(Ottawa) The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) believes there should be better tracking of health spending, following the health care accords the federal government signed with the provinces and territories.
The doctors’ group released a new report calling for greater commitment to tracking improvements in care delivery and patient outcomes, citing the complexity of the agreements.
He says the report highlights gaps in the agreements, such as the fact that no province or territory has set targets to eliminate emergency room closures.
The medical association wants to create a national health accountability officer, which would focus on tracking progress and reporting on the effectiveness of health spending.
Last year, Ottawa announced $196 billion in funding over 10 years to improve access to health care, including about $45 billion in new money.
Provinces and territories were asked to improve data sharing and measure progress in exchange for funds. In March, Quebec became the latest province to sign an agreement.
The association says the report found five provinces and territories have no targets for electronic access to health data and seven have no targets for information sharing.
She urges “all levels of government to adopt proven solutions to ensure that this historic level of funding truly transforms our health care system.”
The group points out that more than 6.5 million Canadians do not have a primary care physician, that “surgical backlogs remain significant and that the shortage of health human resources is overwhelming.”
Association President Joss Reimer said in a statement that “increased accountability is essential to successfully implementing lasting change in our health care system.”