Accountability agreements continue between LHIN and hospitals

North East Ontario Local Health Integration Network
News Release

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Earlier today, the North East Ontario Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) Board of Directors were briefed on the NE LHIN’s process for negotiating the terms of the 2008–2010 Hospital Service Accountability Agreement (H-SAA).

Over the next several weeks, hospital leaders from all 25 area hospitals will be meeting with NE LHIN staff as part of a province-wide Hospital Annual Planning Submission (HAPS) process. These HAPS documents, which each hospital prepared and submitted to the NE LHIN on November 30, detail hospital’s operating plans for the next two years 2008-10. The meetings will provide the basis for understanding each hospital’s operating requirements as well as their contribution to the North East LHIN’s strategic directions. Hospitals will be submitting final HAPS documents to the NE LHIN on January 31, 2008

Responsibility for negotiating Accountability Agreements with local hospitals was transferred from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to the NE LHIN in April 2007. LHINs are required under the Ministry LHIN Accountability Agreement (MLAA) to include balanced budget provisions in agreements with public hospitals. Over the past several months, the North East LHIN has encouraged hospitals to look at continuous quality improvement possibilities and to engage with the communities they serve to find innovative solutions for the delivery of optimum health care services within their specific allocations.

NE LHIN Board Chair Mathilde Gravelle Bazinet emphasized that the HAPS and H-SAA process is new to the NE LHIN and to area hospitals who have been accustomed to working with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care in the past. “Our goal is to continue to work closely with our hospitals so that we can better understand their challenges and opportunities. We need to work collaboratively together in finding innovative solutions to managing hospital programs and services in the best interest of the patients served.”

Hospitals are required to sign their negotiated H-SAA with the NE LHIN by March 31, 2008.

Health care service providers and the general public can learn more about the North East LHIN HAPS process by visiting the “For Health Service Providers” section of the North East LHIN website at www.nelhin.on.ca.

For more information on the North East LHIN HAPS process, please visit the “For Health Service Providers”
section of the North East LHIN website at www.nelhin.on.ca.

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