You can help make MAHC better

At Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, patients are always our top priority. It is our goal that the patients we see each and every day are receiving the best care possible in a safe environment.

We are always looking for ways to improve the services offered to our patients, which is why we have begun to develop a customer service excellence program. In addition to training our staff and implementing programs to improve our service, we also welcome feedback from our patients and their visitors – positive or negative.

If you have a concern about your care or the care of a loved one, your first approach should be engaging your health care team. Speak to one of the doctors, nurses or other health care professionals directly involved in providing the care about any concerns you have. Good communication with your health care providers is essential and helps to ensure the highest quality of care.

If you are unable to resolve your concerns with your health care team, you can ask to speak to the manager or shift leader and have them help you find a resolution. You also have the option of contacting the administration at any of our sites, either over the phone or in writing.

If a serious issue arises with the wellbeing of one of our patients, be assured that we provide full disclosure of the events and repercussions of the incident. We plan meetings with the patient and the patient’s family to review what happened and what steps will be taken to correct the problem in a transparent manner.

MAHC is also committed to the highest standards of professional, ethical and legal behaviour by employees, medical staff, volunteers and students and has a whistleblowing policy to handle complaints associated with a breach of professional, ethical, financial or legal behaviour.

At MAHC, all feedback is greatly appreciated and we take every compliment and complaint seriously. The information we get from you, our patients, helps us form our programs and policies to better serve you.

For more information about how you can provide feedback, please visit our website at www.mahc.ca.

At MAHC, infection control is everyone’s responsibility

Many people are wary about entering a hospital, as they are afraid of getting sick. While broken arms are not contagious, there are many patients that come to the hospital with colds, flus and other contagious infections, which could potentially make the facility a hotspot for illnesses and bacteria.

That’s why infection control is so important to Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare. All of our facilities have policies and procedures in place to minimize the spread of infection and to keep our patients and staff safe.

Many infections are transmitted indirectly through touch and environmental surfaces, which is why proper hand washing is so important. All staff at MAHC maintain strict hand hygiene protocols, but it’s also important for visitors to ensure their hands are properly cleaned. Most people don’t wash their hands long enough to kill bacteria. In order to be effective, you should rub your soapy hands together for at least 15 seconds. Try humming the “Happy Birthday” song twice to help you keep count.

MAHC also has alcohol-based hand sanitizer throughout all of our facilities and visitors are asked to use it upon entering and exiting the building or a patient room and throughout their stay. Masks are also available for those with respiratory infections, colds and flus. Wearing the mask can prevent viruses from being spread to others when we cough or sneeze.

In addition, MAHC has an Infection Prevention and Control program that includes surveillance, education, policy development and review and continuous quality improvement.

If you feel unwell or are ill with a cough, fever, respiratory infection or diarrhea, please do not visit the hospital until you are feeling better. It is also wise to take precautions against influenza and get your flu shot annually.

For more information on MAHC’s facilities, policies and procedures, please visit our website at www.mahc.ca.

Understanding Health System Funding Reform

The way that Ontario hospitals will be funded has changed. Last year, the provincial government introduced Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care, which will be implemented in all hospitals over the next several years.

Hospitals previously received funding as one lump sum that would cover their services. The new funding system is designed to be more patient-centric and hospitals will be funded based on the number of patients they see, the services they deliver, the evidence-based quality of those services and the specific needs of the broader population they serve. This strategy will also see a shift of health care dollars into the community setting and hospitals may begin to consider specialities and focus on what they do best, so in other words not all hospitals will do all things.

At Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, we support these changes to funding. The new plan uses evidence to inform health spending so that money truly follows the patient and drives quality improvement. We feel that funding reform is necessary to ensure that funding is provided where the population needs exist and achieves the best value. Over the next few years, we will be working to meet the challenge of this new funding system.

The new funding program will be implemented in stages over three years and is made up of two components: Health Based Allocation Model (HBAM) and Quality Based Procedures. Both are funded at pre-determined best practice rates and are based on the volume of procedures performed.

Beginning in the 2012/13 fiscal year, HBAM funding will account for 40 per cent of MAHC’s funding. Quality Based Procedures include hip and knee replacement surgery, cataract surgery and chronic kidney disease in 2012/13 and will account for up to six per cent of the hospital’s funding. Over the next two years, the number of procedures included in the category will increase until it represents 30 per cent of the hospital’s funding.

With help from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, we will be working to meet the challenge of the new funding plans. As always, patients will be our first priority every step of the way.

Read more about Health System Funding Reform.



Full time job search made easier for nursing graduates

From the moment you walk into the emergency department to the day you leave the hospital, you will come into contact with many nurses. Registered Nurses (RNs), Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play an integral role in our healthcare system.

As the population ages, the demand for nurses increases. At Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC), our nurses provide our patients with high-quality, skilled, compassionate care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We understand that the competition for nurses is strong and we know that many new nurses struggle to find full-time work once they have graduated.

We are excited to be a part of the Nursing Graduate Guarantee, an initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that helps find employment for new RN and RPN graduates. Our participation in the program also fosters continual learning and career development of members of our staff who want to upgrade their skills or become nurses.

Through this program, the ministry funds the salaries and benefits of nursing graduates for six months as they work alongside experienced MAHC nurses in the Emergency Room and Med-Surg and Complex Continuing Care units. In return, MAHC guarantees their employment for an additional six weeks.

In addition to gaining real experience, the nursing graduates who participate in this program also have more than seven months after graduation to find full-time employment.
We have been participating in this program for five years and have seen tremendous results. The program benefits both the graduates and MAHC. The nursing graduates receive hands-on mentoring and gain the experience of working in a healthcare facility. We have also retained a number of the nurses who participated in this program in permanent positions.

I would encourage all nursing students to look into this program and see if it is a good fit for you. To find out if you are eligible for the program or to learn more, visit Health Force Ontario. Learn more about opportunities for employment at MAHC.



Nursing graduates include former staff and nursing students at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare

Connecting you to the care you need

It is very common, whether it’s in the diagnostic or treatment phase, for patients to need to see a specialist. Many specialists set up their practices in densely populated areas in order to see as many patients as possible. This means that some of our patients have to wait months for an appointment and also travel a distance in order to see a specialist.

At Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, we are always looking for ways to improve our patients’ care and one way to bring care closer to home is through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN). The OTN is one of the largest telemedicine networks in the world and is connected to both of our hospital sites. It uses two-way videoconferencing that allows patients to virtually meet with specialists in a timely fashion. Instead of having to endure the time and expense and sometimes the risk of travelling, our patients are able to get the care they need without leaving their community.

If your family doctor recommends that you see a specialist, you can ask them if the specialist is available by OTN. You can also contact the telemedicine coordinators at each of our hospital sites to help arrange your appointment. The coordinators, who are also Registered Nurses, will send the specialist all of your information and test results prior to the videoconference and will attend the conference with you to provide clinical care and clarification. During the videoconference, you will be able to speak to the doctor as if they are in the room with you. You can ask questions, tell them about your symptoms and discuss treatment options. Family members are also welcome to attend to offer support.

Our patients not only have the opportunity to speak with their specialists without having to travel, but they also benefit from the support of our team of healthcare professionals. The technology is very easy to use and we have been getting very positive feedback from patients who have accessed this service.

For more information about the Ontario Telemedicine Network, please visit www.otn.ca. To learn more about other services offered at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, please visit our website at www.mahc.ca.



RNs Cindy Childerhose and Jan Venturelli are the Ontario Telemedicine Coordinators
at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare

The importance of giving to your hospital

It may come as a surprise that the government does not provide additional funding to ensure we have the right equipment to service our patients.

Funding is received for operating costs and we work very hard to make sure that every dollar is spent appropriately to maximize patient care and ensure we have enough doctors, nurses and staff to accommodate demand. Our operating budget does not cover the cost of buying state-of-the-art medical equipment or remodelling and updating various departments.

Although our financial situation has improved over previous years, we have limited dollars available for capital purchases. Our current needs across Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare total more than $7.7 million.

Fortunately, we have the help of the hardworking staff and volunteers at the Huntsville District Memorial Hospital Foundation (HDMHF) and the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation (SMHF). These foundations fundraise throughout the year and combined with the generosity of donors, we have been able to purchase needed equipment for our two hospitals.

These foundations are the driving force in securing funding for essential equipment that helps us improve our quality of care. Recently, funds raised by the SMHF have been used to purchase new ultrasound equipment, and a state-of-the-art infant isolette for the Family Care Unit at South Muskoka Memorial Hospital. Last year, the hospital was fortunate to receive a new urology imaging table from the Foundation. Without these, patient care would have been impacted.

The Huntsville Hospital Foundation has donated enough money to purchase new equipment in the Diagnostic Imaging department and is currently raising funds to update the vital signs monitors and replace the CT Scanner. With the support of the Huntsville Foundation and its valued donors, the Dialysis Unit will also be getting a big facelift later this year.

Giving to either one of these Foundations benefits the entire community. The equipment purchased and upgraded services allow us to provide better care to our patients and we are very grateful to both our donors and the Foundations for all of their hard work.

To find out how you can help or to make a donation online, please visit their websites at www.hdmhfoundation.ca or www.southmuskokahospitalfoundation.ca.

Colin Miller, Executive Director of the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation,
and Debi Davis, Executive Director of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation

The right care in the right place at the right time

At Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC), patients are our top priority. We want to make sure that you, the patient, are accessing the proper and most timely care. When an illness or accident strikes, the most important decision is making sure that you are getting the right care in the right place.

In the region, you have a variety of options when it comes to receiving healthcare. You can make an appointment with your family physician, visit an urgent care or walk-in clinic, or come to the emergency department at either of our acute care hospital sites in Bracebridge or Huntsville.

Minor ailments or ongoing issues, such as allergies, are best taken care of by your family physician. If it’s after hours, a walk-in clinic is your best option.
If you suspect that you are having a heart attack or stroke, are having difficulty breathing or have been seriously injured, call 9-1-1 immediately so you can be brought into the Emergency Room.

Navigating the healthcare system can be challenging, so if you are unsure of the right place to go, you can call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 for free access to a Registered Nurse, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The qualified health professional can assess your symptoms over the phone and advise self care, recommend a visit to your family doctor or clinic, or direct you to the hospital.

At MAHC, our Emergency Room wait times are improving year over year, thanks to improvements in efficiency, patient flow and reducing length of stay. Our goal is to see all our patients in the waiting room as quickly as possible. Our triage nurses organize the waiting list on a priority basis, which means if you have a minor ailment, you may experience a longer wait time.

Did you know that over 50 per cent of Emergency Room visits in North Simcoe Muskoka are made by patients with non-urgent or less urgent needs?

Awareness about where your healthcare needs can best be met can help you to receive the optimum care and to avoid long waits before you see a doctor. When your need is urgent, the hospitals are here for you and when you arrive, rest assured that you are in the right place.