Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: primary care

  • Putting Primary Care at the Centre of Ontario’s Health System: DLSPH Researchers to Advise Primary Care Groups

    By Heidi Singer on November 30, 2022

    With Canadian health care systems in crisis, a University of Toronto researcher is working to inform stakeholders on building high-performing integrated primary care systems – work that she hopes will support them to make real change in the sector.

    Prof. Monica Aggarwal is leading a research collaboration between the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) and the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO), the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) and the Section on General and Family Practice of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA). As a leading expert in primary care systems across Canada,  Aggarwal has consulted at the federal and provincial levels on multiple occasions. She recently completed a 13 cross-comparative study of primary care transformation in Canada, which identified over 100 primary care innovations in the country.

    “I feel honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to work with inspiring and passionate  primary care leaders who truly want to make a difference for the primary care sector in Ontario,” says Aggarwal, a professor in DLSPH’s Division of Clinical and Public Health. “The leaders of these organizations have a deep understanding of the issues in health care and recognize the critical role that evidence-based research can have to advance improvements in the primary care sector. ”

    The partners decided together to focus first on showing how Ontario could implement compensation models that encourage and reward team-based care.

    “There’s a real desire to build and spread interprofessional teams,” says Aggarwal. “However, we are not seeing the results expected from mainstream models in Canada. I think this is not because teams don’t work but because they are not being implemented in a manner that would allow them to be successful. Provider compensation is a key piece of the puzzle.”

    She is working with DLSPH Prof. Ross Upshur, head of the Division of Clinical Public Health. Together, they are developing collaborations with researchers and primary care leaders in Ontario, Canada, and abroad to meet the research needs of knowledge users.

    Click here for full article

    Click here for more information on research – (Members page)

  • School Immunization Programs

    Resources

     

    Past Events

    Routine Immunizations For Children And Teens In School: The Current Landscape In Primary Care And Public Health (May 16, 2022)- Click here

    School Immunization Program Crisis: Role of Advocacy and Collaboration 

    Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 7 pm- Click here

    Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 12:00 pm- Click here        

    Objectives:

    • Increase understanding of how you can play a role in eliminating HPV-related cancers in Canada 
    • Understand what is happening with school-based programs across the country 
    • Identify solutions to increasing coverage rates 

    Longwoods Event: Missed Vaccines are Putting our Kids at Increased Risk of Cancer and Meningitis 

    Monday, October 3, 2022, from 1:30-2:30pm  

    The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in delivering routine and school-based vaccinations to school-age children, resulting in delayed and missed vaccinations for many children across the country. Join us for a discussion with clinicians and public health experts about how this issue has particularly impacted Ontario and what they think needs to be done to address the problem. Moderated by Kelly Grant, The Globe and Mail. 

    Click here to register.

  • Ukrainians Fleeing War: Early Assessment Considerations for Primary Care Providers

    Today, the Ontario government announced the launching of a suite of supports for Ukrainian families arriving under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel. The supports available include Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage. Please find the News Release here and additional information on coming to Ontario from Ukraine here.

    The ministry has developed the attached guidance document, Ukrainians Fleeing War: Early Assessment Considerations for Primary Care Providers. This document is intended to support primary health care providers in their early assessments and care of individuals arriving in Ontario who have been displaced due to the war in Ukraine.

    English and French versions will be posted on the ministry’s website shortly.

  • QI in Action eBulletin #116: Role of Primary Care in Vaccine Distribution, QIPs 2022-2023

    In this Issue:

    • Understanding the Role of Primary Care in Vaccine Distribution
    • Quality Improvement Plans 2022/23
    • COVID-19 and Respiratory Virus Test Requisition Form
    • Did You Agree to Be Listed On Online Appointment Booking Platform Bleen?
    • Quality Standard on Transitions from Youth to Adult Health Care Services
    • Recognizing World Delirium Awareness Day
    • Developing A Practice Tool for Prescribing Cascades in Primary Care
    • Upcoming Webinars

     

    The Role of Primary Care in Vaccine Distribution – Currently recruiting MDs and IHPs!

    AFHTO has partnered with Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft on a study focused on understanding how and in what ways primary care contributes to vaccine distribution, challenges experienced by primary care in the transition of vaccine distribution, as well as generating recommendations about primary care’s ongoing and future roles in vaccine distribution, including COVID-19 boosters.

    This study will be in the format of focus groups with EDs, MDs, NPs, nurses, QIDSS and IHPs.

    • We are actively recruiting MDs. If you are a physician interested in participating, please complete this poll.
    • We are also currently recruiting IHPs. If you are an IHP interested in participating, please complete this poll.

    For any questions, please connect with Sandeep Gill: sandeep.gill@afhto.ca.

    Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) 2022/23
    Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)

    For the past two years, Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) submissions have been on pause while organizations did the necessary work to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in their communities and regions. It has been a difficult time. While we know focused commitment to quality is vital, we also know that our system is facing unprecedented health human resource challenges and instability related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we want to clearly convey to you our expectations regarding your Quality Improvement Plans (QIPs) for 2022/23: This year submission of your QIP to Ontario Health will be considered voluntary.  Please e-mail QIP@OntarioHealth.ca if you have any questions.  As always, the team is here to support you.

    This year’s QIPs will focus on a small number of quality issues that are important to the health care system—issues that have been particularly impacted by COVID-19 and need our attention to help support health system recovery. The small number of priority indicators in this year’s QIPs have been developed in consultation with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Long-Term Care, other teams across Ontario Health, and organizational leaders like yourselves. Organizations may also choose to integrate other local issues that are of importance to their communities.  

    Priority indicators by sector are provided in the Appendix below. Supporting documents, including a QIP guidance document, technical specifications for the indicators, and a snapshot of quality priorities in brief for 2022/23, are also available. QIP Navigator, our online QIP development and submission platform, has been updated in preparation for voluntary submission. As usual, organizations can download pre-populated templates from QIP Navigator to support their QIP development process.  

    Individual organizations who choose to submit their QIPs to Ontario Health are encouraged to do so by April 1, 2022. However, in consideration of the current pressures on the health care system, there will be flexibility with timing of submissions and QIP Navigator will be kept open until June 30, 2022.  

    This is the first year that organizations that are part of an OHT will work to submit their organizational-level QIP while also contributing to their OHT’s cQIP. For that reason, and because organizations are continuing to respond to COVID-19, we have limited the number of focus areas for both the cQIP and the organizational-level QIP. Organizations that wish to reflect their cQIP work in their QIP may also include the cQIP indicators in their organizational QIP.

    Annual Planning Materials:

    Please see below for further clarifications by the Ministry of Health, on behalf of Fernando Tavares, A/ Program Manager Primary Health Care Branch

    In follow up to the enclosed distribution from Ontario Health regarding the submission of this year’s Quality Improvement Plans.  We wanted to confirm that the Ministry is supportive of Ontario Health’s plan to make this year’s submission voluntary and confirm that teams are not contractually required to submit this report for 2022-23.

    We continue to encourage all organizations who choose to complete this work to develop and post your 2022/23 QIP on your website and share it with your administrative staff, clinicians, and patients/residents and their family members.

    Further Supports:

    COVID-19 and Respiratory Virus Test Requisition Form
    Please find the Public Health Ontario COVID-19 and Respiratory Form Virus Test Requisition Form adapted to Telus PSS and OSCAR EMRs here.

    If your team has this form implemented within Accuro, please reach out to Sandeep Gill: Sandeep.gill@afhto.ca.

    Did You Agree to Be Listed on Online Appointment Booking Platform Bleen?
    Recently it has come to our attention that many AFHTO member organizations are listed as clinics for patients to book an appointment online on the Bleen platform. We strongly advise you to review the list of clinics here to see if your team is on the list, as this solution is not aligned to the service standard.

    For any associated privacy concerns, please reach out to the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC). If your team did not agree to be listed on this website and would like to be removed, please directly reach out to Bleen via phone: 1-866-943-9480 and via an online form here. We have brought this issue to Ontario Health’s attention, and they are working with OntarioMD and the Ministry to bring a resolution to the issue.

    We also encourage you to take this opportunity for patient education if you receive any appointment requests through this platform and advise patients on approved appointment booking practices for your team. If you are interested in exploring funding opportunities for online booking, please click here. For any questions, please connect with Sandeep Gill: sandeep.gill@afhto.ca.

    Content below developed by Ontario Health (Health Quality Ontario)

    New! Quality Standard on Transitions From Youth to Adult Health Care Services
    In February 2022, Ontario Health released the Transitions From Youth to Adult Health Care Services quality standard, developed in partnership with the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health.
    When young people transition from youth to adult health care, they are at increased risk for negative health outcomes as they adapt to new services, people, and processes.

    The quality standard is an evidence-based resource that outlines what high-quality care looks like during this critical time. It can be used to help young people, families, and caregivers know what to ask for in their care; to help health care professionals know what care they should be offering; and to help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve their performance in caring for patients.   

    Please share this quality standard within your network and stay tuned for information on an upcoming webinar on this topic. For more information, contact qualitystandards@ontariohealth.ca.

    Recognizing World Delirium Awareness Day
    Delirium is often a complication of respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia, in older adults. It is a sudden change in how someone thinks, acts, or understands what’s happening to them. See the quality standard addressing what quality care looks like for delirium and accompanied patient guide, from Ontario Health and Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario and more resources here.

    Developing A Practice Tool for Prescribing Cascades in Primary Care

    Are you an Ontario physician, nurse practitioner or pharmacist who provides primary care as part of an interprofessional team?

    Are you interested in reducing medication-related harm?

    A University of Toronto research team wants to learn from clinicians working in interprofessional teams about your experiences and thoughts on interventions that may help to address prescribing cascades.

    What is a prescribing cascade?
    Prescribing cascades occur when a new medication is prescribed to treat the side effects of another medication. These often arise when prescribers attribute patients’ new signs or symptoms to a medical condition rather than a medication side effect. Prescribing cascades are important sources of potentially unnecessary medication use.

    What is being asked of me?
    –    Complete a brief questionnaire (< 10 minutes) and then participate in a up to 1.5-hour discussion group or interview to share your perspectives. You will be invited to participate in a second discussion group or interview (also up to 1.5-hours) if interested.
    –    A $100 gift card will be provided for each discussion group or interview that is attended.

    Do you have questions or want to get involved?
    Please email the team at rx.cascades@utoronto.ca or contact them at (416) 978-4838. This study has been reviewed by the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board (#42135).

    Upcoming Webinars

    Stories from the Ivory Tower, Mar 22, 2022, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
    Register here

    In March 2022, HSPN is presenting stories from the ivory tower of university-based evaluation of Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). Evaluators from the HSPN have spent the better part of the past year observing the development of OHTs with an aim to understand:

    1. What factors contribute to the successful implementation and sustainability of OHTs?
    2. What adaptations are OHTs making to improve function/performance/outcomes?
    3. What are the barriers to OHTs’ successful implementation?

    MyPractice: Primary Care Report: Using Data for Improvement – a focus on using the cancer screening indicators to drive improvements in patient care, Thursday March 31st, 2022, 12–1 p.m.

    Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for primary care providers on using the cancer screening indicators in the MyPractice: Primary Care report to drive improvements in patient care. This is the third of an ongoing accredited series that will focus on using data from the MyPractice: Primary Care report for quality improvement. This 1-credit-per-hour Group Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 1.0 Mainpro+Ⓡ credits. The program is part of a series that has been certified for up to 4 Mainpro+ credits.
    Register here

    AFHTO Webinar – Ontario Health And Primary Care, MHA CoE And HCNS
    Friday, April 1, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM
    Register here

    AFHTO has arranged a members’ update and conversation on primary care with Ontario Health, the Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence (MHA CoE), and Healthcare Navigation Service (HCNS). Five speakers will be joining us on Friday, April 1, from 11 AM to 12:30 PM.

    We will be joined by the following speakers:

    • Sacha Bhatia, Population Health and Value Based Health Systems Executive, Ontario Health
    • Zahra Ismail, Senior Director, Primary Care and Social Determinants, Ontario Health
    • Danyal Martin, Director, Clinical Programs, Mental Health & Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health
    • Graham Woodward, VP, Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence, Ontario Health
    • Mala Shastri, Lead, Co-Design, Patient Populations and Discovery, Ontario Health

    Members are encouraged to join the webinar and are welcome to submit questions by March 21. However, the floor will also be open for Q&As with all speakers, and any we do not get to during the webinar will be followed up on.

    This webinar is open to all members.

    Diabetes Care: Tools and Resources to Support Mental Health Needs, Friday April 8, 2022, 12:30–1:30 p.m.
    Ontario Health is hosting a webinar for endocrinologists, primary care providers, and diabetes educators on screening for mental health needs among people with diabetes, and new, provincially-funded resources available to support them. This is the first of an ongoing series that will highlight Ontario Health’s three diabetes quality standards. Register here.

    Moderator: Dr. David Kaplan

    Panelists:  

    • Marcia Ross, Lived Experience Advisor
    •  Nina Hoyt, Nurse Practitioner, Health Sciences North
    • Dr. Geetha Mukerji, Endocrinologist, Women’s College Hospital
    • Leslie Johnson, Regional Director Mental Health and Addictions, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences

    The links to the diabetes quality standards can be accessed here: Type 1 Diabetes, Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes, and Diabetes in Pregnancy.

     

    In Case You Missed It: Check out eBulletin #115 or other back issues here!
    Questions? Comments? Contact us at improve@afhto.ca.

  • How primary health care helps health systems adapt during the COVID 19 pandemic: OECD report

    OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    Strengthening the frontline: How primary health care helps health systems adapt during the COVID 19 pandemic

    Feb. 10, 2021

    Abstract

    Health systems continue to adapt to cope with the COVID‑19 pandemic. Much focus has been placed on the scaling-up of hospital capacities. However, the pandemic is also deeply affecting the health of many people who are not infected by the virus. People living with chronic conditions are not only highly vulnerable to complications and death from COVID‑19, but they are also suffering from disruptions to their regular care routines.

    The COVID‑19 crisis demonstrates the importance of placing primary health care at the core of health systems, both to manage an unexpected surge of demand and to maintain continuity of care for all. Strong primary health care – organised in multi-disciplinary teams and with innovative roles for health professionals, integrated with community health services, equipped with digital technology, and working with well-designed incentives – helps deliver a successful health system response.

    The innovations introduced in response to the pandemic need to be maintained to make health systems more resilient against future public health emergencies, and able to meet the challenges of ageing societies and the growing burden of chronic conditions.

    Read the full report here.

  • Critical Role of Comprehensive Primary Care in COVID-19 Wave 2 Response

    To: Helen Angus, Deputy Minister of Health
    Alison Blair, Assistant Deputy Minister
    Matt Anderson, CEO, Ontario Health
    David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health (MOH)

    Re: Critical Role of Comprehensive Primary Care in COVID-19 Wave 2 Response

    Our calls to action in a joint letter to the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health

    1. Prioritize flu vaccination in comprehensive primary care
    2. Support immunization in primary care
    3. Include primary care in planning and rollout of COVID-19 vaccination
    4. Enable community-led testing and contact tracing in hotspot communities
    5. Ensure ongoing management of illnesses, chronic disease, disease prevention, health promotion, and community connection
    6. Expand virtual care that supports continuity and develop a comprehensive digital equity strategy

    Signed

    Sarah Hobbs, CEO, Alliance for Healthier Communities
    Caroline Lidstone Jones, CEO, Indigenous Primary Health Care Council
    Kavita Mehta, CEO, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario
    Jennifer Clement, Chair, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic Association
    Leanne Clarke, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario College of Family Physicians

    See the full letters and the provincial response below.

    Relevant Links

  • Business Continuity Toolkit, Governance During COVID-19 and more

    This email was sent to EDs/Administrative Leads, Board Chairs and Lead Clinicians of AFHTO member organizations.
     
    Dear triad members,

    Hope you are all staying well and healthy during these very challenging times.

    There have been some new tools/resources and updates we wanted to share with you that you may find helpful:

    • AFHTO’s Business Continuity Toolkit – we have developed this toolkit to help our teams plan for and adapt to the disruption of COVID-19 and it potentially can be used for future pandemic disruptions. Within the document you will find a number of tools and resources to help develop a plan for your own organization. A reminder to check the AFHTO website for templates your colleagues have developed if you are looking for tools you can adapt. Please also send us any materials you are developing so we can share with your colleagues as well.
    • FHT/NPLC Governance During COVID-19 – Frequently Asked Questions developed by Kathy O’Brien of DDO Health Law. We know many of you are starting to think about year end and how to govern during a pandemic emergency, including how to conduct things like virtual annual general meetings. Kathy has provided some answers to the most pressing concerns and we will continue to provide more information as we receive it.
    • Update #1: Health System COVID-19 Pandemic Response – letter from Matt Anderson, CEO of Ontario Health, which will be sent regularly to provide updates on the work of the pandemic response teams across the province. AFHTO now sits at the weekly COVID-19 Stakeholder Table which now provides an opportunity to articulate the ongoing concerns and challenges being faced by primary care to the Ministry and Ontario Health directly.  
    • The release of two Guidance documents from the Ministry’s Emergency Operations Centre including the Provincial Testing Guidance Update which speaks to increased laboratory testing capacity and Cyber Security Advisory for Zoom conferencing software.
    • Just a reminder that we have a COVID-19 section on the website that hosts tools and resources you may need, including policies and procedures from your colleagues that you may find helpful in adapting for your organization, as well as the daily Ministry Situation Reports. We have also included a new tab Providing Comprehensive Care During COVID-19 which includes resources related to COVID-19 for providing comprehensive primary care – this will be updated as resources become available.

     
    Stay well, and please contact us any time. We’re here to support you through this.
     
    Sincerely,
    Your AFHTO Team