Primary Health Care
Primary Health Care (PHC) is the first point of contact between a patient and the health care system. Primary care in Ontario strives to provide for comprehensive primary health care to respond to the needs of the whole person, and ensure continuity of care, acute and chronic disease management, as well as health promotion and disease prevention.
The current core elements of primary health care are:
- Common basket of services — comprehensive primary care;
- Expanded access through the Telephone Health Advisory Service and extended hours of practice;
- Voluntary patient enrolment with a physician;
- Patient-based funding;
- Inter-disciplinary care;
- Grouped or networked practices;
- Extended hours of access;
- Access to preventive care and comprehensive care incentives.
Primary care providers in Ontario work in a number of different models:
The Health Human Resources Toolkit will provide you information that will help you understand health human resources in Ontario.
Family Health Teams
Family Health Teams (FHTs) are a key part of Ontario’s plan to build a stronger health care system. They help keep Ontarians healthy, they give Ontarians better access to doctors and nurses, and they reduce wait times for services.
Family Health Teams are groups of health care professionals, such as physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers and dieticians who work together to provide primary care for a group of patients. They provide a wide range of services including health promotion, treatment services, chronic disease management and prevention, rehabilitation and palliative care. They are available nights and weekends to provide health advice and care so their patients do not have to go to busy hospital emergency departments for non-emergency care. They also help their patients navigate their way through the other parts of the health care system to receive the best possible care.
Health care professionals like to work as part of a Family Health Team because it is a satisfying way to provide patient care. They are able to make the best use of their skills in being part of an interprofessional team where they can share their knowledge and learn from one another. They are able to share on-call responsibilities, and know their patients are well cared for when they are not available. Members of Family Health Teams are able to focus more on helping people stay healthy, rather than just treating illnesses; and they like the fact that their patients are partners in their own health and care.
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Community Health Centres
Community Health Centres (CHCs) employ teams of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, counsellors, community workers and dieticians that serve high-risk communities and populations who may have trouble accessing health services because of language, culture, physical disabilities, socioeconomic status or geographic isolation. They focus on addressing the underlying conditions that affect people’s health, such as poor diet, poverty, housing problems, violence and lack of education. They improve access to primary care and help strengthen communities.
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Family Health Networks
Family health networks (FHNs) are groups of physicians who work as a network along with a nurse-staffed after hours telephone advisory service to provide primary care for their patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The networks emphasize illness prevention and comprehensive care for patients.
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Family Health Groups
Family Health Groups (FHG) offer comprehensive primary health care services to their enrolled patients. Family Health Groups offer regular office hours plus extra After Hours blocks of office time. FHG physicians are also on call to a ministry funded Telephone Health Advisory Service (THAS) outside of regular office hours that takes phone calls from their enrolled patients.
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Comprehensive Care Model (CCM)
The Comprehensive Care Model is designed specifically for solo primary care physicians. These physicians offer comprehensive primary health care services to their enrolled patients including regular office hours plus one three hour block of after hours services per week. Like their group counterparts, CCM physicians also emphasize illness prevention for their enrolled patients.
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Family Health Organization (FHO)
The Family Health Organization Model represents the alignment of Primary Care Networks and Health Service Organizations into one model. FHOs are groups of physicians who provide comprehensive primary health care services to their patients with a focus on illness prevention. Through Institutional Substitution Program Grants, allied health professionals are part of some of the teams as well. FHOs provide care during regular and extended office hours and patients have access to a nurse staffed Telephone Health Advisory Service.
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Rural-Northern Physician Group Agreement (RNPGA)
The RNPGA serves rural and northern communities with a complement of one to seven physicians. The group of physicians provide comprehensive primary health care services during regular and extended office hours. Additionally, emergency services are provided 24/7 and patients have access to a nurse-staffed Telephone Health Advisory Service. Like all other primary care models, RNPGA physicians also emphasize illness prevention for their enrolled patients.
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