Primary Care Reform

First my wife Jean, then a friend, congratulated me on my front page photo.

I looked to see whether anything I said at the event had made the news, but it had not. Even so, the politicians did announce $3.62 million for Primary Care (PC) in our region, and that is very good news.

But, in my view, this funding could mean so much more!

Premier Ford campaigned on ‘Ending Hallway Medicine’. Yet, in reality, it is worse. So WHY is it worse? And, SO WHAT? about this funding now.

My answer to the ‘Why?’ is because we have not paid attention to the key root causes and keep throwing money in political gestures that may appease the ‘clamour’ but do not get at the roots of the issues. As to the ‘So what?’. The meaningful solutions are right here in primary care. Redirect our resources (we already spend way, way too much for what we get) to make meaningful improvements; Improvements which expand to its full potential Team Based Care.

Our Emergency Rooms are clogged with: Folk who do not need to be there (lack PC access), and increasingly elders (multiple problems with mobility issues lacking adequate rehabilitation, nutritional and preventive care) and mental health/addictions/homeless cases (need community evaluation, social services and support).

So, kudos to our Health Ministry for recognizing the money is best spent in Primary Team Based Care. But, for all, let us staff the team to meet the local needs and then enable ALL of its members to work as ‘First in line to see and care for us’ thereby saving our Doctors and Nurse Practitioners for when they are needed. Let’s cut redundancy in centralized care to provide and coordinate better care for all where and when it is needed. Let’s take every opportunity to disincentivize fee for service and focus on better outcomes as the metric.

Oh yes, lets ‘Axe the Fax’ and ensure electronic communication that works across all stations (this is coming along better perhaps than all the other issues).