Nov. 26 - The government of Ontario announced the launch of a pilot program as part of the province’s Low Back Pain Strategy. Six AFHTO member organizations will be participating in this pilot:

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.

Dr. John McDonald, a 2014 Bright Lights Award recipient is interviewed for a profile on his work providing inter-professional health care to patients and promoting the system across Ontario and beyond in the Brantford Expositor. Click here to read the full article. 

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 to the board of each FHT and NPLC, to deliver high-quality primary care and improve the health of people in the communities served.

Dr. Judith Davidson, a 2014 Bright Lights Award recipient for her treatment of patients with chronic insomnia, is interviewed for a profile exploring her use of cognitive behavioural therapy in the Kingston Whig Standard and the Queen's Gazette. Click below to read the full articles.

• “Nothing about me without me.” At the close of the AFHTO 2014 Conference, Dr Tia Pham, lead physician at the South East Toronto FHT, reminded the audience of these famous words on patient partnership from Don Berwick, founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
• “It’s the patient’s experience that counts.” Concluding comments from Dr Joshua Tepper, CEO of Health Quality Ontario and physician at the St.

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 primary care. “The evidence is in.

Data to Decisions 1.0: Advancing Primary Care (D2D 1.0) is the tangible result of our collective “get started” effort in team-based performance measurement across the AFHTO membership. D2D 1.0 is a summary of primary care data that are currently available, comparable and mean the most to AFHTO members in their efforts to advance quality of care for their patients. AFHTO members can access D2D 1.0 in the Members Only website.

The 2014 Annual Report gives insight into the progress of AFHTO members – family health teams and nurse practitioner-led clinics – collectively supported by their association, to move toward their shared vision.

We are very pleased to welcome the Hon. Dr. Eric Hoskins and other keynote speakers: Special Keynote: Hon. Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Dr. Eric Hoskins was first elected to the Ontario legislature as the MPP for St. Paul's in 2009.