Primary care teams in a population-based health system
Population-based primary care is about effective management of the health of defined groups of people. It ensures all within this group are attached to a regular primary care provider and can access the appropriate care when they need it. The province’s Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care convened an Expert Advisory Committee to recommend how […]
Optimizing value of and access to team-based primary care
Evidence tells us that, with a team-based approach to primary care, patients experience more timely access to care, better care coordination and improved management of their chronic diseases. At present, about 25-30% of Ontarians can access team-based primary care. The logical question is – how do we expand access to primary care teams and get […]
Valuing comprehensive primary care: The Starfield Principles
There is a compelling association between comprehensive primary care and system efficiency and effectiveness. The lifelong work of the late Barbara Starfield observed that an investment in primary care was associated with improved system quality, equity and efficiency (reduced cost)[i],[ii],[iii] ,[iv]. In British Columbia this efficiency was quantified by Marcus Hollander. The total cost of […]
Governance principles for primary care teams
Family Health Teams and Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics have matured over the 5 – 9 years that each organization has been in existence. Contracts between MOHLTC and FHTs expire on March 31, 2016, with this comes the opportunity to develop a much more mature and meaningful approach to governing these organizations, from the Ministry and through […]
AFHTO calls for quick action on government’s Primary Care Guarantee
800 Primary Care Providers meet in Toronto to share best practices and push for enhanced primary care. Toronto, ON (October 16, 2014): The Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO) called for the Wynne government to take quick action to implement one of its election commitments: a guarantee that every Ontarian has access to […]
AFHTO’s submission to Drummond Commission on Broader Public Sector Reform
AFHTO was invited to present to the Commission on Broader Public Sector Reform, chaired by economist Don Drummond and announced in the 2011 Ontario Budget speech last spring. The Commission is to report in early 2012, in time to inform development of Government’s 2012-13 Budget, on its mandate to examine long-term, fundamental changes to the […]