Patients should get quicker access to family doctors and enjoy a smoother ride through the health-care system under long-promised reforms , says Health Minister Eric Hoskins. New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath said she has “little confidence” the legislation will live up to the promises from Hoskins given the history of challenges with the Local Health Integration Networks. That will fix the “silo approach” that has too many of a patient’s health-care providers working without knowledge of what others are doing, Hoskins said. The legislation would also disband the oft-criticized system of 14 Community Care Access Centres — which make front-line decisions on patients needing home care — and move those services to Local Health Integration Networks. Hoskins, a family physician, said he pictures an improved health-care system in which a family health team of doctors, nurses and other health-care providers working together in an office would have a home-care official on site.

Source: thestar June 02, 2016 18:24 UTC