Question 1

What is the difference between Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) and Local Health Integration Networks  (LHINs)?

Accepted Answer

On April 1, 2021, the health system planning and funding functions from the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) transferred into Ontario Health Teams. LHINs began operating under a new name, Home and Community Care Support Services, to reflect a focused service delivery mandate. Currently Home and Community Care Support Services is undergoing further modernization and will potentially in the future be part of OHTs.   Ontario Health Teams are groups of providers and organizations that, at maturity, will be clinically and fiscally accountable for delivering a full and coordinated continuum of care to a defined population.

Question 2

Does the FLA OHT connect people with health-care services?

Accepted Answer

Not directly. The FLA OHT brings communities and health and wellness service providers together voluntarily to build better pathways for care, remove silos, discuss opportunities for health-care improvement and digital health projects and share resources to address the needs of community.   By working together and hearing from our community the goal is to make a better system for all. The FLA OHT is working on building awareness of health and wellness services that exist and encouraging partners to work together, and increasing access for care. As better services are organized the FLA OHT website will be updated and will reach out to community to ensure people know what is happening.

Question 3

Is the FLA OHT working on increasing access to care in the community?

Accepted Answer

Yes! All of the partners are well aware of the shortages of family doctors in the region served by the FLA OHT and of the challenge people have getting the care they need.   The vision of the FLA OHT is to attach every person to a Health Home. In this vision, every family doctor offers the medical care that is needed and wanted – readily accessible, centred on the patient’s needs, provided through every stage of life, and seamlessly integrated with other services in the health-care system and the community.   To do this partners are focusing on the recruitment of more family physicians, Nurse Practitioners and allied health teams. Additionally, to expand care across the vast region of the FLA, partners are looking at innovative ways to provide care remotely or through digital technologies.

Question 4

What is the best way to be connected to a health home /primary care provider?

Accepted Answer

If you are looking for a primary care provider – a family doctor or nurse practitioner – register with Health Care Connect: Call 1-800-445-1822, or  Visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner  You can also contact a family doctor directly to see if they are accepting new patients, using the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) Doctor Search tool:  https://doctors.cpso.on.ca/?search=general  If you need to speak to a nurse for advice or seek other health resources, the service is called Health Connect Ontario and is available 24/7: Call 811 (TTY: 1-866-797-0007) Visit https://healthconnectontario.health.gov.on.ca/static/guest/home

Question 5

How do I get connected with Home Care such as nursing, and personal support in my home?

Accepted Answer

You do not need a family doctor to be eligible for home and community care services.  Patients, families and care givers can all call directly to connect with Home and Community Support Services.  Call 310-2222 (no area code required)  Visit  http://healthcareathome.ca/southeast/en/Getting-Care/getting-started

Question 6

What will be expected of an Ontario Health Team at maturity?

Accepted Answer

As set out by the Ministry of Health, at mature state, each Ontario Health Team will: For people within a geographic region, provide a full and coordinated continuum of care, including primary care, hospital care, community and home care, long-term care, mental health and addiction services, and palliative care services. Offer those seeking care 24 hours, 7 days per week access to coordination of care and system navigation services and work to ensure they experience seamless transitions throughout their care journeys. Improve performance as measured by better health outcomes; better patient, client, family, and caregiver experiences; better provider experiences; and better value. Be measured and reported against a standardized performance framework. Operate within a single, clear accountability framework. Be funded through a shared, single funding envelope. Reinvest in front-line care. Focus on digital health, which includes the provision of digital choices for people to access care and health information, and the use of digital tools to communicate and share information among providers.

Question 7

What health services providers make up the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (FLA) OHT, and what geographic area does the team represent?

Accepted Answer

A team of close to 60 health partners has committed to build a health system that works together to help people in the FLA region achieve their optimal health and wellbeing. Partners in the FLA OHT include family health practices, home and community care, mental health and addiction services, long-term care, patients, caregivers, hospitals, public health, community support services and municipalities. See the list of partners. The FLA OHT plans to serve Deseronto, Napanee and Kingston in the south; Denbigh, Sharbot Lake and Cloyne in the north; and the surrounding rural communities and communities in between. See the FLA OHT region map. There are approximately 226,100 residents in the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington region.

Question 8

What is the focus of the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington OHT?

Accepted Answer

In its first year, the FLA OHT will be working on how to connect residents to a home of primary care and allied health providers working as one team to coordinate care and help people navigate health and social systems, a Health Home. A Health Neighbourhood, a network of additional health and social supports and services, will be organized around individuals, families and caregivers in their Health Homes to ensure timely access to care. As part of building Health Homes and a Health Neighbourhood, in its first year, the FLA OHT will focus on improving people’s health at home by integrating and coordinating home care, community service supports, and mental health and addiction services. It will also work on coordinating an improved care plan for people leaving hospital and returning home, ensuring people have access to primary care.

Question 9

Will people have to change doctors with this Health Home model of care?

Accepted Answer

People will continue to receive care from their existing health care providers, and continue to choose who provides their care and where it is received – within or outside of the FLA OHT. Ontario Health Teams are being designed to make it easier for people to navigate the health system and access the support and care they need, as they transition from one health service provider or setting to another.

Question 10

Will there be other OHTs in the southeast region?

Accepted Answer

Yes; there will be at least two other OHTs in the southeast region. For a list of all the OHTs in the province, please visit the Ministry of Health’s Connected Care webpage.

March 14, 2022

Creating a better integrated health-care system through innovative digital health initiatives
Article courtesy of Ali Somers and Mir Ali

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