Health policy

More health-care spending an expensive way to buy health

It’s budget season and provincial governments are continuing to spend more on healthcare than any other portfolio. For example, Alberta spends almost half its budget on health — an estimated $22 billion this year — which is more … READ MORE

Leaked report reveals lax cybersecurity over Alberta patient health records

Leaked report reveals lax cybersecurity over Alberta patient health records. A leaked report obtained by CBC News suggests Alberta Health Services needs to improve its cybersecurity in regards to patient records. CBC Jennie Russell, … READ MORE

In Ontario, new project will give providers and patients more access to health records

SPARK is designed to support innovators with market-ready or in-market digital health solutions. Currently, the SPARK pathway is for digital health innovators working with one or more Health Information Custodians (HICs). Innovators … READ MORE

Uninsured patients in Ontario: People get sicker, the system pays more

Patricia, left, a native of Guyana, says she feels “in control” since she started taking part in the Health With Dignity Program. She is speaking here with health coach Candace Crawford. Carlos Osorio, Toronto Star Dafna Izenberg, … READ MORE

People with disabilities failed by dearth of funding worldwide, say campaigners

As UK co-hosts world’s first disability summit, Theresa May warns that most vulnerable are ‘forced, every day, to deal with prejudice and even violence.’ Frank, who has cerebral palsy, lives in Kakuma refugee camp, in northern … READ MORE

Provincial health ministers support idea of national pharmacare

Goertzen says Manitoba wants plan to be defined, adequate, secure, and able to deal with inflation. Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor speaks to reporters after meeting with provincial and territorial health ministers in … READ MORE

Premiers call for ‘voluntary’ pharmacare program funded by Ottawa

Quebec confirms it will opt out of federal drug plan, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball, left, made it clear at the premiers’ closing news conference Friday that if the federal government wants a national drug … READ MORE

The smartphone feature that could potentially save your life

PEI paramedic says information is crucial in a crisis, but many people don’t know about or use apps. Island EMS advanced care paramedic Holly Noel says any clue is useful when paramedics are dealing with a medical emergency. … READ MORE

Physicians urge Ottawa to pay another $21B over decade for seniors health care

Report comes ahead of the annual premiers’ Council of the Federation meeting. Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg, Ont., is shown on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. Physicians are calling on the federal government to shell out … READ MORE

Pharmacare may appeal to premiers seeking consensus this week in NB

‘I’m confident that we’ll create a model that suits Canada,’ advisory council chair Eric Hoskins says. Former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins was asked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to head a federal … READ MORE

Federal home visiting program can be improved to better meet needs of families

Compared with other countries, the United States often falls short on many maternal and child health outcomes. A federal program known as Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) is designed to give pregnant women … READ MORE

Paramedics’ visits to 911 ‘hotspots’ reduce ambulance calls, study suggests

As our population ages, more and more seniors call 911 to get help, increasing demand on the system. Jessie Lee, left, a paramedic with Toronto Paramedic Services, developed the computer algorithm that enables paramedics to discover … READ MORE

The CRA makes life more difficult for Canadians with disabilities

People with severe disabilities face a number of challenges in everyday life, chief among them financial – including barriers to employment and additional costs to manage their conditions, from mobility devices through to … READ MORE

The digital doctor’s visit: Enormous potential benefits with equally big risk

One out of at least 10 patients records doctors’ visits, usually on a cell phone; Apple recently released a new Health Records feature built into the Health app as part of iOS 11.3. No longer a wave of the future, researchers … READ MORE

Getting health data sharing off the ground

To make progress in personalised medicine, researchers and doctors need access to health data. However, as a study by ETH researchers shows, comprehensive guidelines for the exchange of such data are lacking, being one of the primary … READ MORE

Streamlining the EHR: Interview with Mihai Fonoage at Modernizing Medicine

Modernizing Medicine, a medtech company based in Florida, has developed the Electronic Medical Assistant (EMA), an EHR system which the company claims can significantly streamline clinician workflow. Cloud-based and developed by … READ MORE

Alberta health union launches campaign against ‘threats’ posed by UCP

One of the province’s largest health care unions is wading into the political arena by launching a media campaign to counter “threats” to public health care posed by the potential election of the United Conservative Party next … READ MORE

How Canada is harming its most vulnerable citizens

The tangled web of disability governance and policy in Canada bodes poorly for Canadians with severe disabilities. National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier, standing during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament … READ MORE

No rational person would design a healthcare system this way

Justin Trudeau was a hard act to follow, but the next speaker defined the most important issue of the 2019 election. At the Liberal convention, Dr. Danielle Martin argued a national pharmacare program is long overdue: ‘No rational … READ MORE

Doctors in U.S. and Canada launch sweeping pharmaceutical reform proposal

Plan published today in the British Medical Journal outlines seven steps to slash costs, improve access, and increase safety of prescription medications in both nations. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. John Locher AP Photo in The … READ MORE

A plan to overhaul Canadian health care systems

What has gotten Canadian health systems to their present state will not be sufficient to get them where they need to go for the future. Making our pan-Canadian health organizations ‘Fit for Purpose.’ Health Minister Ginette … READ MORE

‘I am absolutely furious,’ says mother trying to renew disability tax credit

CRA complaints include lost documents, rejection of previously approved applicants. More Canadians are speaking out about difficulty dealing with the Canada Revenue Agency as they apply for the disability tax credit. Canadians are … READ MORE

Australians say no thanks to electronic health records

A wave of opt-outs highlights distrust in the government’s security and privacy promises. A political firestorm erupted last week over the Australian government’s move to create a shareable national electronic health record for … READ MORE

BC online project highlights needs of 1 million caregivers

Stories for Caregivers connects people with resources they might not know exist. More than one million British Columbians are caregivers to a friend or family member in need — and many end up sacrificing their own health looking … READ MORE

Want a healthier population? Spend less on health care and more on social services

Increased social spending was associated with health improvements at the population level, while health spending increases did not have the same effect, according to a large new Canadian study in the Canadian Medical Association … READ MORE

Direct Funding means freedom for many people with disabilities. Is it accessible enough?

When Lisa Crigger advertises for staff on Kijiji, she’s mainly looking for people who can follow direction. Crigger has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair; she needs assistance with bathing, housekeeping, and child care. Briana … READ MORE

Unacceptably low number of Albertans receive disability tax credit

Process too complex and ambiguous, critics say. Only one in three Albertans with disabilities are benefiting from the federal disability tax credit, according to a report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. … READ MORE

We live with a cloud over our heads: Québecers say home care services fall short

Nearly 343,000 Québecers receive publicly-funded home care. Critics hope political parties commit to change. Rosalyn Williams-Ness has received home care services for the past 12 years. She says she lives with almost constant … READ MORE

Canada as single-payer exemplar for universal health care in the United States

A Borderline Option. Ambassador Bridge workers (from bottom left to right) Hector Renaud, (unknown), Earl Foley, Art Langois, and Louis Renaud in 1953, according to Louis Renaud. He says the man in the white shirt was another … READ MORE

Canada’s health-care wait times hit new record high, again

We finally did it last year. In 2016, we hit the 20-week mark for the average wait time for treatment by a specialist (across 12 medical specialities) after referral from a general practitioner. Canada’s national shame had reached a … READ MORE

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