Recently, two reports were released that, when linked together, raise questions about value for money in primary care in Canada.
The first report, by a U.S. think tank called the Commonwealth Fund, outlines the findings of a survey of primary care physicians in 11 countries.
The report indicates that Canada lags far behind other countries when it comes to several aspects of primary care – specifically, the use of electronic medical records, access to care, the use of interdisciplinary teams, and performance reviews, benchmarks and reporting. To access the article from Health Affairs, click
here. To access a slide deck from the Commonwealth Fund, click
here.
The second report was prepared by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Their
2009 National Health Expenditure Report reveals that in Ontario, we spend less on hospitals, but more on physicians, than the rest of Canada. Although Canadian hospitals continue to account for the largest component of Canada’s health care spending, their share of total health expenditure has steadily declined over the past three decades. Payments to physicians account for the third-largest share of Canadian health expenditures, and are expected to grow at an estimated annual growth rate of 8.8% in 2009. In Ontario, physician expenditures are expected to grow by 9.7% in 2009.
These reports, linked together, raise questions that need answering. Why are we underperforming on key aspects of primary care relative to other countries? Are taxpayers getting value-for-money from primary care system? And, what steps should we take to improve the efficiency and outcomes of primary care in Ontario and across Canada?
In today’s challenging economic times, we need to focus on overall system efficiency and outcomes, and that includes having a high performing primary care system.