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Tag: Members Only News

  • Ontario election update: responses from the political parties

    As promised, we are sharing with you the response we received from each of the three main political parties to the questions we had posed (see below). Click on the links to see responses (listed in the order they were received) from the:

    Please make sure to vote! Angie Heydon Executive Director, AFHTO

    1. For a summary of where each of the three main parties stands on health issues see below.
    2. By June 10, AFHTO will share responses received from the parties on 5 questions about interprofessional primary care. Scroll down to see the questions.
    3. Thank you to AFHTO members for raising awareness among candidates of the value interprofessional primary care delivers to patients and the health system and the need to support recruitment and retention of staff to deliver this care. Scroll down for more information.

    1. PARTY PLATFORMS:

    Lib – http://ontarioliberalplan.ca/#plan;

    Liberals have pledged to “Guarantee that every Ontarian has access to a primary care provider.” Details on this pledge were released this morning; it includes the statement – “Improve the recruitment and retention of community-based primary care teams.”  Read more at http://kathleenwynne.ca/guaranteeing-primary-care-ontarians/ Other details about their health platform is found at – http://ontarioliberalplan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Access-to-the-Right-Health-Care-at-the-Right-Time-in-the-Right-Place.pdf .

    • Reduce wait times for referrals to specialists
    • Advocate for national drug insurance
    • Increase funding to our Mental Health and Addictions Strategy
    • Provide access to free vaccinations and newborn screening
    • Develop Community Hubs for community-driven programs that focus on health and wellness
    • Create 36 more Health Links to help those with multiple, complex conditions
    • Provide culturally appropriate care
    • Provide Ontarians with better information about chemicals linked with cancer
    • Increase funding for the seniors activity and community grants program

    PC – http://ontariopc.com/millionjobsplan/plan.pdf

    The plan largely builds on the vision advanced through the earlier PC party white papers on health care. The major health care commitments in the plan are as follows:

    • Local Health Integrated Networks (LHINs) will be eliminated and replaced by Health Hubs (which would bring together hospitals and community providers). These hubs will be run by front-line local health experts.
    • To help manage chronic conditions, the PCs would increase home care and create Chronic Care Centres. Doctors and nurses would work together to develop comprehensive care plans. Patients with the highest needs would be assigned a dedicated care navigator to ensure care is received right when they need it. This person will be a frontline caregiver such as a nurse, not a bureaucrat.
    • Home care and long-term care would be expanded.
    • The scope of practice would be updated for pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other professionals, to allow treatment where it is most convenient and beneficial for patients, particularly seniors.
    • Introduce a self-directed model of home care that would allow patients to select their services.
    • Encourage more competitive contracts for companies that provide health care services.
    • The role of modern, specialty clinics to provide more services such as dialysis and routine surgeries would be expanded.
    • Mental health services would be integrated to address the fragmented service delivery experienced by most patients today.
    • Children’s physical activity would be increased to 45 minutes per day, through school-based activities and after-school sports.
    • A secure health care database that will allow doctors and nurses to study real-world feedback on what treatments work best to help them determine the best care path for future patients would be created.

    NDP — http://ourplan.ontariondp.ca/?source=homepage

    The major health care commitments outlined in the plan are as follows: YEAR 1:

    • Open 50 new 24-hour Family Health Clinics with the capacity to serve 250,000 people, reducing the number of Ontarians without primary care access by 25 per cent.
    • Hire 250 more nurse practitioners in the Emergency Room in an effort to cut wait times in half.
    • Create 1,400 new Long-Term care beds with the goal of eliminating the waitlists for acute long-term.
    • Eliminate home care wait times for seniors with a Five Day Home Care guarantee. Clients would receive approximately two nursing visits and 7.5 hours of personal support per month.

    YEAR 2:

    • A Caregiver Tax Credit of $1, 275 per year to families caring for the ill or elderly.
    • Student debt forgiveness for doctors who choose to practice in rural, underserviced areas. The plan targets participation by 250 physicians, forgiving $20, 000 of debt per service.

    2. AFHTO’S QUESTIONS FOR PARTIES:

    Answers to the following questions have been requested by June 6. Response received will be sent to AFHTO members no later than June 10:

    1. Evidence shows that a very sick patient without high quality care can cost the province $30,000/year but the same patient with access to interprofessional family care only costs the province $12,000/year. Will your party support strengthening our family care teams and enhancing our capacity to care for more patients?
    2. Despite having family care teams in 206 communities across Ontario, 3 out of 4 Ontarians still do not have access to the benefits of interprofessional family care. If elected, what will you do to expand this care model to ALL Ontarians?
    3. Interprofessional family care teams are committed to optimizing health outcomes for patients and populations, meeting patient and public expectations, and supporting a sustainable health system.  What will your party do to advance the capacity of family care teams to capture and track the information they need to achieve these goals?
    4. Interprofessional care teams struggle to retain health professionals due to higher salaries being paid in hospitals, community care access centres, public health units and other settings. How will your party help interprofessional care teams recruit and retain more health care professionals in order to expand better care to more Ontarians?
    5. Final question is specific to each party’s platform:
      1. Lib: In your 2014 campaign platform you state that part of your 10-year plan is to support family health by guaranteeing everyone in Ontario has access to a primary care provider. How do you plan to use interprofessional family care teams to fulfill this promise?
      2. NDP: In your 2014 campaign platform, you state that you will add 50 new 24-hour Family Health Clinics. How will this commitment affect the current care model we have in place? Will it have a positive or negative effect on interprofessional family care teams
      3. PC: In your 2014 campaign platform, you state that you will help manage chronic care by increasing home care and creating Chronic Care Centres where doctors and nurses will collaborate to develop comprehensive care plans. Will this commitment compliment the current care model we have in place or have a negative effect on interprofessional family care teams?

    3. AFHTO MEMBERS RAISING AWARENESS:

    While AFHTO’s President and ED have been working at the provincial leadership level, AFHTO members have been active in their ridings and on social media.  Among those attending a recent meeting of the ED Advisory Council, about one-quarter had met with their MPPs and about one-third intended to contact candidates. Materials to help you spread the word on the value of continuing investment in team-based primary care are posted on the AFHTO members-only website:

  • Data to Decisions (D2D) 1.0: Contribution Instructions

    The Quality Improvement and Decision Support Steering Committee is pleased to announce the indicators to be included in Data to Decisions 1.0.  D2D 1.0 is a summary of primary care data that are currently available, comparable and mean the most to members in their efforts to advance quality of care for their patients.  Indicator selection was informed by AFHTO members through a survey conducted from April 24 to May 8. All AFHTO members are invited to contribute data for one or more of the selected indicators.  Please see table below to guide next steps for health teams. The selected indicators are as follows: From data recorded in EMR:

    1. Childhood immunizations
    2. Influenza immunizations among people over 65 years old

    From survey data:

    1. Patient experience with time spent with provider, opportunity to ask questions and be involved in their care
    2. Access, as indicated by % of patients reporting they received appointments within the same or next day of booking

    From data reported via ICES:

    1. Colorectal and cervical cancer screening
    2. Readmissions to hospital within 30 days of discharge for selected conditions
    3. Cost of care per patient (hospital, ER, diagnostic, community care as well as primary care)
    4. Regular primary care provider (% of all physicians visits with primary physician — formerly referred to as “Continuity of care”)

    See data dictionary for more complete details on the definitions and data sources for each indicator. Additional information about D2D 1.0 is available on the members-only page of the AFHTO site.  The FAQ  document, updated early June 2014 to address questions raised in the membership-wide survey, includes background on the purpose of D2D 1.0 and the indicator selection process, among other information.  It will also be updated with plans for addressing the fate of other indicators not included in D2D 1.0.  There is also a brief slide deck to share with others on your health team or Board. Please contact Carol Mulder with comments and questions about D2D 1.0. Next steps for health teams:

    Action Further information Deadline
    Choose indicators Member organizations may decide to contribute their data for all, some or none of the indicators.   See data dictionary for more information on each indicator. ASAP
    Identify a D2D 1.0 contact person The contact person works with the member organization and AFHTO to ensure submission of data in the correct format.  Possible choices for this role include QIDSS, IT staff or perhaps the author of your team’s QIP. ASAP
    Request data from ICES Submit request for ICES data for each FHO, FHN and/or FHT, signed by ED and Medical Lead, assuring ICES that all physicians in the group support the request.  D2D 1.0 will display data the FHT level only, regardless of how many FHNs or FHOs are contributing data. Jun 23, 2014
    Inform AFHTO of intent to contribute to D2D 1.0 Complete the “Data contribution sign-up form” to alert AFHTO of your organization’s intention to contribute data for one or more indicators. ASAP
    Extract data from EMR Begin consultation with your QIDSS and/or IT staff to extract data for childhood and influenza immunizations, the only 2 D2D 1.0 indicators based on EMR data.  For help, see data dictionary or contact QIDS program staff.  ASAP
    Compile patient survey data Begin to extract data from patient surveys for % of appointments on same/next day and patient experience with time spent with providers, opportunity to ask questions and be involved in their care.   For help, see data dictionary or contact QIDS program staff.  ASAP
    Complete data submission template Enter data for each of the indicators as well as descriptive data for the FHT (ie rural, urban etc) into the data submission template. Jul 25, 2014
    Acknowledge review of Statement of Confidentiality Before uploading data to AFHTO’s private dropbox, Members will be asked to acknowledge review of the Statement of Confidentiality at the time of submission of their ANONYMOUS DE-IDENTIFIED data. Jul 25, 2014
    Upload data Submit file of ANONYMOUS, DE-IDENTIFIED data to AFHTO’s private dropbox Jul 25, 2014
    Review final report Watch for release of the D2D 1.0 report in time for the annual AFHTO conference, Oct 15-16, 2014. Oct 15, 2014
     

     

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

    Thank you to AFHTO members who met with MPPs before the election call. While the tactics now shift, the need to continue building support for team-based primary care is more critical than ever. Our three messages — expand access, enhance value and enable recruiting – are key.  If we are going to see progress on our core issues, we must work to achieve commitments from political parties that show they understand the value of primary care interprofessional teams and the need to invest in strategies to help us with our recruitment and retention challenges. Please help lay this foundation. Once a government is in place following the June 12 vote AFHTO, together with AOHC and NPAO, will be back at work making the business case for investment to recruit and retain staff to deliver team-based primary care. How can you help? –          Contact your candidates. Phone, write, or e-mail.

    • To help you – click here for a list of candidates and their contact information organized by AFHTO member and by riding.  (These lists will be updated as more candidate names are compiled)
    • – click here for a brochure and key messages to use in your communications.

    –          Invite candidates for a tour of your facility. Although election candidates will be very busy and focused on attaining votes, they may be interested in a facility tour to see what you’re providing to their constituents. For example, RNAO’s campaign has resulted in the following MPP tours of health facilities.

    –          Attend all candidate debates. This is an easy way to introduce yourself to the candidates and meet with the influential people in your community. Asking a question about their commitment to expand and enhance team-based care raises awareness and potentially gain a firm position or commitment.

    • To help you – click here for suggested questions.

    –          Use social media to raise awareness. If you have a twitter account, this is an easy way to engage decision-makers and your community.

    • To help you – click here for a list of potential tweets and hashtags to consider.

    AFHTO will send updates to you as we learn more about the health care policies and positions of each of the parties. Midway through the campaign we’ll be sending a questionnaire to the central party offices asking them to commit to our 3 key priorities. We’ll send you collated responses before Election Day. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need help coordinating things, or if you have additional questions.

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

    AFHTO is pleased to announce that the Statutory Compliance Toolkit is now available on our members-only website. AFHTO’s Statutory Compliance Toolkit ensures that boards and Executive Directors are well informed about their legal obligations and have access to the basic tools and resources to ensure compliance and/or risk mitigation. This resource is customized for FHT and NPLCs and highlights the key laws that boards need to know and the impact that those laws have on the organization and on the board members personally. The Statutory Compliance Toolkit was developed by legal experts from DDO Health Law and overseen by AFHTO staff. If you have any questions please contact Clarys Tirel, Provincial Lead, Governance and Leadership by email clarys.tirel@afhto.ca or phone 647-234-8605 ext. 201.

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

    AFHTO is pleased to announce that the Fundamentals of Governance guidebook, toolkit and videos are now available on our members-only website. AFHTO’s Fundamentals of Governance is intended to provide the boards of Family Health Teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics with essential, basic information that will help them to become high performing boards and organizations. The material can be used as:

    • An introduction to governance for new board members
    • A refresher and ongoing education resource for all board members
    • A guide to assess whether your board is using leading governance practice and identify opportunities for improvement
    • A valuable source of sample policies, position descriptions, assessment tools and other resources to help boards fulfill their governance role.

    This resource covers all the elements of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Accountability Reform Initiative to help boards meet the requirements to be granted greater budget flexibility. (Note: MOHLTC’s Accountability Reform Initiative is currently in place for FHTs; we anticipate it will be offered to NPLCs in the next year or two.) Fundamentals of Governance was developed by governance experts and advisors at The Osborne Group, and overseen by AFHTO’s Governance and Leadership Advisory Committee. As a result, it is customised to address governance questions and issues relevant to FHTs and NPLCs. If you have any questions about AFHTO’s Fundamentals of Governance, please contact Clarys Tirel, Provincial Lead, Governance and Leadership by email clarys.tirel@afhto.ca or phone 647-234-8605 ext. 201.

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

    Data to Decisions 1.0 What’s meaningful to you?

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

     Open Until May 8th 2014

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

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

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

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

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

  • RNAO invitation to host “Best Practice Champions for Smoke-Free Pregnancies” Workshops

    Message forwarded on behalf of RNAO: RNAO is excited to announce a new project on smoking cessation for pre and post natal women and their families as part of their Smoking Cessation Initiative. We will be hosting one-day ‘Best Practice Champions for Smoke-Free Pregnancies’ workshops across the province at no cost to participants within Ontario. At these workshops participants will receive quit kits for their pregnant and postpartum clients as well as resources to support smoking cessation interventions with this population. At this time we are distributing a Request for Proposal for Host Sites due by or before May 8th, 2014.  http://communities.rnao.ca/sites/community/files/rnao_best_practice_champions_for_smoke-free_pregnancies_host_sites.docx.  Priority will be given to host sites in primary care including family health teams, public health units and community and home health care. RNAO is hopeful that there will be much interest in these new workshops and encourages sites to apply. Please contact Katherine Wallace, Program Manager for Smoking Cessation at kwallace@rnao.ca if you require further details.

  • Webinar registration opens – Data to Decisions: What’s Meaningful to You?

    Data to Decisions What’s meaningful to you?

    Register now for the webinar April 23, 2014, 12 pm to 1.30 pm EST 

    Presentation slide deck

    Data to Decisions 1.0: Advancing Primary Care (D2D 1.0) was launched on March 31, 2014. It is an opportunity to get an early start on sharing and reporting on those indicators that are most comparable, currently available and mean the most to you. Participation is completely voluntary – all AFHTO members are invited but NOT required to contribute data. AFHTO’s Indicators Working Group has reached an important milestone. Approximately 35 indicators have been shortlisted based on technical feasibility and availability. Now we need to know:

    What’s meaningful to you?

    The D2D 1.0 – What’s Meaningful to You? Webinar kicks off the voting process that will identify the top priorities. It is open to all members. It will provide you with additional background and give you an opportunity to learn more about indicator selection to date and the voting process—which starts immediately after the webinar.

    Who should attend?

    All members interested in learning more about D2D 1.0 and interested in sharing their feedback on the indicators that are most meaningful to them.

    Registration details

    Register now for D2D 1.0 What’s Meaningful to You?  taking place on April 23rd 12 pm to 1.30 pm EST.

    ————————————————————————————

    And just a reminder, all AFHTO members are also invited to pre-register for our Political Action webinar – Tuesday, April 15, 4:00 – 5:00 PM Eastern time. Public Affairs consultant Patrick Nelson will join AFHTO President Keri Selkirk and ED Angie Heydon to:

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

  • Minister’s announcement of “Community Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund” for FHTs, NPLCs and others

    This morning the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care announced plans to increase investments to community health infrastructure. Included in this announcement is the statement – “Ontario is also creating a dedicated Community Infrastructure Renewal Program that could also help community organizations such as Public Health Units, Family Health Teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics with the cost of maintenance and deferred capital repairs.”  In the media conference the Minister noted the annual budget for this program would begin at $5 million for the next year and increase to $10 million annually in three years. No further details are available at this time. AFHTO will be connecting with the Minister’s Office to learn more about plans for implementing this program.

  • Building political support: Register for Apr.15 webinar on Ontario’s pre-election period

    With a potential election on the horizon, now is the time to strengthen political support for interprofessional comprehensive primary care.  Regardless of which party forms the next government, our collective job is to ensure all politicians and candidates are well-educated on the value of interprofessional comprehensive primary care teams and the need for support to expand access, enhance value, and enable recruitment of the staff needed to deliver care. Learn more about this campaign and how you can participate in it. Pre-register to join us for our Political Action webinar – Tuesday, April 15, 4:00 – 5:00 PM Eastern time. Public Affairs consultant Patrick Nelson will join AFHTO President Keri Selkirk and ED Angie Heydon to:

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

    AFHTO launched the province-wide “Better Care. Healthier Families. Best Value.” campaign in the Ontario Legislature on March 17th – the 10-year anniversary of government’s announcement of Family Health teams. Following from that:

    • You received an e-mail from us on March 27 or 28 asking you to meet with your local MPP(s) and candidates and equipping you with key messages and other materials for these meetings.  These were e-mailed on a riding-by-riding basis so that you could coordinate in ridings where there are multiple AFHTO members.
    • AFHTO has mailed the “Better Care. Healthier Families. Best Value.” brochure to all MPPs.
    • Last Thursday, AFHTO’s President Keri Selkirk and ED Angie Heydon met with the PC and NDP Health Critics, Christine Elliott and France Gélinas. While all parties support the general concept of interprofessional primary care, the key issue is to educate on the value of committing to further investment to expand access and enhance value while also enabling sufficient funding to recruit and retain staff.
    • Keri and Angie are also scheduling meetings with key health policy advisors in all three parties.

    With over 100 ridings in this province, your help is needed in this campaign, and AFHTO is here to help you. Many AFHTO members have cultivated strong relationships with their local politicians; others may welcome advice and support to strengthen political links. Please pre-register for the Building Political Support Webinar, April 15, 2014, 4:00 PM EDT, at:   https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1282647741528869121