An act buried in the Ontario Liberal government’s mammoth budget bill makes sweeping changes that open the door to privatizing almost any crown corporation or government service, and will lead to more back-room deals, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and lawyer Steven Shrybman exposed at a Queen’s Park press conference

released a new legal opinion written by Shrybman

“This act opens the door to privatizing every public service in the province, even contracting OHIP services out to an American HMO, all without the approval of the Legislature, and all without any scrutiny

incorporating pharmacists into PHC teams, case-management strategies to enhance chronic disease management, and electronic medical records

economic benefits. Better health outcomes have a positive impacton employment, productivity and economic growth. Simulation results indicate that increasingthe influenza vaccination rate of the elderly population results in cost savings. Improved health outcomes for chronic disease management were linked to cost savings through reductions in hospitalizations, professional visits, emergency room visits and increased productivity; and higher continuity of care was associated with lower resource utilization and reduced healthcare costs.

The creation of a National Coordination Body, additional investment to improve Canada’s PHC performance and additional investment in PHC research and evaluation is recommended.

The full report is only available in French.

So, no, Canadians don’t think their health care is free per se. But they do see access to health services as a right, one they have paid for collectively and can use as they see fit.This sense of entitlement may well be an impediment to reforming health care, to getting a smarter mix of private and public coverage of health services (as is done in most European countries, which tend to be cheaper and more cost-effective overall).

Universal health coverage provided, in part, through a state-funded insurance program is a good foundation

Six Canadian hospitals are part of ThedaCare, a group of North American health care facilities using the Toyota principals as their business strategy.

The Saskatoon Health Region recently announced it had identified $800,000 in lost time associated with scheduling problems thanks to lean.

For the Michigan study, operating room employers mapped out their normal work flow, identifying root causes of “muda,” the Japanese term for valueless work. Researchers then measured operating room turnover time (the time between the departure of one patient and arrival of the next) and turnaround time (the time between the final dressing on one patient and the first incision on the next). When lean changes were enforced, turnover time dropped 30 per cent to 29 minutes and turnaround time dropped 20 per cent to 69 minutes. Automated alerts to janitorial staff cut room cleaning times.

Ontario’s hospitals feed patients 3 meals a day, and 2 snacks, on an estimated budget of less than $8 per day per patient , excluding labour costs.

Research suggests that hospital food is an important part of the patient experience

Anne Marie Males, VP of Patient Experience at Scarborough General Hospitals says “Food service is not considered a key department of most hospitals. It’s a service that it has to be there. A lot of people don’t give it much thought, but when you talk to patients, its amazing how important food is to them.” Males, who is leading the introduction of more fresh and home-cooked foods at the Scarborough General Hospital through a grant from the Ontario Greenbelt Foundation

The US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it was aiming to reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing home residents by 15 percent by the end of this year, through training of nursing home staff and of state inspectors on alternatives to using antipsychotics to quell aggressive and agitated behavior among people with dementia.

“In 2013 we will set another goal,’’ Bonner said. “At that point, we will be looking at even more significant reductions.’’

between July and September of 2010, almost 40 percent of nursing home residents with signs of dementia were receiving antipsychotic drugs even though they had not been diagnosed with a psychosis.