Ontario's first renal plan to improve the quality of care and treatment for patients with chronic kidney disease

Ontario Renal Plan will drive change in health, accountability and value for money in chronic kidney disease care

TORONTO, June 5, 2012 /CNW/ - Cancer Care Ontario's (CCO) Ontario Renal Network (ORN) has released Ontario's first-ever renal plan, a three year plan focused on improving care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

"The number of people living with chronic kidney disease risk factors in Ontario is rising," said Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. "This plan will work to keep Ontarians healthy by helping to slow the progression of CKD, while improving the quality of care and treatment for current and future patients."

Areas targeted in the Ontario Renal Plan include: slowing the progression of CKD, improving patient experience to have more control over care; increasing healthy, functioning vascular access for hemodialysis; and ensuring that capacity plans are adequate to meet current and future needs.

"The Ontario Renal Plan was developed collaboratively with healthcare providers across the province. It's based on input provided by clinicians, policy experts, regional planners, and most importantly, the people who use Ontario's CKD system," said Michael Sherar, President and CEO, Cancer Care Ontario. "The plan will guide us in improving the life of every person with kidney disease in Ontario by supporting excellent, evidence-based CKD patient care."

By 2015, the plan seeks to guide improvements in:

• The experiences of CKD patients and their families at every stage of their journey with knowledge and tools to manage their health in collaboration with their care providers.
• Early detection and prevention through appropriate screening, improved partnerships between primary and specialty care providers and the utilization of effective clinical tools.
• Appropriate body access for peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis.
• CKD infrastructure, which includes the needs for equipment, physical space and human resources.
• Research and innovation.
• Patient-based funding that ensures better patient care throughout the full patient journey and provides greater value for money for the health system.

The Ontario Renal Plan provides provincial guidance to Ontario's healthcare system: its implementation is regionally directed.  CKD programs will be showcasing the relationship between the provincial plan and local implementation stories at a series of local events throughout 2012.  The first event is Thursday, June 7, 2012 at The Scarborough Hospital.

Read the full report at www.renalnetwork.on.ca

Cancer Care Ontario - an Ontario government agency - drives quality and continuous improvement in disease prevention and screening, the delivery of care and the patient experience, for cancer, chronic kidney disease and access to care for key health services. Known for its innovation and results-driven approaches, CCO leads multi-year system planning, contracts for services with hospitals and providers, develops and deploys information systems, establishes guidelines and standards and tracks performance targets to ensure system-wide improvements in cancer, chronic kidney disease and access to care.

The Ontario Renal Network (ORN), part of Cancer Care Ontario, provides overall leadership and strategic direction to effectively organize and manage the delivery of renal services in Ontario in a consistent and coordinated manner. Priorities include establishing consistent standards and guidelines for renal care, planning for service delivery, and putting in place information systems to measure performance.

Backgrounder - http://www.renalnetwork.on.ca/common/pages/UserFile.aspx?fileId=134287

Media contacts: 
Marko Perovic, Senior Public Affairs Advisor
Cancer Care Ontario
Phone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]