, 90 publicly funded child and youth mental health agencies, 175 community mental health and addiction organizations, 30 local CMHA branches, 221 long-term care homes, 91 housing members and 95 community service agencies. Invitations are being sent to members served by these associations/organizations as well as several other organizations – Ontario and nationally.

    We have partnered with Eckler Ltd. to conduct this survey. They will provide independent evidence-based approaches to reviewing the compensation and provide insights. Eckler Ltd. will receive the surveys collected by AFHTO and others, streamline information (ensuring maintaining confidentiality and privacy for each individual organization), and provide aggregated information in reports. All survey participants will receive a summary report which we hope will assist you in compensation planning.

    The survey is focused on collecting basic salary and information for a series of benchmark positions with a few other general HR practice questions for review and consideration.

    We know you likely receive a number of requests for survey participation and are facing significant resource constraints; however, we hope our request will support any pre-planning as we prepare for a survey launch in February.

    Timing and contact
    Surveys are targeted to be launched in February 2023. You will receive the survey from AFHTO. If you have questions about this market study please feel free to contact, Abisola Otepola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca or our Eckler contact, Deirdre Chong Smith at 647-293-0183 or dchongsmith@eckler.ca.

    If you know you would like to participate or have a designated employee that will provide the information, please let us know who to issue the survey to by emailing Abisola Otepola at abisola.otepola@afhto.ca.  

    Thank you for considering this request. This important work will provide us with the data we need to ensure we have equity among all health care providers in the health care system, no matter what sector they work in.

    Yours in Good Health,

    Your AFHTO Team

  • Regarding mental health and addiction funding letters

    This email was sent to EDs/Admin leads of AFHTO member teams

    Dear Members,

    Most of you have or will soon receive your funding letters with regards to one-time mental health and addiction funding for FY 2022-2023. Please note that although those funds are finally confirmed, the ministry is imposing an embargo on public communications related to this funding until further notice so this funding should not be announced to your communities or media until you have been provided with the direction to go ahead.

    To support teams with planning, this document provides information and options for teams to consider as you decide where to direct this funding (if you currently do not have a plan). This is for information only to help generate ideas and aren’t guidelines on how funds must be utilized.  Guidance from the Ministry of Health states that funding can be used for a range of options that are not related to capital costs, and expenses can be made retroactive for this fiscal year.

    The Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC) may be doing a report back to the Ministry on how the funds have been spent. While they determine the information they wish to collect, please support that work by keeping track of key indicators related to the impact of funding. Examples could include:

    • Number/percentage of patients served (including unattached)
    • Type of service provided
      • Counselling and treatment (internal)
      • Counselling and treatment (hired external)
      • Addiction services
      • Outreach (mobile unit, care in the home)
      • Youth services
      • Support groups
      • Groups/webinars including virtual workshop series
      • Crisis services
      • Purchase of patient resources/tools like workbooks etc.
      • Visual storytelling (patients, families, caregiver, HCPs)
    • Waiting times and waiting list before and after funding was released

    Our goal is to make the case to government for sustainable funding though we know it will be difficult to provide them with meaningful data. However, if you can provide any updates on how the funds made impact with your patients and/or communities it will be shared to help the ministry with their future planning.

    SUPPORTS THAT CAN BE LEVERAGED

    Existing Provincial Services:
    Teams may contract services with provincial organizations (e.g., CMHA, AMHO organizations) that provide a variety of mental health supports through a combination of virtual, in-person, or guided online sessions. These organizations have worked with interprofessional teams in varying capacities and can be leveraged to provide short term supports. This can also be extended to employing short-term contracts with independent practice social workers, psychologists, or other mental health professionals.

    SickKids CCMH Learning Institute

    • The SickKids CCMH Learning Institute offers high-quality and evidence-informed learning opportunities for mental health and medical health professionals, direct service workers, educators, and first responders to advance best practices in mental health care. Program length varies from half-day (3-hour) webinars to multi-day certificate programs. They offer training for professionals who work with patients of every age, across the lifespan.
    • This program is available to AFHTO members at a 15% discount, and it’s a great opportunity to provide educational opportunities for members of your team. Upcoming courses can be found here so please register as soon as you can.
    • To support the Institute with further programming, please also take a few minutes to complete their survey to share insights into training needs for you and your teams.  

    AskForHelptoday.ca

    • The Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) has implemented a stop-gap measure by introducing a navigation and matching service available to all residents of Ontario who require the services of a registered psychologist. Patients are matched to Psychologists or Psychological Associates that are in good standing with the College of Psychologists of Ontario with considerations for their personal preferences (e.g., preferred language, race, location). Services are virtual and match patients with consideration for their personal preference.
    • Primary care teams have the potential to refer patients through Ocean eReferral or on the web portal askforhelptoday.ca. OPA is willing to work with a group of teams to develop services best suited to the needs of individual health teams. An example of the service offering currently operational in Ontario is the Ministry of Health funded COVID-19 Psychological Support Program which supports the psychotherapeutic needs of frontline healthcare workers in partnership with Ontario Health and five hospitals. Click here to learn more about the CPS program.  
    • You can also click here to learn more about the types of patients that are most often referred to psychologists. For more information, please contact Dr. Sylvain Roy, DrRoy@psych.on.ca  

    MindBeacon

    • Offers Canadians a full spectrum of mental health supports for depression, anxiety and other common mental health concerns with face-to-face live therapy, virtual therapy, and a therapist-guided Internet Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TAiCBT) program. Clinicians can determine what therapy is best for their patient or can leave the decision to one of MindBeacon’s licensed professionals to help guide the patient to a therapy that meets their needs and preferences.
    • TAiCBT helps patients with over 12 mental health concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety insomnia, panic, stress, and PTSD). It is offered to patients (16+) for up to 12 weeks of personalized therapy on a platform with their own licensed mental health professional. This therapy is all delivered online, with no phone calls and no appointments and. Guidance from their therapist is done on the platform through messaging.
    • Interprofessional teams have the option of pooling funds and developing a contract with MindBeacon to help meet service demand.
    • MindBeacon can provide different referral options for teams and is currently working on having a site on Ocean eReferral. Training and communication materials for clinicians and patients on MindBeacon’s therapy and referral options is also available to all partners. Click here to learn more about MindBeacon.
    • For more information, please contact Felicia Fallen, Felicia.fallen@mindbeacon.com

    ONE-TIME, SHORT-TERM PURCHASES:

    • Modalities of therapy training (trauma, CBT, DBT, ACT, EFT, IFS) to allow for future programming.
    • Resources (e.g., textbooks, audio books (psychoeducation and worksheets for patients), podcast subscriptions, laptops, and screens for programming and remote work, increasing capacity for virtual care services.
    • Payments to support patients’ daily needs (e.g., clothing, temporary housing, utility costs, grocery gift cards, community kitchens, bus passes etc.).
    • Leverage existing partnerships (e.g., work with existing OHTs, partner with CMHA to staff a drop-in centre for MH&A patients that need a warm shelter during the winter).
    • Increase staffing capacity on a temporary or long-term basis (e.g., hire and sustain a mental health counsellor role within your team, hiring a care coordinator/patient navigator).

    IDEAS FROM INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE TEAMS:
    These are initiatives currently underway or planned by primary care teams that may spark ideas for you to consider if you choose to manage services locally.

    • North Shore Family Health Team: NSFHT received a 0.5 percent FTE staffing increase for navigation, and directed a portion of this position for intake, assessment and care coordination services for patients that experience mental health/socio-economic struggles. The program has improved inter-agency flow with patients being continuously supported as they are referred to the services that best address their needs. The care coordinator works with patients to coordinate other beneficial interventions, such as volunteer opportunities, and continues to do wellness checks until another organization can take over. Click here to learn more.
    • Windsor Family Health Team: A stand alone non-profit was created to serve anyone in need, however, the majority of the patients are those with MH&A issues. These services include providing groceries, housecleaning, transportation to out-of-town appointments, medical equipment, hotel stays, help with utility and/or rent payments, etc. A yearly limit is set for each patient. This service works in conjunction with other local agencies to provide the most comprehensive support possible. WFHT offers MH counselling and a RAAM Clinic.

    We’re here to support you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Abisola Otepola.

    Yours in good health,

    The AFHTO Team