HEALTH INSTITUTIONS NETWORK
Over 40 years, a network has developed of contacts with individuals in the following Canadian health institutions. These contacts can provide their knowledge and skills, if required by a project, to be engaged to transfer the best practices to a developing country.
CANADA HEALTH INFOWAY (CHI)
Infoway is a not-for-profit organization that collaborates the funds and standards with the Canadain provinces and territories, health care providers and technology solution providers to accelerate the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in Canada.
For more information please visit www.inforway-inforoute.ca
CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INFORMATION (CIHI)
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The (CIHI) plays a critical role in the development of Canada's health information system. CIHI is a federally chartered independent, not-for-profit organization. It brings programs, functions and activities from The Hospital Medical Records Institute (HMRI), The MIS Group, Health Canada (Health Information Division) and Statistics Canada (Health Statistics Division) together under one roof. Steve Russell was the Ontario member of the founder board. Today, CIHI provides the data and reports to inform health policies, support the effective delivery of health services and raise awareness among Canadians of the factors that contribute to good health. |
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For more information, please visit www.cihi.ca
JOINT PLANNING AND POLICY COMMITTEE (JPPC)
The JPPC is a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and Ontario's hospitals through the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA). Steve Russell was part of the creation of JJPPC while at OHA. Today, Ontario also has 14 Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) that have begun to participate fully at all levels of the JPPC. The role of the JPPC is to recommend and facilitate the implementation of hospital reform within the context of the broader health care reform agenda. Currently, JPPC is working with their partners and other key stakeholders to:
- develop the Hospital Service Accountability Agreements and related indicators of performance
- update and expand the scope of hospital funding formulae and models
- develop and evaluate case mix grouping methodologies for acute, rehab, mental health and ambulatory patient activity
- analyze costs and recommend funding rates for specific designated services
- review the quality of hospital clinical and financial data and serve as a forum for information exchange and integration of improvement initiatives under way in Ontario.
For more information, please visit www.jppc.org)
MINISTRY OF HEALTH LONG TERM CARE (MOHLTC)
The Ontario MOHLTC is the sole funder of the Ontario health and health care system. Recently, the MOHLTC has organized into a regional model and has devolved part of the funding to the Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN).Steve Russell directed the Information Systems (IS) Division in the late 1980s. He delivered the new health card to each citizen in Ontario and the first IS strategic plan to support the MOHLTC plans and priorities.Today, the MOHLTC key contribution is the focus on information management (IM) not Information Technology (IT) .Here are some fast facts on IM in Ontario today:
- Currently, data on the use and efficiency of hospital care requires more than eight months to process – the same as it did in the 1960s.
- Right now there are nearly 100 separate health information databases in Ontario, many of which contain the same data.
- There are nearly 2,000 separate performance indicators in use in Ontario. An indicator is what it used to gauge how the different areas of the health system are performing, such as the length of time patients are spending waiting for surgeries. Many are of limited use because they are either difficult to interpret, they provide only limited information, or they do not relate to the government’s key health priorities.
- Hospitals are submitting up to 200 separate data reports, some on a daily basis.
This is the typical developed country situation that developing countries do not want to duplicate. With global donor funding, developing countries have an opportunity do a needs assessment and strategic plan and engage Canadian expertise in order to help get it right the first time, without the burden of legacy systems.
For more information, please visit www.health.gov.on.ca
INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EVALUATIVE SCIENCES (ICES)
Since its inception in 1992, ICES has played a key role in providing unique scientific insights to help policymakers, managers, planners, practitioners and other researchers shape the future direction of the Ontario health care system.Steve Russell assisted in the development of the business case for the creation of ICES. Today, ICES produces unbiased, evidence-based knowledge and recommendations, profiled in atlases, investigative reports, and peer-reviewed journals, that are used to guide decision-making and inform changes in health care delivery. Working within an inquiry-driven culture, the multi-disciplinary expertise at ICES consistently produces groundbreaking results. With upwards of 150 faculty and staff, more than 100 projects are underway at any given time. Many of ICES scientists have achieved international recognition in their respective areas of focus, holding appointments at leading universities and maintaining clinical practices at academic health sciences centres.
For more information, please visit www.ices.on.ca
ONTARIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION (OHA)
The OHA is an organization of health care providers, mostly hospitals, dedicated to the continuing improvement of health services in Ontario, through leadership, advocacy, education, communication, service and research. Its main education event is the annual HealthAchieve convention held each fall. Steve Russell was part of Ontario Healthcare Associates, a division of OHA, when InterHealth Canada was created. International partnership efforts were focused on the 11 former Soviet countries. Human resources, information and facility planning and procurement services were provided. Today, InterHealth Canada continues to contribute to the international marketplace and has grown as international clients in developed countries continue to demand the highest quality service at an affordable cost. Accreditation of healthcare facilities world-wide has commanded service industry organizations like InterHealth Canada to provide experience in implementing and delivering policy frameworks sensitive to cultural populations.
For more information, please visit www.interhealthcanada.com
Today, OHA believes e-Health is the foundation of a modern, integrated, accessible sustainable health care system. It is a priority of the OHA to promote effective adoption of e-Health that will support hospitals’ delivery of the best possible care through reduced wait times, increased patient involvement, fewer errors, better access and a more efficient health system. Steve Russell while at OHA helped develop the business case for the Smart Systems of Health Agency (SSHA).
For more information, please visit www.oha.com
ONTARIO CASE COSTING INITIATIVE (OCCI)
The OCCI is an undertaking of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) and is a continuation of the Ontario Case Costing Project (OCCP). The primary objectives of the OCCI are the collection of case costing data in support of improved management decision making and the development of hospital funding methodologies. Participating hospitals have implemented a standardized case costing methodology developed by the OCCI and have participated in a series of Milestone Reviews conducted by the OCCI to ensure the quality of the data. The OCCI is collecting case cost data for acute inpatient, day surgery and ambulatory care cases, as well as complex continuing care and rehabilitation cases. In the near future, mental health data will also be submitted by hospitals. Steve Russell managed a case costing project at Hospital Santa Fee in Mexico City and compared costs and outcome with Ontario peer hospitals.
For more information, please visit www.occp.com.
SMART SYSTEMS FOR HEALTH AGENCY (SSHA)
SSHA was formed and funded by the Ontario government as the enabling force behind a province-wide Information and Communication Technology infrastructure delivering world-leading e-Health solutions. Steve Russell was part of the team that envisioned and developed the business case and start up plan. SSHA goal was to help improve health care delivery by securely and reliably providing systems and solutions that connect doctors, nurses, hospitals, pharmacies and laboratories to each other and to patient information. Recently, the Ontario government appointed a new board Chair and CEO of eHealth Ontario, a restructured agency responsible for all aspects of e-health in Ontario including creating an electronic health record for all Ontarians. eHealth Ontario will bring together the MOHLTC program and the province’s SSHA under one banner. The SSHA three key e-health priorities:
- Diabetes Registry
- e-health portal to centralize health information on an easily accessible web site,
- e-prescribing which will eliminate hand written prescriptions and reduce medication errors.