“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.”
Today’s release of Data to Decisions (D2D) 3.0 demonstrates significant progress by family health teams and nurse practitioner-led clinics to advance manageable and meaningful measurement for improved patient care.
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). In British Columbia this efficiency was quantified by Marcus Hollander. The total cost of care was measured for the sickest patients.
On November 25, 2015 the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) released the report Comparison of Family Health Teams to Other Ontario Primary Care Models, 2004/05 to 2011/12. This report compares outcomes of Family Health Team (FHT) patients in relation to other major models of primary care in Ontario over time.
On Thursday, November 12, 2015 the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) held their 2015 President’s Installation and Awards Ceremony as part of the Family Medicine Forum. Family health teams and their affiliated physicians played a major role in the proceedings, especially Dr. Sarah-Lynn Newberry of Marathon FHT who has been installed as OCFP’s new president. Outgoing president Dr.
Health Quality Ontario released Quality in Primary Care: Setting a foundation for monitoring and reporting in Ontario today. The report provides a snapshot of how the province is performing in access to primary care providers, provision of specific primary care services, and coordination with other sectors of the health system.
AFHTO has awarded nine innovators for their work in making meaningful improvements in patient health, how patients experience their care, and how efficiently healthcare resources are used. The awards recognize individuals for their leadership and the work being conducted to improve the value of services delivered by primary care teams in Ontario. Winners were selected from over 50 nominations. The Bright Lights Award recipients are listed below. Click on the links in the names below to read a summary of their achievements.
Health Quality Ontario (HQO) has released its yearly report on Ontario’s health system, Measuring Up. Based on the Common Quality Agenda, the report presents a profile of Ontarians’ health, the performance of our health system and a comparison with the rest of Canada and other countries. As such, we encourage members to review it.
On September 25, 2015 the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO) held their Awards and Celebration Dinner as part of their annual conference. Nurse practitioners (NPs) from different organizations were honoured, with half of the awards presented to NPs from member FHTs and NPLCs.
Congratulations to:
Huronia Nurse Practitioner Network Bursary Ann Kerr - Alliston Family Health Team
According to research published in in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), switching doctors from fee-for-service payment and adding interprofessional health providers to the team appears to result in moderately improved diabetes care for Ontario patients. "Our study suggests that Ontarians might be healthier if everyone had access to team-based care" said Dr. Tara Kiran of St. Michael's Hospital Academic FHT and one of its authors.