Ultimate Blogging Championship

Tag: reports and relevant news

  • Minister Hoskins has signed compensation funding letters

    Today the Minister’s Office confirmed that funding letters regarding the compensation increases promised in the 2016 provincial budget are signed and will be going out within the next week. Click here to read the Minister’s announcement. Dates for web briefings with Ministry staff are being arranged. We expect to have further information out to you shortly.

    Previous: Minister Hoskins commits $85 million over three years to interprofessional primary care

    FEBRUARY 25, 2016 “To ensure these clinics (CHCs, NPLCs, FHTs, AHACs and nursing stations) can effectively recruit and retain qualified interprofessional staff in primary care settings, Ontario will invest an additional $85 million over three years.”  This is quoted from the 2016 Ontario Budget, released today. (p.115) The Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC), the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO) and the Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario (NPAO) representatives have just emerged from the Ontario Government’s budget lock-up where we learned exciting news about compensation for staff in AHACs, CHC, FHTs and NPLCs. In the budget lock-up, senior ministry officials committed to meet as soon as possible to work out the details on how the funds are to be allocated.  To put this into perspective, the AFHTO-AOHC-NPAO proposal called for a total of $122 million in additional funds spread over four years; this commitment could potentially fund the first three years of the implementation. We are pleased to have this financial commitment in place. We look forward to moving quickly to work through the implementation details.  The AFHTO-AOHC-NPAO proposal continues to be the direction we are pursuing. We will keep members informed as these discussions progress. Given the tough fiscal climate, we appreciate the fact the Wynne government prioritized this new funding in this year’s Ontario Budget. This was no small task when “the government has also succeeded in bringing down annual spending growth on health from about 7% to about 2% while continuing to improve access to care.” (p.113) Today’s news comes after years of relentless advocacy by AFHTO, AOHC and NPAO.  We have commissioned evidence informed reports, met with dozens of politicians and government officials, and worked collaboratively with our members who have taken up the torch with zeal and dedication. Your efforts have played a key role ensuring we secured this important win. We particularly want to acknowledge the work and support of the Dietitians of Canada who have also played an important role making the case for fair and equitable compensation. Other professional organizations such as the OPA and RNAO have joined the chorus of voices demanding fair and equitable compensation for our staff. “Today, we are thrilled to hear that the Wynne government and Ministers Hoskins and Sousa have heard our collective voice. Within the 2016 Ontario Budget there is an investment that will help CHCs, FHTs, NPLCs and AHACs retain staff so as to better serve clients and communities. This investment shows that our interprofessional health provider team-members are valued” says Theresa Agnew, Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario. “With this new funding, the government has clearly committed to strengthen primary care as the foundation of Ontario’s health system,” says Angie Heydon, Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario. “This investment now puts interprofessional primary care teams onto more equal footing to attract and keep the skilled professionals needed to deliver better care, better health and better value for Ontarians.” “We are very heartened that the Government has finally taken a step in the right direction to correct a serious imbalance in improving access to interprofessional primary health care.  This is especially important because it will enable Ontario to do a better job ensuring people who face barriers to health can access the services they need from interprofessional teams.” says Adrianna Tetley, Association of Ontario Health Centres. Sincerely,

    Adrianna Tetley Association of Ontario Health Centres of Ontario Angie Heydon Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario Theresa Agnew Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario

     

  • 2016 Annual Report | Equity, Integration and Access: Shaping a Population-Focused Health System

    AFHTO’s vision is that all Ontarians will have timely access to high-quality and comprehensive primary care – care that is informed by the social determinants of health, delivered by collaborative teams, and anchored in an integrated, equitable and sustainable health system. Our 2016 Annual Report,  Equity, Integration and Access: Shaping a Population-Focused Health System chronicles the work of AFHTO and its members to move Ontario toward that vision. In this report you’ll read about:

    • Data we can now generate that reveals higher primary care quality is associated with lower total health system cost.
    • Data that shows AFHTO members do better on quality than average for the province.
    • Advocacy that has led to government’s recognition for interprofessional primary care through an $85 million funding commitment over 3 years.
    • Progress in strengthening governance and the relationship between teams and physicians.
    • The value of Quality Improvement Decision Support (QIDS) Specialists and QIDS Partnerships in advancing meaningful measurement and improvement across primary care.

    Around the world, cost-effective and high-performing health systems are based on a solid foundation of comprehensive primary care. We hope you enjoy reading what AFHTO members are doing to strengthen that foundation, and we look forward to continuing to work with you toward this vision.

  • AFHTO President’s column on tentative physician services agreement published

    New deal serves doctors and patients alike

    Waterloo Region Record article published on Aug. 8, 2016. Article in full pasted below. Dr. Sean Blaine, Waterloo Region Record

    My patients are living with increasingly complex chronic medical conditions. It’s for the 2,400 patients in my family practice, and for patients across Ontario, that I add my voice in support of the new agreement between doctors and the government.

    Why? Because I believe it represents the foundation for a fresh start after two years of worsening acrimony. I believe the deal will serve the interests of physicians and patients alike.

    The tentative agreement guarantees a 2.5-per-cent increase in annual funding compared to the recommendation of 1.25 per cent that was endorsed by former Chief Justice Warren Winkler, in his report released last year.

    So contrary to some media reports, acceptance of the tentative deal will not reduce access to services in Ontario; it will instead provide funding to increase services based on population age and growth.

    I also serve as the President of the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario. Our members share a compelling vision that one day soon, all Ontarians will have timely access to high-quality and comprehensive primary care.

    We strive to deliver health care that is anchored in an integrated and equitable health system. A system that promotes good health and seamless care for all patients. Looking ahead, I believe this deal makes that system more sustainable.

    How will this agreement help us move closer to that vision? The proposed increase provides us with double the growth rate and builds in the added opportunity for essential input from Ontario’s physicians through co-management.

    What does “co-management” mean and why does it matter? It’s means having joint responsibility for the ongoing monitoring of health care costs. It includes a responsibility to make some tough decisions in updating the way doctors are paid in a manner that provides value and the best health care for patients. And the embedding of co-management throughout the agreement strongly acknowledges the key role of physicians in our health care system.

    This clearly defined joint commitment to ongoing physician participation in health system transformation is essential for physicians and patients alike.

    The deal is not perfect. Doctors wanted to achieve binding arbitration from the government in settling contract disputes but were not able to achieve this yet.

    However, the Ontario Medical Association court case asking for binding arbitration continues to go forward. Many specific measures to modernize the fee schedule have yet to be worked out and there will be difficult choices to make. However, the government has committed to avoid further negative unilateral action during the four-year course of this agreement.

    Finally, and this is key — building a great health care system that works today is only part of the challenge that we all face.

    We need to also build our system for tomorrow.

    The deal that Ontario’s doctors will vote on will accomplish that by enhancing the sustainability of the system. With this deal, doctors working in a common partnership with the government will be able to ensure that health care in this province is efficiently delivered, appropriately resourced and provides the quality of care that our patients deserve.

    Dr. Sean Blaine is the president of the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario. He works as a family physician and lead physician of STAR Family Health Team in Stratford. Click here to access the article on Waterloo Region Record website.

  • Patients First Act: Opportunity to strengthen primary care

    Government has taken a key step to move forward with its proposal for health care – the Patients First Act has been tabled in the legislature today. This legislation brings together all of the key health system players at a local level to focus on the unique health needs of people in communities across the province. Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), working with primary care, home and community care, public health and hospitals, will be better able to strengthen communication within the “circle of care” for patients. They’ll also be better positioned to distribute resources and monitor health system performance to ensure people get the appropriate care and support they need where and when they need it. AFHTO sees the potential enabled by this legislation. It creates the opportunity for much closer ties between primary care, home care and community services – a serious gap highlighted in a recent report from Health Quality Ontario. To really work, Patients First will have to go further to expand comprehensive team-based primary care. Evidence is increasingly showing that these primary care teams can provide the highest quality of care and reduce overall health system costs. Yet only 25% of Ontarians have access to these enhanced teams. This is not fair nor is it equitable. There is much work ahead to ensure implementation achieves optimal outcomes for Ontarians – patients, the underserved, and health providers. This work will also reinforce the need – and potentially reveal mechanisms – for investment to expand team-based primary care. For more information:

  • Care coordination in primary care: new HQO report and AFHTO case study

    “Coordinating patient care is a fundamental role of primary care, which is the foundation of Ontario’s complex health system… However, patients do not always move through the system as smoothly as they could.”

    Health Quality Ontario’s (HQO) new report Connecting the Dots for Patients: Family Doctors’ Views on Coordinating Patient Care in Ontario’s Health System, released today, shows that family doctors are experiencing systemic barriers when coordinating care for their patients. The report highlights some of the experiences of family doctors including Dr. Thuy-Nga Pham, South East Toronto FHT (on pg. 13); Dr. Harry O’Halloran, Georgian Bay FHT (on pg. 28); and the CMHA Durham NPLC (p.15) in strengthening care coordination within their communities.

    This report adds to the growing body of evidence to support AFHTO and the Ontario Primary Care Council’s (OPCC) position statement on the role of primary care providers to lead care coordination. Care coordination in primary care has the potential to significantly:

    • Reduce the duplication and role conflict that currently exists in our health system;
    • Improve patient outcomes through much greater continuity and coordination of person-centred care.

    Click to read AFHTO’s position statement: Transitioning care coordination resources to primary care.

    Primary care providers work to ensure access to interprofessional care for patients and identify a single point of contact to help patients and families navigate and access programs and services. The Ministry’s Patients First proposal speaks to deploying care coordinators in primary care. A number of teams have already done this and their experience can help other primary care teams as well.

    NEW Case Study “Effectively Embedding Care Coordinators within Primary Care”* for AFHTO Members explores teams that currently have CCAC care coordinators embedded within their teams and the success factors and principles for establishing effective working relations. The case study explores lessons learned along the way and their advice to other teams. *Please note: The case study on Guelph FHT, which was completed in 2016, no longer reflects the current state of care coordination in the Waterloo Wellington LHIN region. The LHIN has opted for a different approach and is not embedding care coordination in primary care.

  • Ontario Primary Care Council submits response to Patients First proposal

    Ontario Primary Care Council Submits Response to Patients First proposal 

    Dear Minister Hoskins, On behalf of the member associations of the Ontario Primary Care Council (OPCC), we again congratulate you on Patients First: A proposal to strengthen patient-centred health care in Ontario. OPCC has worked together over the past several weeks to develop advice on the following key areas in Patients First: A proposal to strengthen patient-centred health care in Ontario:

    • Ministry stewardship and LHIN mandate
    • Access to interprofessional health providers and access to teams
    • Embedding care co-ordination in primary care and the next steps to support implementation
    • The interface between primary care, mental health and addictions
    • Clinical leadership
    • Governance, performance and accountability
    • Critical enabler: data and information management

    As leaders of primary care, we commit to working with you to implement a coherent plan. We want to partner and collaborate closely with the Ministry and the LHINs to deliberately develop a plan to strengthen primary care as the foundation of the system. Thank you once again for the opportunity to provide our vision and recommendations. It is our hope that our feedback will inform the upcoming changes as they relate to primary care evolution. OPCC members look forward to continuing to work with you, the Ministry staff, LHINs, our memberships and other stakeholders to achieve the promise of the Patients First proposal. Sincerely, Jessica Hill                                            Adrianna Tetley Co-chair, OPCC                                    Co-chair, OPCC CEO, OCFP                                            CEO, AOHC OPCC Member Organizations: Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario Association of Ontario Health Centres Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario Ontario College of Family Physicians Ontario Pharmacists Association Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario Relevant Link: Ontario Primary Care Council Response to Patients First proposal [PDF]– Mar. 24, 2016

  • Primary Care’s united response to Minister’s Patients First proposal

    In a letter to Minister Eric Hoskins six associations of the Ontario Primary Care Council (OPCC) have provided initial feedback on the Province’s plans to strengthen our health care system. The Council recommends that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term set out clear principles for planning aligned with OPCC’s Framework for Primary Care in Ontario, develop a plan to embed care coordinators in primary care, address the role of primary care in mental health and palliative care, and ensure a consistent primary health care population needs-based planning approach across all fourteen LHINs. Click here to read the letter submitted on January 22, 2016, in response to the Minister’s Patients First proposal, released December 17, 2015. AFHTO will continue working with members and our provincial partners to develop complete responses to the Patients First proposal.

  • Budget Talks 2016: ask the Ontario government to address recruitment and retention

    The Ontario government has opened Budget Talks 2016, an online portal for Ontarians to offer feedback to the government on 2016/17 budget planning, which provides another opportunity to raise awareness of the need for sufficient funding for recruitment and retention. Use this opportunity to continue the call to support recruitment and retention in primary care teams by voting or commenting on the portal. If you’d like resources to assist you, click here (log in to the Members Only section first.)

  • Ministry releases Patients First: A Proposal to Strengthen Patient-Centred Health Care in Ontario

    On December 17, 2015, Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care released its discussion paper – Patients First: A Proposal to Strengthen Patient-Centred Health Care in Ontario. The paper addresses four components:

    1. More effective integration of services and greater equity
    2. Timely access to primary care and seamless links between primary care and other services
    3. More consistent and accessible home and community care
    4. Stronger links between population and public health and other health services.

    The Ministry is requesting feedback on this discussion paper over the next two months or so. AFHTO will be working with its members in each region of the province to develop a more detailed response to the questions posed in the discussion paper. Particular attention will be paid to those areas where great care must be taken to gain the most benefit for patients and communities, and avoid unintended negative consequences.

  • HQO & ICES Report on Quality of Mental Health Services in Ontario

    Health Quality Ontario (HQO) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) released Taking Stock: A report on the quality of mental health and addictions services in Ontario. The report finds variation both in access to and quality of mental health services across the province. Key Findings

    • Visits to physicians’ offices for mental illness or addiction account for about 10% of all visits in Ontario.
    • People in rural areas are less likely to have a follow-up visit with a physician within seven days of leaving the hospital after admission for mental illness or addiction than urban residents (23.1% compared to 30.4%).
    • People with the lowest incomes are less likely to have a follow-up visit with a physician within seven days of leaving the hospital after admission for mental illness or addiction than those with the highest incomes (26.9% visit compared to 32.5%).
    • Youth are more likely to visit an emergency medical department for mental illness or addiction without first having contact for these issues with a physician (42.7% of people 16-24 years old vs. 29.8% those aged 25 and above).

    To learn more about the status of mental health services in Ontario, please click on the links below. Relevant links