Thursday, February 1, 2007
For the Attention of
Hospital CEOs, Board Chairs, OHA Board of Directors
and CACN Members
Hilary Short
President and CEO
RELEASE OF THE KIRBY WAIT TIMES REPORT
Today, former Senator Michael Kirby released a report that reviews how the province reports and measures its wait time strategy and offers advice on how to improve the Wait Times Information System (WTIS).
The independent report was commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in response to concerns raised by Auditor General Jim McCarter in his recent annual report.
The system for measuring wait times in Ontario has “substantially improved since 2004,” the report said. Although there is considerable opportunity for improving and expanding the way wait times are measured, Kirby said he was “persuaded that measures are in place to deal with all the concerns that were raised by the AG (Auditor General) in his report.”
The report also recommends:
• Full rollout of the WTIS at participating Ontario hospitals by the end of 2007
• Expanding the number of services included in the WTIS
• Including the time patients wait to see a specialist in the measure of total wait time
• Increasing the number of regional assessment centres so the urgency of patient conditions can be assessed on a region-wide basis
• Creating a separate, impartial agency at arm’s length from government that has financial clout to establish and enforce performance measures for LHINs
The OHA welcomes former Senator Kirby’s report and plans to carefully review its recommendations, particularly as they relate to hospitals’ use and administration of the Wait Times Information System.
The full report, “Review of Ontario’s Wait Time Information System,” and the accompanying news release from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are attached to this email.
If you have any questions or concerns about the report, please do not hesitate to contact Anthony Dale, Vice President, Policy and Public Affairs at 416-205-1348 or adale@oha.com.