On November 16, 2012, many of you attended the IDCA conference regarding the future of the IHF industry. Informative speeches were given by representatives of the CPSO, the Ministry of Health, eHealth Ontario, as well as from a number of business experts. Highlights were provided in the IDCA’s most recent newsletter including:
- Digitally enabled IHFs to be integrated into DI repositories by 2015,
- Several changes to the CPSO DI Practical Parameters and Facility Standards that will have significant operational cost implications, and
- Cost recovery fees for CPSO assessments implemented through annual fee per licence.
As cited in the Message from the Board: In truth, 2012 was a difficult year for the IHF sector, with government funding having been further eroded. OHIP technical fees have been reduced by 2.5%, or more in some modalities, reducing compensation to a level not seen since the 1980s. These fee reductions were coupled with a bitter dispute between the government and the Ontario Medical Association, additional administrative charges, threatened future cuts and confusing regulations. Collectively, these events provoked fear and confusion for IHF operators and made it all but impossible to effectively plan for the future.
The time has come for us to become more vocal…IHFs have no powerful interest groups or public sector unions representing our collective interests. Because we simply quietly and modestly do good work, the important role that we play in providing community-based care has not been recognized or appreciated. We need to join together and deliver a common and consistent message. While recent developments have done little to brighten the need of IHF operators, we cannot afford to be either apathetic or uninvolved in conversations regarding the future provision of care in Ontario. The IDCA has and will continue to function as the sector’s advocate, but in order to be effective, we need your support.