Ontario Health Teams are the result of the Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine. The council has highlighted key areas in which Ontario’s healthcare system is under pressure, and exhibiting clear symptoms of strain: different healthcare needs, stress on caregivers and providers, the patient experience, immediate and long-term capacity pressures, and responsibility and accountability in the system. Because of this, the People’s Health Care Act was passed, aiming at improving holistic health outcomes for Ontario’s population.
Key components of Ontario Health Teams include:
- Defined target population
- Integrated patient care and experience
- Shared governance and accountability
- Unified performance measurements
- Coordinated continuum of care
- Meaningful patient and community engagement
- Shared funding envelope
- A ‘digital first’ approach
Key benefits to the system are expected to include costs of care and access to care.