Alberta Colorectal Cancer Screening Program (ACRCSP) -Project in partnership with Alberta’s current colorectal cancer screening and treatment service providers, Alberta Health Services (AHS) is developing a provincial strategy for colorectal cancer screening. The result of the project will be a business plan that will identify a provincial screening model, future demand assessment, evaluation plan, resource requirements and recommended implementation approach for the ACRCSP. The business plan will be available in Fall 2010. For more information, please visit http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/1778.asp or contact Vivian Ceilin, Project Manager - Vivian.Ceilin@albertahealthservices.ca" Give Us Your Feedback - The Personal Health Portal The Personal Health Portal (PHP) project is a partnership between Alberta Health and Wellness (AHW) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) to improve access to the health system through an innovative web-based portal. The multi-year, multi-phase provincial initiative is designed to help Albertans make decisions about staying well, find information about programs and services, access the health system and manage personal health conditions. Phase 1 of this project is focused on improving Albertan’s access to an expanded breadth and depth of quality consumer health information and decision tools. Take part and add your feedback by July 31, 2010. http://ahs.healthwise.net/, select “Clinician Comments”. Please direct your comments or questions to personalhealthportal@albertahealthservices.ca.
Alberta Diabetes Atlas: 2009 now available The Alberta Diabetes Atlas provides information on the number of people living with diabetes in Alberta, their related health conditions, and the health services they use. Cardiovascular disease, renal disease, eye disease and mental health disorders are all some of the comorbidities of diabetes that are reported on in the Alberta Diabetes Atlas. The Atlas offers health care providers and policy makers with up to date information on the scope of diabetes in Alberta and vital information necessary for program planning and development. To access the atlas visit http://www.ihe.ca/news-events/news/alberta-diabetes-atlas-2009---launch/ Canadian Nurses Association Launches Online Toolkit The Canadian Nurses Association is thrilled to launch CNA’s Primary Care Toolkit. This online resource is easy to use and full of informative links that can help build collaborative teams and optimize the primary care setting. The toolkit was created by the Canadian Nurses Association and developed with the support of the Canadian Family Practice Nurses Association and other health-care partners.To view the toolkit, please visit http://www.cna-aiic.ca/CNA/practice/family/default_e.aspx. For more information, please contact Lisa Ashley at lashely@cna-aiic.ca Alberta HTA Ambassador Program re-introduces website The Heath Technology Assessment Unit at the Institute for Health Economics has re-introduced its Alberta HTA Ambassador Program website. The new site is more user friendly, making it a valuable resource. To view the new look visit http://www.ihe.ca/research/ambassador-program/. OECD Health at a Glance 2009: Key findings for Canada – OECD The OECD’s latest edition of Health at a Glance shows that all countries could do better in providing good quality health care. Screening rates for breast and cervical cancer are higher in Canada than in most other developed countries, and Canada’s survival rates for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer are among the highest in the OECD. Canada does well in achieving low mortality rates for people admitted to hospitals with a heart attack, but mortality rates for people admitted for stroke are higher than the OECD average. In 2007, Canada spent 10.1% of GDP on health, more than the OECD average of 8.9%. Spending per person is also higher than the OECD average. Read additional details Relationship of Primary Care Physicians' Patient Caseload with Measurement of Quality and Cost Performance – Journal of the American Medical Association Sufficient numbers of patients are necessary to generate statistically reliable measurements of physicians' quality and cost performance. This study determined whether primary care physicians in the same physician practice collectively see enough patients to detect meaningful differences between practices in quality and cost measures. The results show relatively few primary care physician practices are large enough to reliably measure differences in common measures of quality and cost performance among fee-for-service Medicare patients. Read additional details Healthy Living Canada - a free online self-management workshop! Is pain, fatigue, stress or other symptoms from ongoing health conditions stopping you from living your life to the fullest? Sign up for a free online self-management workshop that can help you feel better and do more! Get more information and register at http://www.healthylivingcanada.org/ or e-mail LearnMore@healthylivingcanada.org