June 27, 2012
The Wait Time Alliance (WTA) has issued national report cards annually since 2007. Initially, our report cards were solely directed at provincial performance in the five areas identified in the 2004 Health Accord: cancer (radiation therapy); heart (bypass surgery); joint replacement (hip and knee); sight restoration (cataract) and diagnostic imaging (CT and MRI). Since then, the WTA has directed its attention
toward: (1) broadening the scope to include Canadians’ access to all areas of care; (2) improving the quality of public reporting on timely access; (3) highlighting issues that contribute to lengthy wait times; and, (4) identifying best practices to improve wait times.
The 2012 report card is the WTA’s most comprehensive effort to date to shed light on all of these areas.It contains six sections:
Posted in READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Benchmarking, Canada, Indicators, Wait lists | No Comments
December 13, 2011
“This sixth edition of Health at a Glance provides the latest comparable data on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in the costs, activities and results of health systems… The indicators presented in this publication have been selected on the basis of their policy relevance and data availability and comparability. The data come mainly from official national statistics, unless otherwise indicated.”
This resource contains information on a number of topics, with the main content headings as follows:
- Health Status;
- Non-medical Determinants of Health;
- Health Workforce;
- Health Care Activities;
- Quality of Care;
- Access to Care;
- Health Expenditure and Financing, and;
- Long-term Care.
Click here to read the full article
Posted in READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Benchmarking, Funding, Quality of care, Statistics & numerical data | No Comments
September 1, 2011
“For years, studies have shown that health outcomes — like recovery from heart attacks or procedures requiring time in intensive-care units — for patients who are rushed to emergency rooms at night or on weekends aren’t as good as for those who are treated during so-called working hours. But a recent study in the Archives of Surgery found that outcomes for injured patients in Pennsylvania are remarkably similar when comparing weekdays with weeknights, and that they are actually slightly better on weekends compared with weekdays. It was one of the first to demonstrate that for trauma, there is no “night-weekend effect” whatsoever, at least in Pennsylvania, which has a well-developed trauma system.”
The reason for this is that Pennsylvania has a “smart system design and strict standards on the treatment of trauma patients. Trauma systems are planned so that patients are taken or quickly transferred to hospitals that specialize in treating serious injuries. And there are explicit criteria for designating such centers as, for example, a Level 1 trauma center that can handle sick, injured patients.”
Posted in Mass Media Articles, READ Portal | Tagged with Access to care, Emergency service, Safety | No Comments
August 8, 2011
“Objective: To investigate e-Referrals on improving knowledge management between primary and secondary healthcare by replacing the manual process of paper-based referrals.
Method: A search of the available literature was conducted from 2000 to 2009 using the key words ‘electronic referral’ ‘structured template’ ‘continuity of care’ and ‘transfer of care’. Interviews with some experts who are working on e-Referrals were conducted to enhance the author’s knowledge of the planned Auckland Regional e-Referral project.
Findings: Some European countries have adopted e-Referrals since the early 1990s; e-Referral systems demonstrated reduced cost, more efficient communication and accurate health information transfer, overall smoother patients’ journeys through the community and enhanced health outcomes. However, the uptake has been much slower than expected, except for the Hutt Valley District Health Board in New Zealand.
Conclusion: The benefits of using e-Referrals are promising for the Auckland Region provided the process is planned and handled carefully within micro (individual) and macro (organisational and system) levels, as well as applying the lessons learned from other worldwide e-Referral adopters.”
Posted in Journal Articles, READ Portal | Tagged with Access to care, Health technology, Information technology | No Comments
July 26, 2011
“Understanding the perspectives and experience of community-based providers is an important input to understanding and improving the experience of individuals and their caregivers. What does integrated care mean to the range of providers who deliver home care and support services in the community? What do they think are the most important elements of integrated care, and how do their experiences stack up against them?”
“We captured frontline views from care coordinators, regulated health professionals (registered nurses, nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, registered practical nurses, physio and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, dietitians, social workers, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists) and personal support workers.”
“The survey data were generally positive. Survey respondents clearly articulated that client-focused care, working well with other providers, prompt and complete information, effective communication with the client and with other providers, and timely assessment and care are highly valued. They view client involvement and client-focused care as integral to a well-coordinated system of care. Prompt information about care plans and changes to plans, having complete information from other providers, and good communication among providers were viewed as key to integration. However, analysis of the quantitative data indicates that there is a gap between community providers’ ideals and their reality.”
Posted in READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Patient-centered care, Quality of care, Statistics & numerical data | No Comments
July 5, 2011
“In this policy paper, the BC Medical Association (BCMA) proposes that a coordinated initiative to improve the quality, efficiency, and access to surgical care needs to be implemented across British Columbia…The operating room (OR) and the processes that support the OR make up the perioperative system. A considerable amount of planning, preparation, and coordination within the perioperative system is required to ensure that patients receive quality surgical care that is safe and timely. However, quality and efficiency issues can cause surgical delays, cancellations, adverse events, and suboptimal care for surgical patients. These issues affect the experience and outcomes of surgical patients, the satisfaction of perioperative personnel, and the financial budgets of hospitals.”
Posted in READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Operating rooms, Process improvement, Quality of care | No Comments
June 30, 2011
“Medicare has enjoyed the resounding support of Canadians for nearly half a century. But new times bring new challenges to the health care system and so it has been forced from time to time to adapt and evolve. This document is predicated on the belief of the CMA that new demands for adaptation must be addressed starting now, and in a manner consistent with the spirit and principles that have guided Medicare from the beginning.”
“This report is divided into three Parts. The first lays out the underlying problem confronting the system; the second outlines a vision for Canada’s health system by modernizing the guiding principles of Medicare, and the third provides the CMA’s prescription for improving the system within and beyond the five original principles that are set out in the Canada Health Act (universality, accessibility, comprehensiveness, portability and public administration).”
Posted in READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Canada, Health care reform, Health planning | No Comments
June 3, 2011
“In 2008, the Health Council of Canada released Rekindling Reform: Health Care Renewal in Canada, 2003–2008, a report on the progress made since First Ministers’ groundbreaking attempts to renew the health care system: the 2003 First Ministers’ Accord on Health Care Renewal, and the 2004 10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care (commonly referred to as the health accords)…
Three years after the release of Rekindling Reform, the Health Council of Canada offers this report which, along with subsequent annual reports, will assess progress made on selected accord commitments. This year, we are reporting on wait times, pharmaceuticals management, electronic health records, teletriage, and health innovation. Each section summarizes what the accords say, what we said in Rekindling Reform, and where things stand today (which we have gathered from public sources; through feedback from federal, provincial, and territorial health officials; and from interviews with key stakeholders in the Canadian health care system).
To properly assess progress, it is important to look at what governments have reported to their residents to see whether targets were set for reaching the goals expressed in the accords. Where jurisdictions have set targets for their commitments, we used them to assess progress. Some commitments, such as wait times, have well-developed measures to gauge progress, while others require a more narrative approach. Where we can, we describe provincial and territorial strategies for addressing challenges and bringing about renewal.”
Posted in 2014 Health Accord, READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Canada, Health care reform, Indicators, Policy | No Comments
May 24, 2011
“Many of the estimated thirty-two million Americans expected to gain coverage under the Affordable Care Act are likely to have high levels of unmet need because of various chronic illnesses and to live in areas that are already underserved. In New Mexico an innovative new model of health care education and delivery known as Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) provides high-quality primary and specialty care to a comparable population. Using state-of-the-art telehealth technology and case-based learning, Project ECHO enables specialists at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center to partner with primary care clinicians in underserved areas to deliver complex specialty care to patients with hepatitis C, asthma, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, pediatric obesity, chronic pain, substance use disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular conditions, and mental illness. As of March 2011, 298 Project ECHO teams across New Mexico have collaborated on more than 10,000 specialty care consultations for hepatitis C and other chronic diseases.”
Posted in Journal Articles, READ Portal | Tagged with Access to care, Chronic disease, Disease management, Primary health care | No Comments
March 30, 2011
“Healthy People has evolved during the three decades in which it has existed. In 1990, Healthy People 2000 had two overarching goals, 15 topic areas, and 226 objectives. Today Healthy People 2020 has four overarching goals, 42 topics areas (of which 39 contain objectives), and nearly 600 objectives. The mission of Healthy People 2020 is to:
- Identify nationwide health improvement priorities;
- Increase public awareness and understanding of determinants of health, disease,
disability, and opportunities for progress;
- Provide measureable objectives and goals applicable at national, state, and local levels;
- Engage multiple sectors to take actions to strengthen policies and improve practices that
are driven by the best available evidence and knowledge;
- and Identify critical research evaluation and data collection needs.
The following are the overarching goals of Healthy People 2020:
- Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease.
- Achieve health equity; eliminate disparities.
- Create social and physical environments that promote good health.
- Promote quality of life, healthy development, and healthy behaviors across life stages.”
Posted in READ Portal, Reports & Papers | Tagged with Access to care, Forecasting, Indicators, Patient-centered care | No Comments
