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Oxford County's Hospitals continue to work together on finding efficiencies.
They are nearing completion of Phase 1 of the "Joint Services Plan".
That phase included taking a closer look at Surgical Services, Pharmacies and Alternative Level of Care.
President & CEO of Ingersoll and Tillsonburg Hospitals, Crystal Houze says it could lead to a consolidation of eye procedures. "What they're looking at now, is could there be a consolidation of eye procedures such as cataracts and scopes...across a couple of the different organizations, rather than all three, just to really provide that critical mass and a centre of excellence."
Houze explains, the reviews don't necessarily mean less service for residents. "As an example, could we bring clinics where the specialists from Woodstock would come to Ingersoll or Tillsonburg and provide pre-op visits or post-op care in the smaller centres, rather than the residents having to travel to Woodstock. That could be an example of something that we're working on."
The discussions were also responsible for saving some Complex Critical Care beds at Tillsonburg and Ingersoll's Hospitals when the LHIN wanted to centralize those beds in Woodstock earlier this year.
Phase 2 of the program will look at Laboratory Services, Mental Health & Addiction, Strokes and Pediatric Care.
They'll also be investigating new governance options.
Houze says the Joint Services Plan is really about getting the most out of limited health care dollars. "I think it's quite imperative that we start to look more at partnerships and efficiencies. We often read and we know that we can't continue afford the health care system that we have knows to love over the last many years. So it's constantly now about looking for ways that we can partner and collaborate to create efficiencies."
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