Health Quality Ontario has just released its yearly report on Ontario’s health system, Measuring Up. The section on primary care presents indicators related to access to primary care, patient experience and recommended screening tests, with some comparisons at the LHIN, provincial and international levels. Click here to view the full report. A number of these same indicators are reported specifically for AFHTO members in Data to Decisions 1.0: Advancing Primary Care (D2D 1.0), which enables team-level measurement and reporting. The table below compares the HQO and D2D 1.0 results. Keep in mind D2D 1.0 was about getting started; while the results are generally positive, they are based on a self-selected sample of 50 teams and therefore possibly not representative of all members. As work continues towards the next iteration (D2D 2.0), a larger sample of teams and more clarity about data quality will make comparisons to other groups more appropriate. In the meantime, the initial pattern, should it continue, is encouraging!
Timely access to primary care – encouraging results among AFHTO members
D2D 1.0 reports significantly better performance in same day or next day access to care among the 50 AFHTO members who contributed these data, compared to Ontario primary care providers in general. International survey results reported by HQO indicate 40% of Ontario patients have same day or next day access to their primary care provider in Ontario, while D2D 1.0 results show 59% of patients from the reporting AFHTO members have same day or next day access. It’s no wonder the case study HQO uses to illustrate the impact of getting this timely access is a patient in a family health team! (Meet Theresa, Measuring Up, page 37)
AFHTO members continue the journey toward manageable, meaningful measurement
Data to Decisions allows teams to compare themselves with relevant peers and support efforts to improve quality. All members are invited to participate in a variety of ways, including contributing data. AFHTO is aiming to launch Data to Decisions 2.0 in May 2015.
Comparing results
The table below presents results from both reports for the comparable indicators.
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Ontario: HQO Measuring Up Report (see infographic for primary care results) |
AFHTO D2D 1.0: Advancing Primary Care (50 teams reporting) |
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Timely access to primary care |
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40% of those surveyed report that they are able to see their primary care provider on the same day or next day if they are sick (Figure 4.2, page 35). |
59% of patients responded they are able to see their primary care provider on the same day or next day if they are sick. |
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Overall patient experience |
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83% of surveyed Ontarians report that their provider always or often gives them the opportunity to ask questions (Figure 4.6A, page 40). |
87% of surveyed patients report that their provider always or often gives them the opportunity to ask questions. |
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82% of surveyed Ontarians report that when they receive care, their provider always or often spends enough time with them (Figure 4.6B, page 41). |
87% of surveyed patients report that when they receive care, their provider always or often spends enough time with them. |
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85% of surveyed Ontarians report that their provider always or often involves them in decisions regarding their care (Figure 4.6C, page 42). |
88% of surveyed patients report that their provider always or often involves them in decisions regarding their care. |
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Colorectal cancer screening |
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57.8% of eligible Ontarians had recommended colorectal cancer screening in the past year (Figure 4.7, page 44). |
64% of eligible Ontarians had recommended colorectal cancer screening in the past year. |
For more information on D2D and the indicator results, click here to go to the AFHTO members only website. (If you do not have your member login information, please email info@afhto.ca.) In addition to primary care, HQO’s Measuring Up report also covers health status, public health, hospital care, home care, long-term care, system integration and health workforce.