Ford adviser hired to fix health care system outlines a three-phase strategy
A retired hospital CEO appointed by Premier Doug Ford to fix Ontario’s health care system sketched out his plans Friday during a visit to Ottawa.
Dr. Rueben Devlin, an orthopedic surgeon, was president and CEO at the Humber River Hospital in Downsview, billed as North America’s first “fully digital hospital.” He retired in June 2016.
When Devlin was appointed chair of “premier’s council on improving health care and ending hallway medicine” this summer, his relationship with Ford stirred up controversy. Devlin was by Ford’s side during a September 2014 news conference to announce that a tumour had been found in Ford’s bother, Rob, who was then mayor of Toronto. Doug Ford hired Devlin to lead the development of the Tories’ heath policy for the provincial election this spring and appointed Devlin chair of the new council. The job comes with a $348,000 salary, plus expenses.
Devlin was also president of the Progressive Conservative party during Mike Harris’ time as premier, a fact he mentioned Friday, when he was the featured speaker at the Future of Health and Wellness, an occasional series of talks at Algonquin College. The event drew dozens of senior health administrators from around the city.
This was Devlin’s first visit to Ottawa since he became chair of the new council. While in the capital, he visited the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre, The Ottawa Hospital, the Élizabeth Bruyère Hospital and CHEO.
“Only 35 per cent of patients admitted to hospital are admitted within eight hours,” Devlin told his audience at Algonquin.
The first phase of the job will be building organizational capacity, Devlin said. The second step will be to ensure the system is family and patient-centred.
“We need a system that takes you through the whole continuum of care: one number to call, one website. That’s where we should be today,” he said.
The third step is “unlocking innovation.”
At Humber River Hospital, medications are prepared by robots. All patients have bar codes on their hospital bracelets to ensure that medication is administered accurately. Supplies are delivered by robots. Patient have bedside touchscreens to use as call buttons, access electronic health records and talk with health professionals who can’t be at the bedsides.
The hospital also has an electronic command centre. “All administrative functions are in one room ... a war room,” Devlin said.
It doesn’t exist yet, but Devlin foresees a “community command centre” to remotely monitor patients and intervene if there are problems so they don’t need to visit emergency rooms.
“I said to the premier, ‘We should be able to do this for the province.’ And he said, ‘Go for it,’” Devlin told his audience.
He would like to have a system that shares medical information. While every Ontario resident has a health card, it’s not the same as a smart card, he said.
While the province is using virtual health to overcome distance, Devlin said more could be done. Only one per cent of visits in Ontario are done through virtual channels. In some U.S. jurisdictions, it’s 50 per cent.
Health care is the province’s top expenditure, but Ontario also spends $1 billion a month on interest on its debt. “You can make the system better and still save money,” Devlin said.
“There are a lot of great ideas. We have to re-imagine health care.”
Devlin is to release his first report, which will include a timeline, at the end of January.