Shut out of clinical trials, community hospitals miss out on ‘cutting-edge therapy’
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Doctors find their voices to combat “infodemic” of fake news
What is the federal government’s role in health care?
Polls suggest that health care is the most important issue to Canadians in the upcoming federal election. However, in Canada, health care delivery is largely the responsibility of the provinces and territories. The 2004 Health Accord invested $41 billion of federal dollars in health. What were the outcomes of this federal investment in health? History …
How should hospital doctors be paid?
Doctors are a significant portion of the costs for the health care system. In 2009, almost a quarter of Ontario’s health care budget was spent on paying doctors. Most doctors who work in hospitals are not paid by the hospital directly, but by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, which pays doctors for each procedure and clinical service. …
Reducing ‘unnecessary’ blood glucose test strip use
Blood glucose test strips are the third most expensive cost for the Ontario Public Drug Program. A study released in 2009 suggests that the Ontario government is unnecessarily spending between $19 and $42 million per year on glucose test strips. However, no changes have yet been made to reduce the use of blood glucose test …
Why has Ontario introduced a new narcotics strategy?
Deaths from prescription opioids have increased in Ontario over the past two decades as opioids have become more commonly used to treat pain. The Ontario government has introduced legislation to better monitor opioid prescriptions and to educate doctors and the public about the danger of opioids. The only unusual thing about the death of Heath Ledger, …
Gridlock in Ontario’s hospitals
About one in six beds in Ontario’s hospitals are occupied by patients who no longer need hospital care. These beds are called Alternate Level of Care (ALC) beds. Because ALC beds are not available for sick patients in the emergency department, ALC beds are an important cause of emergency department overcrowding. The term ‘gridlock’, used …