Slide Deck: Response to AG Report (2017) about CHCs

In 2017, the Auditor General reviewed the CHC program &developed Recommendations. The MOH has responded in 2019 and reported on progress to-date . additional progress & details are provided in this PowerPoint.

In her press conference, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk was asked what stood out from her review of 5 different health care sectors --She said it was CHCs & the comprehensive services they provide under one roof: "They are pretty neat. It was most surprising to understand that type of operation exists in Ontario.“

AG Report comments included:

• CHCs stand out from other models of primary care...because they deliver medical services under the same roof, such as health promotion and community programs" (p. 180).
• "By serving vulnerable people, CHCs can contribute to reducing the strain on the health care system and other provincial government programs" (p. 185).
• "The goal of CHCs is to keep people in the communities where they live in good health" (p. 184).

The report acknowledged CHC’s’ leadership in serving medically and socially complex clients, identifies their role in reducing social isolation, meeting the needs of refugees and uninsured populations, and describes them appropriately vis-a-vis other primary care models (p. 220).

The report also questioned the Ontario government’s capacity to standardize CHCs and hold them accountable. Alliance members responded by building their individual and collective capacity for measurement and reporting and by undergoing regular, voluntary accreditation. This slide deck provides an evidence-informed response to the report's key findings. This includes overviews of:

• Published studies that demonstrate the quality and effectiveness of primary health care provided by CHCs, including superior chronic disease management, cancer screening, and expereinces of care.
• How CHC utilization data is collected, reported, and used to actively manage panel size in order to ensure that care is accessible.
• How CHCs' standardized EMR data is collected and shared with system partners including the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, CIHI, and ICES, for accountability and to facilitate population health research and planning.
• Information about CHC services and providers.
• Voluntary accreditation by all CHCs in our sector. 

The final slide in the deck describes some critical findings about FHGs and FHOs from the same report. These findings include gaps in accountability and challenges to cost-effectiveness.