Provincial Government Expands Successful Pay-for-Results Program
Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor announced Friday that as part of a provincial wide strategy the Province of Ontario will help Greater Niagara General Hospital reduce ER wait times significantly and ensure that residents of Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake can get the emergency care they need, faster. Greater Niagara General Hospital will receive $733,100 in Pay for Results funding to implement initiatives that will help it reduce ER wait times.
Since it was created in 2008, the program has already helped the participating hospitals reduce ER wait times by 23 per cent. The program helps hospitals meet specific ER wait time reduction targets.
This year, 71 Ontario hospitals will receive Pay-for-Results funding. All of them have committed to treating more patients within the targets, aiming to improve by 15 per cent over the course of the year.
To reach the target, hospitals will use the funds to do things like:
- expand staffing as part of emergency department teams and reorganize how these teams interact to encourage more collaboration,
- create designated areas within the ER to ensure rapid assessment and to improve patient flow.
Reducing ER wait times builds on the government’s Open Ontario plan to provide more access to health care services while improving accountability for patients.
QUOTES
Reducing wait times at GNGH is essential to the health and well being of my constituents in Niagara. This funding will improve the through put at GNGH which will benefit us all especially in a time of emergency. While we are increasing GNGH’s ER funding, it is very important that residents make use of after hour clinics and urgent care centres as their first stop unless the emergency is life threatening or a serious truama. In those cases they should call an ambulance. This strategy is the best medicine for the patient in most cases as they will get proper attention faster and with less inconvenience. Kim Craitor, MPP
“I’m so encouraged by the results participating hospitals have achieved since we launched the Pay for Results program in 2008. I’m excited to expand this program so we can keep building on this success.” -- Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
QUICK FACTS
- Ontario now reports all surgical and ER wait times online at Ontario.ca/waittimes
- There are 163 emergency rooms in the province, with 2.8 million people making 5.25 million visits to these ERs each year.
Learn more about the alternatives to a hospital ER; about the reporting of the time spent in ERs.
Ron Planche\ Executive Assistant \ Kim Craitor, MPP Niagara Falls \ Ministry of Tourism and Culture \ nf 905-357-0681 \ bb 905-401-5699 \ qp 416.325.3715 \ http://www.kimcraitor.com \ rplanche@liberal.ola.org
