CCHE Seminar Series: Interprofessional Teams in the Context of Primary Care Reform in Ontario, Canada: Selection Factors and Association with Access to Care and Health Services Utilization

Wissam Haj-Ali

University of Toronto

Friday November 13, 2020, 10am-12pm, Zoom

Abstract: Countries throughout the world have been exploring new models to deliver primary care. Ontario has undergone a primary care reform that includes the introduction of interprofessional teams. The purpose of this presentation will be to highlight findings from a thesis that investigated the association between receiving care from interprofessional versus non-interprofessional primary care teams and access to care and health services utilization. The first study investigated physician group, physician and patient characteristics associated with voluntarily joining interprofessional primary teams. The second study compared interprofessional and non-interprofessional teams on timely and after-hours access to care, walk-in clinic visits and emergency department use. The third and last study investigated the relationship between receiving care from interprofessional versus non-interprofessional primary care teams and ambulatory care sensitive condition (ACSC) hospitalizations and hospital readmissions.

Wissam held multiple senior positions in governmental, academic and research institutions within the health management and policy realm. He is currently a Senior Strategist for Health System Policy, Planning and Performance at CorHealth Ontario. Wissam completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Public Health with a focus on Health Management and Policy. Wissam is completing his PhD in Health Services Research with a concentration on Outcomes and Evaluation at the Institute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation at the University of Toronto.