Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

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How better and cheaper software could save millions of dollars while improving Canada’s health-care system

Monday, February 5th, 2024

Although the Canadian federal government has invested over $2.1 billion developing health information technology (HIT), all 10 provinces still have their own separate HIT systems. Besides being an obvious source of redundancy and waste, these systems: do not work together, are expensive and are inconsistent… we analyzed the economic costs and savings of integrating some of the functions of the software…

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Missing teeth: Who’s left out of Canada’s dental care plan

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024

The choice is twofold: (1) Continue to create new medical care programs with a fill-in-the-gaps model and an income cap, like Canada is currently doing on dental care, or (2) Align new medical care programs with the principles of the Canada Health Act, which is based on the underlying principle of health care for all. The findings in this analysis of Canada’s nascent national dental care plan might also be relevant to the much anticipated announcement of a national pharmacare plan.

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It’s time for OHIP to cover all forms of prescription contraception

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024

Who’s left out? Anyone older than 25 without a private health-care plan, temporary foreign workers in between contracts, people with refugee status, international students… In short: people with shifting economic and living realities and those for whom an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy would likely be especially destabilizing… Control over one’s own fertility is inherently tied to human dignity. A money-saving, life-improving policy that supports this should be a no-brainer.

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The risks of ending safer supply drugs programs

Sunday, January 28th, 2024

21 of 24 federally funded safer supply programs are in jeopardy, as their contracts will expire in March. And with just two months until then, the feds have given no indication that they’ll renew their commitment to any of them. Ottawa’s silence on the matter is all the more disturbing given the recent, dramatic increase in overdose deaths — and the mounting evidence in support of safer supply.

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Ford government’s controversial plan for private medical clinics will begin this spring

Sunday, January 21st, 2024

The Ontario government will approve more privately owned clinics to provide diagnostic services like CTs and MRIs and surgeries starting April 1… critics fear will bleed the public health system of doctors, nurses and other resources at a time when patients face record waits in hospital emergency rooms… Ontario currently has more than 900 private clinics in operation, mainly providing X-rays and other diagnostic services, and many of them predate [this] government.

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Understanding The Scope Of Private Healthcare In Canada

Thursday, January 18th, 2024

“The goal of this paper is not to argue either for or against private healthcare… It is simply to clarify what is meant by ‘private’ healthcare, and to explain the different ways provincial legislation currently permits or prohibits aspects of private healthcare. I also discuss the supply and demand side variables… and… offer an analysis of the relationship between provincial healthcare legislation and the Canada Health Act, with reference to the expansion of private healthcare in Canada.”

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No end to the ER crisis without investments and addressing workers’ concerns

Wednesday, January 17th, 2024

We recently estimated that dealing with those pressures and bringing back the quality of care in our hospitals to an acceptable standard would require a $1.25 billion annual investment after offsetting costs of inflation. But so far, the Ford government is letting the hospitals deteriorate while it sits on $5.4 billion in contingency funding. If this government is serious about addressing the hospital crisis, it must commit to historic investments immediately.

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Everything we know (so far) about the Canadian Dental Care Plan

Sunday, January 14th, 2024

The program will roll out over two years. By May 2024, everyone over the age of 65 who meets eligibility requirements will be able to apply… By the end of the year, qualifying disabled people and those under 18 should be enrolled. After that, enrollment will open to all other eligible Canadians who meet the income threshold (less than $90,000 in household take-home pay) and don’t have access to private insurance through their employer… Program eligibility will depend on the income reported on your previous-year tax return.

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Critical nursing shortage puts patients at risk

Saturday, December 30th, 2023

As the health care crisis rages unabated across the country, it is nurses who are holding our health systems together through grit, determination and a shocking amount of overtime… Fixing the nursing shortage is not just about adding more nurses to the system; it’s about addressing the conditions that have created this dire crisis… Relying on excessive overtime or costly private nurse agencies as short-term fixes only exacerbates the systemic challenges facing health care.

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The Government of Canada announces the creation of the Canadian Drug Agency

Wednesday, December 20th, 2023

The CDA will build on CADTH’s existing mandate… to include new work streams including: Improving the appropriate prescribing and use of medications… Increasing pan-Canadian data collection and expanding access to drug and treatment data… and, Reducing drug system duplication and lack of coordination that causes expensive inefficiencies and pressures… Once the CDA is operational, it will take on a greater role in the drug system to ensure Canadians can have better health outcomes and access the medications…

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