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Volume 2 Issue 2
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CDA
at
W
ork
CDA participates in
HEALTH CARE INNOVATION
PANEL
Representatives from various health care professions, policy-makers and
industry groups discussed current challenges and barriers to innovation
in the health care sector. They also explored ways the federal government
could support promising areas of innovation to ultimately improve the
country’s health care system.
“Quality of care, sustainability, accessibility and affordability were at the
heart of the discussions,” explains Dr. MacDonald. “We took a focused look
at measures that currently exist and are successful, to see how they could be
applied more broadly.”
Dr. MacDonald put forth the following suggestions to the
advisory panel on behalf of the profession:
To re-invest funds currently going toward medical
transportation from the Non-Insured Health Benefits
program to models that bring health care to patients in
their communities;
To develop tax measures that promote preventative
health care by encouraging Canadians to acquire
extended health benefits; and
To fund models that encourage team-based approaches
to patient care in local clinics, such as those currently seen
in dental offices.
The Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation was created in 2014 by
Minister of Health Rona Ambrose. “Access to high quality care is important
to all Canadians. We need to work together across all sectors of
society to harness the tremendous potential of innovation in
health care and improve the responsiveness and sustainability
of the health care system,” she said following the consultation in
Ottawa. “I was very pleased to hear about today’s lively discussion
among some of the key stakeholders in Canadian health care and
what the panel is working on.”
The panel will be holding more consultations across the country early
this year, and will present a final report with recommendations to Minister
Ambrose in May 2015.
a
Dr. Gary MacDonald, CDA president,
attended a facilitated roundtable
discussion in December organized by
Health Canada’s Advisory Panel on
Healthcare Innovation.
Quality of care, sustainability,
accessibility and affordability
were at the heart of the
discussions.
– Dr. Gary MacDonald
Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, at the roundtable discussion.
Photo credit: Health Canada