HealthForceOntario strategy falling short, AG says
Ontario has not met its goal of having the right number, mix and distribution of health-care professionals to meet its needs, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said in her 2013 annual report released this week. This is despite $3.5 billion being spent on the government’s HealthForceOntario Strategy over the last six years. The lion’s share of […]
Medical mistake registry coming in Nova Scotia – Health authorities will have to report mistakes within 12 hours
The Nova Scotia government is moving closer to a province-wide system of reporting medical mistakes. Currently, each health authority collects its own information in its own way, making it difficult to get a clear picture of the magnitude of the problem. Beginning Dec. 22, all nine of the province’s health authorities will be required to […]
Saskatchewan ED docs get new contract
The emergency department at Regina’s Pasqua Hospital is staying open around the clock. The health region had announced that the ED would be closed as of last Thursday during the overnight hours due to a persistent and serious shortage of resuscitation-capable physicians. However, a last-minute deal was reached in which physicians agreed to work extra […]
Emergency Department issues flare up across Canada
Emergency department issues were a hot topic in three provinces this past week, coming on the heels of a warning in a recent position paper from the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP) that ED overcrowding is worsening and constitutes a “public health crisis.” In Newfoundland and Labrador Tuesday, the St. John’s Telegram reported that […]
U.S. Citizens in Canada – Mutual Funds and RRSP v.s. IRA
Mutual Funds – U.S. citizens generally should be cautious when owning mutual funds in a foreign country (like Canada). They are typically classified as U.S. Passive Foreign Investment Companies (PFIC). Usually, the onerous reporting and taxation can be excessive. Fortunately, Dimensional Fund Advisors is one of a handful of fund companies to offer the Annual […]
Family Physician Job Posting of the Month – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Clareview Medical Clinic 3504-A 137Ave NW, T5Y 1Y7 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada This is your chance to live in a Canadian city ranked among the best places to live in North America. It is a city with education and arts as the center of its cultural life, an outstanding place to raise a family, […]
UK NHS managers pump a further £150m more into emergency services this winter
It seems that Canada isn’t alone in its efforts to calm the Emergency Department ‘beast’, as the UK too must implement extra-ordinary measures to cope with public demand for EM services… the UK’s CCGs will receive an extra £150m from NHS England to help hospitals cope with winter pressures in A&E departments. The money will […]
ER wait times and caregiver support in Newfoundland and Labrador
In the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature Tuesday, NDP Leader Lorraine Michael asked about ER overcrowding at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s, and she said the problem has persisted despite an ER Wait Times Strategy launched last year. Health and Community Services Minister Susan Sullivan said “incredible progress” has been made, “but it does […]
Patient off-loading ER waits in Manitoba
In the Manitoba legislature on Monday, Progressive Conservative Health Critic Cameron Friesen said the problem of lengthy patient off-load wait times at Winnipeg hospitals is getting steadily worse. The city, which runs the ambulance service, is fining the health region for waits of over an hour to offload patients because of hold-ups in the ER. […]
ER overcrowding in Saskatchewan
In the Saskatchewan legislature the government has been questioned about the emergency department overcrowding situation in Regina. ER physician staffing levels at the two city hospitals are about a third lower than they should be, and the Regina Qu’Appelle health region is considering the necessity of reducing the number of hours at one of them […]
