Matthew Hodge posted a question asking:

What if any assurances are in place to prevent Ontario's Family Health
Teams from cream-skimming by choosing younger patients (who are likely
to be healthier and thus less work) or people from higher-income
postal codes, since age and address both appear on the enrollment
form?
------- Response ---------------

Cream-skimming clients is always a risk when access to doctors is
expanded in a given region, but it will not happen here for two
reasons. The first is that the Family Health Team is committed to
giving every resident access to a family doctor. The Family Health
Team works in collaboration with the doctors, nurses and other health
professionals in the local region. Health personnel shortages are
being worked on from the supply side (larger patient load, recruiting
more professionals) and not off-loaded the problem to the individual
patient seeking a family doctor. The second is that all applications
by individuals seeking a family doctor are accepted. There is no
scope for skimming low-demand patients.

This region is a mixture of aging rural families, who have frequently
done without much medical attention, as well as in-migrating retiring
near-elderly. Both will need access to services that the Health Team
is committed to providing in part on its own and in part in
collaboration with other agencies in the health and wellness sector.

How well this will work? That is yet to be determined, but it will be
monitored closely for progress and for lessons learned. With 150
different Family Health Teams in the province (and limit4ed knowledge
networking among them) some interesting lessons learned should be
forthcoming.

Sam Lanfranco, CANCHID ListHOST/Admin

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