Ontario's Hospitals Welcome Report By Senators Kirby And Keon On Reform Of Hospital Funding
Ontario Hospital Association
200 Front Street West, Suite 2800
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3L1
Tel: (416) 205-1345 Fax: (416) 205-1360
Visit our Web Site: http://www.oha.com
Monday, August 30, 2004
TORONTO – The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), on behalf of Ontario's hospitals, welcomes today's Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) report authored by senators Michael Kirby and Dr. Wilbert Keon, entitled "Why Competition is Essential in the Delivery of Publicly Funded Health Care Services."
"Today's report by senators Kirby and Keon is both timely and vital as hospitals in Ontario wrestle with a $600 million funding shortfall," said Hilary Short, President and CEO of the OHA. "Ontario's hospitals welcome the proposals made in the report regarding a new, service-based funding model for hospitals. Ontario’s hospitals are national leaders in efficiency, and implementing this model would strengthen that position," added Short.
The IRPP report echoes a similar study prepared and released by the OHA on April 20, 2004 entitled "Advancing Accountability Through Hospital Funding Reform," which also proposes service-based funding for hospitals that would require governments to fund hospitals based on patient care needs as opposed to arbitrary budget targets. Under this model, hospitals would receive funding based on the level of quality, complexity and volume of services they provide, allowing for unique attributes of individual hospitals to be factored in to funding such as teaching and location.
"The OHA commends senators Kirby and Keon for their innovative proposals and their commitment to a sustainable universal health care system," Short said. "Funding reform for hospitals within the public health system will only benefit patients and lead to a stronger public health care system overall," added Short.
Copies of OHA’s report can be found on www.oha.com under the Policy Issues section.
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For further information:
Stefan Baranski, OHA Public Affairs
416-205-1305