Driving Performance Improvement and Innovation

Our Goal: Improve knowledge transfer of leading practices to strengthen health system performance.

• Healthy Work Environments: The OHA developed a Healthy Healthcare Workplace Model, the “People Dimensions of High Performance”, integrates insights from current research on healthy workplaces, human resources (HR) and quality and patient safety goals within a performance-focused framework. The model guided the development of two new OHA-NRC Picker Employee and Physician Experience Surveys. This approach has the potential to provide unprecedented benchmarks and trends for the Ontario health care system.
• Quality Healthcare Workplace Awards: The Quality Healthcare Workplace Awards program, in partnership with HealthForceOntario (HFO), was launched on June 29, 2010. The awards were developed to document, recognize and promote effective efforts to improve health care workplaces in ways that contribute to providers’ quality of work life and the quality of the care or services they deliver. The first awards were given out at HealthAchieve 2010.
• Monarca: Monarca has continued to provide effective disability case management to three pilot site hospitals, and anticipates growth in their client base over the fall/winter 2010-11. Since implementation on January 4, 2010, 267 claims have been managed and claimants’ have rated Monarca with above average service. A survey for frontline managers has recently been distributed to assist Monarca in effectively managing their services.
• OHA HR Benchmarking: In its first year, 105 Ontario health care organizations registered to participate in the OHA PwC Saratoga benchmarking survey. Participants were able to access their online results in the fall of 2010. A series of workshops to disseminate the survey results are being planned for late 2010. Additionally, a new HR benchmarking guidebook will be made available.
• Safety Group 2009/2010: The 2009 Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario (WSIB) Safety Group report card showed members of the group had lower frequency and severity rates for long-term injuries than other health care facilities in the same WSIB rate group. The OHA’s 2010 Safety Group includes 61 organizations representing 66 distinct WSIB accounts.
• Launch of Revitalized Hospital Labour Relations Arbitration Case Law Search Engine: In October 2009, OHA’s Hospital Employee Relations Services (HERS) group launched its new labour arbitration case law search engine which allows subscribers to the OHA’s Labour Relations Bulletin to easily research arbitrational (interest and rights) precedents in the hospital sector dating back some 40 plus years.
• Launch of Labour Relations Supervisory Training Module: In January 2010, the OHA’s HERS group lauched its labour relations training module designed for frontline supervisors and managers addressing the managing of unionized employees in health care.
• Patient Safety: The first Patient Safety and Quality Leadership Network Meetings (pilot) were held in Ottawa and Toronto with over 100 participants.
• “Your Health Care Be Involved”: The Central Health Authority in Newfoundland is reproducing with permission, the “Your Health Care Be Involved” campaign for use within their jurisdiction.
• OHA QPSP: The OHA launched the OHA "Quality and Patient Safety Plan (QPSP) 2010-2013", which was developed by a Quality and Patient Safety Working Group to help guide the OHA’s work for the next three years. The QPSP will also be integrated with the implementation of the OHA’s Strategic Plan 2010‐2013.
• Public Reporting of Patient Safety Indicators: Beginning July 30, 2010, all hospitals with an operating room (OR) began publicly reporting on their compliance with the use of a surgical safety checklist, for all surgeries. To support hospitals, the OHA, in partnership with the MOHLTC, developed the "Surgical Safety Checklist Implementation Toolkit" and hosted regional training sessions across the province, with 99% of hospitals that have ORs attending a session.
• 2010 Patient Safety Guidebook and Award: The OHA launched the 2010 Guidebook to Patient Safety Leading Practice, “Advancing Patient Safety through Ideas and Innovations” at HealthAchieve, to recognize and highlight innovative patient safety initiatives in Ontario hospitals and share lessons learned. One submission was awarded the 2010 Patient Safety Award, to acknowledge exemplary work in the area of patient safety and received a $5,000 award.
• ER Patient Satisfaction and Wait Times Public Reporting and Technical Briefing: Hospitals and LHINs were invited to attend two related technical briefings in April 2010 hosted by the OHA and the MOHLTC to provide clarification on the data that will be reported, and a better understanding of the metrics and terminology used for public reporting. Also, on August 12, 2010, the OHA, in partnership with the MOHLTC, hosted a videoconference for hospitals receiving Pay-for-Results funding in 2010/11.
• OR Supply Chain Program: The OHA continues to partner with Ontario’s Ministry of Finance through the oversight and management of Clinical Supply Chain improvement projects within member hospitals. These pilot projects are producing evidenced-based leading practices within the areas of medical product data optimization, inventory optimization and clinical case preparation. Based on the results and outcomes of these projects, the OHA is finalizing a “first of its kind” Clinical Services Supply Chain Guidebook to assist clinical and materials management professionals within hospitals and Ontario’s Shared Service Organizations (SSO) in their supply chain improvements.
• Capital Procurement Cooperative: Begun in the fall of 2010, the OHA Capital Procurement Cooperative (CPC) was established to provide value for money to Ontario hospitals through hospital group purchasing of capital equipment. The program’s goal is to leverage the knowledge and expertise within existing GPO’s and SSO’s, to optimize the advantage of group capital procurement. Over the next three years, the CPC will focus on building an efficient and streamlined province-wide solution for hospital capital planning and capital procurement.
• Launch of OHA Today: In June 2010, the OHA launched a new online resource, "OHA Today", in response to member requests for improved OHA e-communications. This new website offers Members a one-stop-shop for viewing information from across the OHA and beyond, in a relevant, user-friendly, and engaging format.