Ontario has the highest private sector health care expenditure in the country, according to data in a recent report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Total public sector…
There has been a sharp increase in the number of physicians in Ontario and an even sharper increase in payments to physicians. Between 2008 and 2012 the number of physicians…
Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) have made a modest come-back in Ontario hospitals, according to new Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data. After slipping back 1.8% in 2011, the RPN…
The Globe and Mail (regurgitating the Canadian Press, apparently) gets it wrong about unions in a story in today’s print edition. They claim that “Union membership has declined in Canada…
Lurking only slightly below the surface in the recent fight over changes to funding for physiotherapy is yet another problem with health care privatization. The government is stopping the ability…
The gap between union and non-union wages in Ontario has grown significantly since the start of the recession in 2008, increasing by $1.71 per hour, Statistics Canada data indicates. The…
Ontario inflation is beginning to heat up. As recently as May, the year over year increase in the Consumer Price Index was a mere 0.49%. Today’s data for July indicates…
Hospitals are “full to bursting” and bed use is reaching such “dangerous” levels that staff are struggling to maintain the safety and quality of patients’ care, claims an authoritative study.…
With the release of the 2013-14 first quarter finances report, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa has announced the start of his own consultations on the economy. The focus (allegedly) is…
Much was made by the media and others in the chattering classes of the “record” drop in public sector employment reported in the July Labour Force survey by Statistics Canada…
The provincial Ombudsman has followed up on his damning report on the privatized, non-ambulance patient transfer industry. The Mike Harris Progressive Conservative government privatized the patient transfer industry at the…
As feared yesterday— the premiers have rolled. They didn’t even dare to beg for better federal health care funding in their media release on health care from their meeting (“The…
At this week’s meeting of the provincial premiers there were some sharp complaints about the federal government. But missing — so far — is any significant complaint about the one…
Hospitals are often stereotyped as providers of acute care services. In fact, acute care accounts for a relatively small portion of total hospital services. As noted a few days ago,…
The real costs for the average hospital acute care patient are declining. As noted yesterday this is true for both Ontario and Canada, based on data just released from the…
Ontario has the lowest hospital cost per weighted case of all the provinces. And the cost difference between Ontario and the rest of the country is growing. Hospital Cost Per…
Canada is an extreme outlier in terms of hospital services. We provide hospital inpatient services to fewer patients than any other developed nation. The 34 member “rich nations” club, the…
The Minister of Health and LTC has strongly endorsed the restructuring of patient transfer industry in the South West LHIN. This may set a new model for the private corporations…
Ontario hospitals report a significant decline in the number of patients in hospital beds who are waiting for a long term care bed. From November 2009 to March 2013, the…
Community pressures to preserve small hospitals: Local opposition to hospital cuts has driven Prince Edward County residents to demand that their local hospital be allowed to break away from the…
