Commisioner Don Drummond raised it in his report. Former OHA President Tom Closson frequently spoke about it. Five per cent of the Ontario population uses up about 40 per cent of the provincial health budget each year at an average per patient cost of $44,500.
The thinking is, if we better understood these “high users,” could we streamline the local services they receive and save money in the process?
There is no question that Ontario’s health system is incredibly fragmented and surprisingly getting more so as hospitals are urged to further divest services. The Local Health Integration Networks have been given the difficult task of turning a mix of independent private for-profit, private not-for-profit and public entities into a coherent public system for patients.
OPSEU Diablogue 