Project Co-Principal Investigator Carolyn Tuohy and team member Dr William Orovan
IRPP President Hugh Segal and the Hon. Philippe Couillard
Project team member Tom Archibald
The conference was a chance for many on our team to present their latest thinking in a raw state and gain valuable feedback from their peers. We are very grateful to the Institute for Research on Public Policy (www.irpp.org) for their generous support in hosting this event. We are also very thankful to the Hon Phillipe Couillard, Quebec Minister for Health and Social Services, for presenting a very informative and interesting lunch-time speech.
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Project Co-Principal Investigator Carolyn Tuohy and team member Dr William Orovan
IRPP President Hugh Segal and the Hon. Philippe Couillard
Project team member Tom Archibald
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"There is no substitute for rapid change in the health care system, the status quo is not acceptable" says the Honourable Philippe Couillard, Quebec's Minister of Health and Social Services. The Minister was the keynote speaker at a conference hosted by the Institute for Research on Public Policy which showcased research from the CHRSF-funded project "Defining the Medicare Basket". The Hon. Couillard went on to state that any necessary changes to the health care system could be done within the current boundaries of the Canada Health Act, without altering the Act. The conference aimed to examine ways in which this reform might best occur.
A mixture of policy makers, academics and health care professionals participated in discussion of this and other contentious issues including: reviewing physician compensation models, defining the composition of the "Basket" of publicly funded services, the effects of removing services from the Medicare Basket, the development of a principled framework for decision making, and the development of a taxonomy for health care decision making. In the discussion that followed each presentation, it was clear that there was consensus that the health care system needs reform, not only for its continued prosperity but for its existence. However, the manner in which these reforms should take place was the cause for much disagreement. The presentation by Coyte and Nauenberg on a new taxonomy for health care decision making led to a passionate discussion as to whether or not health promotion services (i.e. chiropractic services) were medically necessary and if they should be in government funded Medicare.
The conference also evaluated parts of the Canadian health care system in comparison with other systems globally. Participants discussed where Canada excelled and the potential for adopting principles from other countries. The conference closed with much optimism for the growth and improvement of Canada's health care system.
The programme on the comprised the following presentations:
Click on the title to see a Powerpoint or PDF version of the presentation
Physician Fee Negotiations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia
Tom Archibald, SJD Candidate, University of TorontoWheel of Fortune: Reviewing Models for Physician Compensation
Dr. William Orovan, Department of Surgery, McMaster University and Professor Carolyn Tuohy, Vice-President (Government and Institutional Relations), University of TorontoDeveloping a Principled Framework for Decision Making
Professor Gopal Sreenivasan (Philosophy) and Professor Arthur Ripstein (Law), University of TorontoDevelopment of a Taxonomy for Health Care Decision Making in Canada
Dr. Eric Nauenberg, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of TorontoThe Economic Effects of De-Listing Services from Medicare
Professor Mark Stabile, Department of Economics, University of TorontoThe Fiscal Implications of What is In and Out of the Medicare Basket
Dr. Glen Roberts, Conference Board of Canada
We would like especially to thank Suzanne Lambert from the IRPP for arranging the conference and Nancy Pulkki at the Sutton Place Hotel for ensuring a smooth performance on the day.