This is a cost comparison of the Health PEI units at Four Neighbourhoods Community Health Center (4NCHC) and Hunter River compared with the Phoenix Medical Practice.
4NCHC and Central Queens are Health PEI-run Community Health Centres. Like Phoenix Medical Practice, they were set up to run as modern collaborative medical practice providing family health services through a team of health care professionals.
The 4NCHC and Central Queens figures are our estimates, but we'd be happy for Health PEI to provide corrections from their own figures.
One of the figures is the 'cost per patient per year'. That's one of the two key things you need to look at to work out if you are getting value for money in health care: the cost. Phoenix Medical Practice was $133 per patient per year. I estimate Health PEI's centres were around 3 to 4 times that amount: up to $535 per patient per year.
The second key thing you need to look at to see if you are getting value for your health care dollars is quality. Health PEI's 4NCHC was never really functional. After around 10 years of trying to get the collaborative system working properly, the last doctor left 4NCHC in 2010. The Phoenix Medical Practice, on the other hand, was fully functional. This functionality included quality systems to keep people healthy longer (great for patients, but also keeps the hospital bill down for taxpayers), and systems to measure that quality.
This enabled the Phoenix Medical Practice were able to provide evidence of quality care and low cost per patient.
4NCHC and Central Queens are Health PEI-run Community Health Centres. Like Phoenix Medical Practice, they were set up to run as modern collaborative medical practice providing family health services through a team of health care professionals.
The 4NCHC and Central Queens figures are our estimates, but we'd be happy for Health PEI to provide corrections from their own figures.
| Health PEI Four Neighbourhoods (Charlottetown) | Health PEI Central Queens Community Health Centre (Hunter River) | Phoenix Medical Practice | |
| Year Opened | around 2002 | around 2002 | 2009 |
| # Patients | 1,750 | 1900 | 4,500 |
| # Doctors | 2.2 full time equivalents | 2 full time equivalents | 1 full time equivalent |
| Status | Never functional. Nursing services never developed. All the doctors left 4NCHC in 2010 but staff remain in post. | Limited success via Nurse Practitioner | Fully functional Collaborative service Extended opening hours. Wide range of services. |
| Funding / year | $1 million estimate | $765,000 estimate | $600,000 |
| Cost/yr/patient | $535 (in 2010) | $403 | $133 |
One of the figures is the 'cost per patient per year'. That's one of the two key things you need to look at to work out if you are getting value for money in health care: the cost. Phoenix Medical Practice was $133 per patient per year. I estimate Health PEI's centres were around 3 to 4 times that amount: up to $535 per patient per year.
The second key thing you need to look at to see if you are getting value for your health care dollars is quality. Health PEI's 4NCHC was never really functional. After around 10 years of trying to get the collaborative system working properly, the last doctor left 4NCHC in 2010. The Phoenix Medical Practice, on the other hand, was fully functional. This functionality included quality systems to keep people healthy longer (great for patients, but also keeps the hospital bill down for taxpayers), and systems to measure that quality.
This enabled the Phoenix Medical Practice were able to provide evidence of quality care and low cost per patient.
Politics, Doctor, just politics.
ReplyDeleteHas a tendency to interfere with every public-funded service on PEI.
Sorry.
Will you keep the clinic open if they fund it as you have requested? Is it worth your patients time to speak to our contacts within the government to express our frustration in how they are handling this?
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect Doctor, it is very discouraging to see you not wanting to make it work. You can play the blame game, but if you have not learned one thing about being on PEI, it is that we try and work together to solve problems here. You seem to think your model is the end all be all, but don't acknowledge that your temporary success was in part due to the $100 per that helped keep you afloat.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we are not hearing the whole story from you and that is very unfortunate. Islanders are not as stupid as you may think.
My relatives thought you were on to something until they joined up and were not served as well as they were led to believe they would be.
If you really believe in good health care you would stay and help by adjusting things to make it work.
Like you, I own a small business. I respect you for trying your model as it were, but I would respect you more if you could stop thinking of how great your model 'could' have been, and start getting along with your neighbours (literally and figuratively).
You are not the first person to move to PEI and think that your ideas were better (not to say that your idea was not a good one), but as difficult as delivering healthcare is anywhere (not just PEI), so is the ability to admit the downfalls of one's own model/system.
Your inability to critique your own model tells me you were never willing to be part of our ever-evolving healthcare system here.
Good luck back in Scotland, I truly hope you can find a way to deliver health care in a sustainable and honest way.
Sincerely,
George Cudmore
"part of our ever-evolving healthcare system here"
ReplyDeleteSorry, George, I forgot to include this bit in my reply.
Can you describe how PEI healthcare has evolved over the last 30 years?
In the 28 years of my life time, the patient-facing aspects of the health system of Prince Edward Island has remained the same.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your public candor and transparency. I appreciate the model by which you have built the Phoenix Medical Practice. I'm sorry all of the money this province has to offer is going to broken medical systems, tourism, and not your practice.