File this under 'No news is good news' -- if you dare.
It seems to me there has been precious little public dialogue on
patient wait times since the middle of last month when newly-minted
Prime Minister Stephen Harper reiterated his government's plan to
negotiate a Patient Wait Times Guarantee with the provinces, and in
doing so commended the Quebec's plan to ensure patients receive
timely access to vital services.
There has been even less discussion about how Quebec's plan, in
part, runs in the face of the conventional wisdom of electronic
health record (EHR) functionality, or a grasp of what the private
sector partners can bring to the mix.
"We welcome this innovative approach as a starting point and it
is our hope that the Government of Canada will be able to
collaborate with all of its provincial and territorial government
partners to develop a national Patient Wait Times Guarantee,"
Harper said.
Also, mirroring the Government of Canada's approach, the
so-called Quebec proposal would allow Quebec residents who cannot
receive timely treatment in their own area to receive treatment in
another jurisdiction or at a private clinic with costs being paid
for by public insurance.
Read the full release here http://www.conservative.ca/EN/1091/40635
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, public money for private
care may not even be necessary, let alone a sufficient condition
for transferring patients out of their jurisdictions.
In recent years, most governments have been pointing to a
promised land of efficient, effective health care with minimal wait
times. But, says Michael Green, vice-president for health care at
Toronto-based Agfa Inc. "most people want to get access (to health
care) immediately."
"I think the government strategy is to have wait time targets,"
said Green. "There are other issues like public safety, but I don't
think those are at the top of the public mind."
Green said many in his shoes believe technology that can provide
long-term solutions and guarantee an improvement to the health care
system is a better investment.
"Implementing technology and resources that are currently
lacking, such as MRI machines and Picture Archive and
Communications Systems (PACS), can actually reduce wait times,"
said Green. "It will also remove the need for patients to travel in
order to receive care."
"If you eliminate film from a hospital you create an electronic
image that is available to anyone, at any time, and at any number
of locations." Green said. "You can do distance consulting and all
sorts of other things that increase the efficiency of the
process."
Read Michael Green's full comments here
http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/E-Government/9a91f580-0a33-4aa2-b6a9-6a1d1f2e12e6.html.
