UPFRONT | Roundup HEALTH CARE Ontarians experience better health care than in other provinces: report A new report re-leased by Health Quality Ontario (HQO) indicates older patients in Ontario have bet-ter health-care experience com-pared to people in other provinces and in other coun-tries. Ontarians aged 55 and older often experi-ence top-rated coordination of their health care, as well as communication with their health-care providers, according to Experiencing Integrated Care, the latest report from HQO, the pro-vincial advisor on health-care quality. The report is based on the 2014 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey of Older Adults. It found 82 per cent of Ontario respondents said their regular care provider helps coordinate their health care by making ap-pointments with other providers. This result ranks Ontario among the best in Canada and on par with other top-performing coun-tries. The report also uncov-ered areas where Ontario could improve. For exam-ple, 75 per cent of respond-ents in Ontario who had been hospitalized said they received written informa-tion about what to do and what symptoms to watch for when they got home, compared to 89 per cent in the U.S. and 87 per cent in New Zealand – the top-per-forming countries. Experiencing Integrated 12 Canadian Chiropractor June 2015 CAREERS Key questions in a job interview According to a new OfficeTeam survey, more than six in 10 recruiting managers admitted they have misjudged a candidate’s fit with their work environment, while two-thirds said they have lost an employee because he or she was not suited to the work environment. “Employers often focus on ensuring a skills fit when recruiting, but a corporate culture fit is equally important and more challenging to gauge,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. Whether you are a new chiroprac-tor looking for an associate position or a clinic owner in search of an associate, OfficeTeam highlighted seven questions to consider when assessing a candidate’s fit with an employer’s corporate culture. What values are important to you? It’s challenging to work at a company if its principles are at odds with yours. Ask the hiring manager about characteristics the employer values. Are you a team player? Someone who enjoys collaboration would thrive at a company that emphasizes teamwork over autonomy. How much of a risk-taker are you? If you’re keen to try new ideas, a conservative organization may not be the best match. What type of work environment do you thrive in? You may prefer a quiet, closed office over one that’s open and lively. Take a look at the setup when you’re on-site for an interview. Do you like hanging out with coworkers? Socializing with colleagues outside and inside the office can be common. Find out if there are any fun company traditions and how milestones are celebrated. What are your long-term goals? It’s important to make sure a company is a good fit for your career objectives. Ask about advancement opportunities, and determine what professional development and training options are available. www.canadianchiropractor.ca Care offers patients’ per-spectives on key touch-points where patients are in transition from one health-care provider to another and therefore, where care coordination and commu-nication is needed, such as during a health-care visit, between appointments or after a stay in hospital. These aspects of integrated care are important meas-ures of how well our health system is performing, HQO stated in a release. Other report highlights on how Ontarians experi-ence well-coordinated care include: • 81 per cent of respond-ents in Ontario said that after a hospital stay, the hospital made sure they had follow-up care when they got home – on par with other provinces and top-performing coun-tries. • 90 per cent of Ontario respondents knew whom to contact when they left hospital if they had a question about their treatment, a result that ranked the province on par with most other provinces on this meas-ure, and better than four countries in the survey and on par with the rest. The HQO repor t cited other areas that Ontario could improve upon. Ten per cent of respondents in Ontario said there was a time in the past two years when a specialist doctor did not have basic medical information or test results at an ap-pointment. In France, three per cent of respond-ents said that was the case and in the Netherlands five per cent reported that chal-lenge. Among Ontario re-spondents aged 55 and older with chronic condi-tions, 63 per cent said they have access to someone who can help with medical questions between visits. In the United States and the Netherlands, 79 per cent said there is a health-care professional they can easily contact for information or advice between visits to the doctor. “Some of the highest risks to quality care occur during the hand-offs as patients move from one care provider to another,” said Dr. Joshua Tepper, president and CEO of HQO. “When the various parts of the health system work well together, patients and their care providers have the information they need to make informed decisions. Better transi-tions lead to a higher qual-ity of care.” To access the full report, visit hqontario.ca.
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