Tag Archives: healthcare

Closing the Gap: Indigenous Health Innovations Forum

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In partnership with the Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, and the First Nations University of Canada, and The Conference Board of Canada, the Closing the Gap: Indigenous Health Innovations Forum will be taking place on May 25, 2016 at the Delta Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan.  “The Forum will explore key policies and activities that are improving the health and care experiences for Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, and will also serve as the qualitative first step in a Conference Board research study on this topic.”  Topics to be discussed include:

  • Community engagement to minimize health inequities;
  • Innovative models for improved service delivery;
  • Data on health status improvement;
  • Program delivery in communities;
  • Providing an indigenous lens to policy;
  • Integrated health solutions

Click here for more information, including speakers, conference fees etc.

Alberta – Getting Connected

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An electronic health record system is being planned for Alberta. This will connect Alberta’s 97 hospitals, its primary care networks of family physicians, and the province’s Netcare system together. In addition to cost-saving benefits,  a single  health information system will  allow medical specialists and emergency rooms to determine important information, including what medications an individual is taking and what diagnostic tests have already been done.  Albertans themselves will also be able to log in and view their health information.  As one member of Pts4Chg wrote, “Linking Healthcare with Primary care with patient! Feeling in the loop.”

Although this initiative will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, according to Carl Amrhein, deputy health minister, “I’d say it’s critical.”  Click here to read the full report.

Who Wins and Who Loses?

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In a recent article, Daniel Schwartz looks at the issue of health transfers in Canada. In particular, what would happen if transfers were age adjusted rather than using the current criteria to determine Federal funding? Which provinces would win and which provinces would lose? Click here to discover the answer to this and other related questions.

Is that a Want or a Need?

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Oft times there is a clear difference between wants and needs.  However, this distinction can be far less clear in some situations – such as in healthcare.  According to Brian W. Rotenberg, “Doctors need to start openly and directly considering the concept of medical necessity when talking with patients about tests or procedures. Patients, in turn, need to keep in mind that their healthcare is not “free,” and that many of their health-related complaints likely represent wants, rather than needs.”  Read the full article here.