Advancing Improvement in Primary Healthcare in Ontario

IMPROVING ACCESS

According to the 2006 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of primary care physicians, Canadians experience longer delays in seeing their family doctor compared to people in other countries. Only 36% of Canadians were able to see their doctor on the same day or the next day, compared to 81% of New Zealanders. In addition, a high percentage of patients were waiting six days or more to see their physician.

MAKING CHANGE THAT LEADS TO TRUE IMPROVEMENT:

This is a very exciting time for primary healthcare in Ontario.

Models of Care:

Ontario has become a national leader in primary care reform with the introduction of Family Health Teams, the expansion of nurse practitioners, and the strengthened role of Community Health Centres and Health Service organizations. Click here to read more.

QIIP

In 2008, QIIP launched a series of Learning Collaboratives, a province wide initiative intended to support primary healthcare providers make improvements in three areas of focus; diabetes (chronic disease management), colorectal cancer screening (disease prevention) and improving access and efficiencies (office practice redesign). Primary healthcare teams across Ontario continue to build improvement capability and capacity to make the necessary changes that lead to sustainable improvement in health care delivery for all patients. Click here to read Ontario Health Quality Council 2010 Report on Ontario's Health System (New Vision and Athens Family Health Team featured on page 107 & 108). Click here to see more stories of improvement.

IMPROVING Access

Click the image to watch an animated short that demonstrates how Office Practice Redesign principles are improving access in primary healthcare in Ontario.

IMPROVING Chronic Disease Management

IMPROVING Disease Prevention