Advancing Health Policy Solutions

Our Goal: Provide thought leadership on health system issues based on facts, evidence and our hospital expertise.

• OHA Recommendations to Government: A number of the OHA’s recommendations to the Ontario Government have been announced as future initiatives, or integrated as current priorities. These include the province-wide and government recognition of ALC as a key issue for the health sector; key legislative changes clarifying the Board and CEO roles in monitoring and improving quality of care; a public commitment by the government to examine the Public Hospitals Act and to address hospitals’ working capital deficits; the introduction of a patient–based payment system for appropriate hospitals; and the establishment of a Capacity Planning Task Force and a Transition Planning Committee for new construction projects.
• ECFA: The OHA supported, and continues to support members on the Ontario’s Excellent Care for All strategy (ECFA), which includes Bill 46, through legislative backgrounders, member teleconferences, webcasts, online updates, and a conference held in October 2010.
  • The OHA also worked with the MOHLTC, the OACCAC and the OCFP to assist with the collection of information on leading practices and innovative models of care that reduce readmissions in Ontario as part of its ECFA strategy. Hospitals will be asked to contribute information in stages on innovative models of care.
  • An educational conference was held in October 2010 in partnership with the MOHLTC, to provide practical information to help operationalize the legislation within the hospital sector. Speaker presentations were archived on the OHA website, to give members convenient access to this information.
  • The OHA partnered with NRC Picker Canada to develop the new OHA-NRC Picker Employee and Physician Experience Surveys. These tools have the potential to provide unprecedented workplace benchmarks and trends for the Ontario health care system and meet the ECFA employee survey regulations.
• Release of “Bending the Cost Curve: Advice for the Government of Ontario”: The report, developed in collaboration with the OACCAC and the OFCMHAP, presents essential, practical strategies aimed at making Ontario’s health care system better and more sustainable. While the report’s recommendations are not exhaustive, they present rich opportunities that could have dramatic and significant cost savings for Ontario’s health care system. The OHA also developed a conference that covered a range of perspectives from various health system partners with respect to the ideas and strategies put forth in the paper.
• 2011 Election Planning Update: The 2011 Election Planning Special Committee has convened several meetings since its establishment in August 2009 to discuss positions, ideas and proposals for potential adoption by political parties for 2011 election platforms. A final planning document will be provided to the Board in the fall of 2010.
• Impact of HST: The OHA commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) LLP to conduct a general analysis of the potential impacts the sales tax harmonization could have on hospital operations. The report reveals that, overall, the HST will have a minimal effect on hospitals, but its findings may help hospitals better understand the specific ways the HST may affect their operations.
• Hospital Expense Policy Guidelines: The OHA’s “Hospital Expense Policy Guidelines”, launched in March 2010, provides recommendations and examples to hospitals creating or updating their expense policies in the areas of personal business expenses (meals, travel, accommodations, etc.), hospitality, and corporate events.
• Bill 168 Workplace Violence Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act: The workplace violence amendments to the OHS Act came into force on June 15, 2010. The OHA has undertaken several projects to support members including special edition Safety Bulletins.
• Bill 122 - Broader Public Sector Accountability Act, 2010: Following the release of the Auditor General of Ontario's (AGO) Report in October 2010, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care introduced Bill 122. In addition to supporting Members during the lead up to the release of the AGO’s report, the OHA monitored the progress of the legislation, provided members with advice with the help of the OHA Freedom of Information (FOI) task force. The OHA continues to advocate on hospitals’ behalf to ensure that Bill 122 can most effectively meet the needs of hospitals and their patients.
• Physician Assistant (PA) Project: The PA Project Service Agreement between the MOHLTC and the OHA was signed on December 21, 2009, and amended in July 2010 to include the new PA Graduate Initiative. The PA policy recommendation process that began in March 2010 was completed, and a final report entitled “The Physician Assistant Role in Ontario: Considerations and Recommendations for Developing an Implementation Framework”, was submitted to the MOHLTC for consideration in July 2010. The report is based on the hospital setting and includes 17 recommendations to help inform future health system planning and the implementation of PAs into Ontario hospitals.
• Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs): The project, A Framework for Integrating IENs into the Health Care Workforce, sponsored by the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, was created to enhance the effective integration of IENs into the health care workforce through the creation, implementation and evaluation of a leading practice guide for employers.
• Span of Control: The OHA is currently conducting a study to identify key practical leading practices, strategies, or tools for employers to alleviate the negative impacts of large clinical manager span of control on the workforce and patients. A literature review and online surveys (with managers in hospitals, CCACs, and LTC), and interviews with 12 nursing leaders in all three sectors were completed. Study results will be shared with OHA members in late fall of 2010.
• Public Sector Consultations with Unions: The OHA attended these consultations on hospitals’ behalf and updated members on their progress.
• “Resource Manual for Sustaining Quality Midwifery Services in Hospitals”: The OHA, in partnership with the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) and College of Midwives of Ontario (CMO), launched the resource manual to assist hospitals with the effective integration of midwives into their organizations.
• WSIB and Ministry of Labour Reviews: The OHA began a dialogue with the WSIB for the conversion of Ontario’s hospitals from Schedule 1 to Schedule 2 to help improve a focus on safety and to reduce costs.