Health T H E P A R T N E R CENTRAL COMMUNITY CARE ACCESS CENTRE What our “ patients are saying The Telehomecare program reinforced the need for me to check my blood pressure and insulin levels regularly, watch my diet and follow-up on any issues, which has improved my health. Six months ago I wouldn’t have been able to spend a week running after my young grandchildren like I can now. Gabriela Pataki Telehomecare patient Did you KNOW? Anyone can make a referral to the Central CCAC: a family doctor, friend, family member or even yourself. If you think you or someone you care about may benefit from care at home or in the community, call 1-888-470-2222. Our helpful staff will connect you with a care coordinator, or refer you to the program or service that may be right for your needs. 1-888-470-2222 MAY 2015 Telehomecare expansion Using simple home-based technology to manage chronic illness Central CCAC is helping more people effectively manage their chronic illnesses by expanding an innovative approach that uses simple homebased technology, remote monitoring and health coaching. Launched in April 2014 in North York, Central CCAC’s Telehomecare program has supported over 200 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure. The service is now being offered in Richmond Hill and Vaughan, with further expansion planned for later this year. Using easy-to-use electronic equipment located in their home, Telehomecare patients learn how to monitor their vital signs and identify new or changing symptoms. They can discuss any health issues directly with their Central CCAC nurse, who remotely monitors their progress through the telephone and Internet. Our nurses also provide health coaching, and work with patients and their primary care providers to set healthy living goals. This encourages people to become active partners in managing their conditions. Benefits include improved quality of life and fewer emergency department visits and hospital admissions. As Central CCAC continues to support more people with complex and chronic health conditions living in the community, programs like Telehomecare are becoming increasingly important to help them stay as healthy as possible. Watch the video Better Health at Home Partnering with primary care providers Central CCAC collaborates with patients, families and others in the care team to create care plans that meet each person’s unique needs. Primary care providers, such as family doctors and nurse practitioners, are an important part of that care team. That’s why Central CCAC is working hard to be an effective partner with primary care providers in the region, so patients and families get the care they need. This includes: • Providing a CCAC staff liaison for each large family medical practice, to answer questions and offer information • Offering a dedicated phone number – 1-888-470-2222, ext. 6173 – to make it easy for primary care providers to speak directly with a care coordinator. • Connecting people with primary care providers who are accepting new patients, through Health Care Connect. From February 2009 to December 2014, our care connectors matched 19,110 individuals with a primary care provider. Learn more about how Central CCAC works with primary care providers to benefit patients in the physician’s area of our website. The Health Partner May 2015 1 Worth mentioning this month… Milestone 500,000 visits last year! Centralhealthline, Central CCAC’s easy-to-use, searchable website is celebrating a significant milestone – with close to 500,000 visits in one year alone (March 2014 to April 2015)! In 2014, the site had an average of about 33,000 visits each month from patients and families, caregivers and health care professionals searching for a wide range of services – everything from transportation to meals on wheels, foot care to housekeeping, snow removal to in-home dental care. Centralhealthline already has over 6,000 in-home and communitybased service listings in the Central region – about 42,000 across the province. Over the last year, the site also expanded to include new resources on diabetes, mental health, palliative care and caregiver support. New Quality Improvement Plan Central CCAC’s annual Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is part of our ongoing accountability to our patients, caregivers, community and funders to provide the best quality care in a fiscally responsible manner. The measures for 20152016 are: reduce falls, unplanned emergency department visits, hospital admissions and wait times for nursing and personal support, and improve the patient experience. Central CCAC’s targets reflect local priorities. New for this year: 2014-2015 QIP Progress Report Care initiatives featured at conference Several of Central CCAC’s initiatives aimed at improving care, increasing access to care and safeguarding patients are featured topics at the Achieving Excellence Together conference in May. One presentation will focus on our Wildly Important Goals to increase access to care and achieve best practice in care coordination. Another will focus on how our High Risk Patient Strategy is keeping patients safer. This annual conference is a valuable opportunity for CCACs to gain new ideas for providing high quality, person-focused care and improving the health system. Satisfaction survey gives Central CCAC high marks Making sure that patients and families are satisfied with their CCAC services, and working with them if they have concerns, is a priority for Central CCAC. Through a third party, we conduct regular surveys to ask how well patients and families think we are meeting their needs. According to our most recent survey, 91% of patients and families rate their overall experience with Central CCAC positively. Are you a community agency who wants your information to be available 24/7 to patients, families and partners? Visit centralhealthline.ca to open or update a profile at any time. Connect with Central CCAC to find out how we can help! Follow us on Twitter and check out our patient care videos on YouTube Central CCAC Board of Directors ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday, June 18, 2015 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Delta Markham 50 East Valhalla Drive Markham, ON L3R 0A3 Directly following the Annual General Meeting, Central CCAC will host its first Heroes in the Home Caregiver Recognition Awards Close to 150 very special family members, friends, volunteers and health professionals – who go above and beyond in their role as caregivers – were nominated. Each will be acknowledged and celebrated during the Award ceremony. 1-888-470-2222 The Health Partner is a newsletter for Central CCAC patients, families and health system partners The Health Partner May 2015 2