CPAC Procurement Communique

APACTS Chair Barbara Cawley and members Gail Mulzer and Heather Heaman attended the Community Provider Associations Committee (CPAC) April 2 meeting with Margaret Mottershead and Ministry representatives to develop a plan for moving forward post September 30^th.  October 1^st, 2012 is when all CCAC provider contracts across the province expire. As such it was necessary, in preparing for this reality, to come together to address procurement and how we will move forward in providing services within the home care sector. Read more here.

APACTS presents poster at OHCA Symposium

APACTS presented a summary ofVariability in Therapy Services Referrals at the May 2011 OHCA Symposium, bringing attention to the potential issues for client care and health human resources brought about by fluctuating referral volumes.

Missisauga-Halton LHIN School Health Services Review

A summary of the input received by consultants in Mississauga-Halton on behalf of the School Health Services Review.

Caseload Management Planning Tool Update

APACTS member Heather Heaman sits on this committee as a representative of the Canadian Association of Speech Language Pathologists and Audiologists

April 2010
The Caseload Management Planning Tool (CMPT) Project is entering into the pilot phase of this initiative. The purpose of the pilot trials are to:
·         Confirm the suitability of the Tool in a variety of service contexts
·         Identify any areas which need modification and/or further clarification
·         Build the foundation of real life examples[1] of the Tool’s application to help others
The intended outcome of this project is to develop a method to predict caseload and human resources planning in a variety of services contexts and client populations.
A call went out for volunteers to pilot the Tool and we received a very enthusiastic response from over 40 sites across the country. Pilot sites were selected to reflect a diversity of service settings, geographical regions, client populations and professions. The twelve sites accepted for the trial include representatives from:
·         Pediatric, adult, general, geriatric and First Nations’ settings
·         Service models of acute care, community – based delivery, school-care and regional based therapy services
·         Clinical areas such as seniors’ health, early childhood intervention, mental health,  rehabilitation and long-term care
·         Diverse regions across the country
·         Each of the three professions of occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech-language pathology as well as interprofessional teams

The pilot trial of the Tool will take place over a four-week period this spring. The results of the pilots will be analyzed and integrated into the final Tool document and project report. Once the project is complete (March 2011) the Tool will be freely available for use by interested clinicians. Association newsletters and the CMPT website will keep members informed of developments.

CCAC therapy services

Here is what we know:

· CCACs are dealing with more eligible clients than they have money to support. This is largely due to:

o Pressure on hospitals to discharge ALC patients into the community (these are patients not receiving active hospital based treatment but no where to send them)

o Emergency diversion – diverting patients from hospital admissions to care in the community

o The beginning of the baby boomers coming to an age when they are starting to need CCAC services

· LHINS require CCACs to come in on budget by the end of their fiscal year which is March 31, 2010

· CCACs are in financial difficulty and are over budget

· As a result, CCACs are establishing or have established strategies to mitigate their financial situation including but not limited to;

o Waitlisting clients for all or some services

o Only admitting very high or priority referrals

o Capping visits and length of stay

o Adjusting eligibility criteria for certain services

· CCACs have not received their budgets for 2010/11 so at this time, they do not know if or what their operating increases will be

· In some CCACs specific dollars have been allocated or dedicated to projects or programs related to discharging patients from hospitals in order for them to successfully either live at home or wait at home (for rehab hospitals or LTC facilities) – for these programs, more visits are available

management are meeting with their association (the OACCAC) and the LHINS to inform them of the needs and advocate for more resources

· All community rehab provider organizations are struggling to retain staff. In some organizations, layoffs have occurred.

Here is what we don’t know:

· We don’t know if this situation will continue into the CCACs’ next fiscal year.

What we are doing in response:

• APACTS continues to advocate to and work with the OACCAC to identify client impacts of service cuts
• The professional associations have a range of strategies that they utilize to raise issues related to home care with government, including community sector messaging in their pre-budget submissions to the Ontario government
• APACTS is looking at both the threats and opportunities for therapy services over the next 3 years as part of strategic planning process

How can you help/what can you do:

• continue to provide excellent client service

• Share creative ideas with provider organizations and APACTS

• Review our reference documents

School Health Support Services Review

The Ontario Ministries of Health & LTC, Education, and Children & Youth Services are jointly reviewing provision of school health support services through CCAC providers.  The government has retained Deloitte & Touche LLP to investigate and provide a final report by July 31, 2010.  APACTS will be providing recommendations to the review to support access to therapy services in the school environment.  Watch the website for updates on APACTS involvement.

Feb. 2010 - APACTS provided input to the review emphasizing the need for a sustainable, client-centred school health services system that provides clients and providers with clearly defined services based on consistent policies.  Quality improvement and accountability are also central themes in the APACTS input.