Office of the Chair

Release of 2003 Hospital Reports

On January 26, 2004, four Hospital Reports were released at a press conference held by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MoHLTC) and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) at the Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre. The news release is available at: www.health.gov.on.ca.

The reports were prepared by the Hospital Report Research Collaborative, based out of HPME, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Brian Lemon, Chair of the Hospital Report Strategic Advisory Committee and CEO of Lakeridge Health, presented a summary of 'what's new' in the 2003 reports and Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, Assistant Professor in HPME and Principal Investigator of the Hospital Report Research Collaborative, provided an overview of the results.

The 2003 series includes:

• The first hospital-specific reports for Emergency Departments and Complex Continuing Care
• The first report on Rehabilitation across the province
• The fifth report on individual Acute Care Hospitals
• More detailed hospital-specific results to inform quality improvement efforts
• New indicators and analyses, for example nursing productivity and nursing-related outcomes, in the Acute Care Report
• Changes over time in Emergency Departments and Acute Care Hospitals

Overall results show that patients are satisfied with the care they receive in hospitals. However, there are some key areas that need to be improved.

The complete reports can be viewed on the Hospital Report Research Collaborative website (www.hospitalreport.ca).

For more background to the Hospital Report Project, click here.

HPME Research Day 2004

Please mark your calendars for HPME's Annual Research Day, taking place on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Medical Sciences Building. A student poster session will be followed by a keynote address, awards ceremony, and catered reception. This year's keynote speaker, Peter A. Ubel, will speak on "The Unbearable Rightness of Bedside Rationing".

Students - start thinking about your poster presentations! Details on How to Submit a Poster Presentation Proposal and Poster Guidelines can be found on the HPME website: www.utoronto.ca/hpme/researchday/research_day_2004.htm

Schedule

UK NHS Study Tour a Big Success

In early January 2004, HPME and The Manchester Centre for Healthcare Management, University of Manchester co-sponsored a four-day study tour in Toronto for 12 senior health executives from hospitals and acute care foundation trusts in the NHS. The current government in the UK is undertaking fundamental change in the British National Health Service in its governance and accountability to create a diverse and plural network of healthcare provider organisations which are more accountable to the local communities which they serve - these new organisations are called "foundation NHS trusts". The Study Tour to Toronto was designed to explore key issues in healthcare governance and management in Ontario, with a focus on local governance and accountability, linkages in the system and relationships with government.

Over the four days, the NHS group engaged in dialogue with over 35 health system leaders. The NHS team visited both University Health Network and Markham Stouffville Hospital and met with Board Chairs, Board representatives and senior hospital executives. The program concluded with a video conference with Steven Lewis and Denise Kouri from Saskatchewan, discussing experiences with regional models. We were thrilled with the participation and contribution by all of the participants, all very willing to share the strengths and challenges of local hospital governance and system management.

The Study Tour was highly praised by the attendees from the UK. Thanks to Ross Baker, HPME and Kieran Walshe, Manchester Centre for Healthcare Management for their skillful planning and coordination. A special thanks to the many participants who made the program an outstanding success.

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