Ideas and resources for FHT planning

FHTs are currently in the process of developing plans and budget submissions for the 2011-12 fiscal year.  In the past few days AFHTO has received ideas, resources and offers of assistance that may be useful to you as you develop your plans.  These include:

• Occupational Therapy:

o        For FHTs that may have a new or first opportunity to propose programs and services that may engage the addition of an occupational therapist to their complement of IHPs, the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists (OSOT) has offered to assist FHTs with their proposals and provides a variety of useful resources on their website. o        Click here for further information. Contact Anne Murphy-Turliuk, OSOT’s FHT Project Lead at 416-322-3011/877-676-6768 ext 233 or by e-mail at amurphy-turliuk@osot.on.ca .

• Enhanced 18-month Well-Baby Visit:

o       Now province-wide in Ontario, this program introduces a process using standardized tools to facilitate health professionals to have a broader discussion with parents on child development, parenting, literacy, and connection to local community programs and services that promote healthy child development.  The visit also provides an opportunity to identify those children who will require referral to specialized services.  The standardized tools include a parent checklist (such as the Nipissing District Developmental Screen (NDDS)) and an evidence-based guide for health care professionals (such as the Rourke Baby Record (RBR)). o       The website www.18monthvisit.ca is an excellent resource for information and resources relating to the visit for both health care professionals and families. o       The billing code for the enhanced 18-month visit for family physicians is A002 and the current billable amount is $62.20.  The fee is outside the basket of services for FHTs and it has come to the program’s attention that optimal billing is not occurring; please ensure that your finance person is aware of the fee code for this visit. o       Project Coordinator is Julie Gross, who can be reached at grossj@mcmaster.ca if you require any information or support

• Chiropractic Collaboration:

o        The Ontario Chiropractic Association has extended the offer to provide further information on how a tailored model of chiropractic collaboration could fit into your FHT. Click here to see a case study of successful collaboration in Kitchener’s Centre for Family Medicine FHT. o        Contact Andrea Endicott at 416-860-7188 or by e-mail at aendicott@chiropractic.on.ca .