Abstract of Commissioner Romanow’s Presentation
When Medicare was developed, it was designed around a certain concept of health care delivery. For the most part, that meant doctors and hospitals, bricks and mortar. Today, that concept of care is less and less applicable. Patients must navigate among a health system that is geographically separated and administratively isolated. This is more than just inefficient or inconvenient; it has important implications for health policy.
The Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada is looking closely at the move to integrated health systems and the three basic models for their realization. it recognizes that, while each of these models has its mertis, each also brings its challenges. There is no perfect system and there are no easy solutions.
The Commission is assessing each one with a view to extractin the best each has to offer. Whatever the Commission’s ultimate recommendations, it is clear that integration itself will be a key part not only of the Commission’s Final Report, but of the future of Medicare in this country.
Join the conversation