Bone and Joint Health Network

The Bone and Joint Health Network is working under the direction of the newly formed Orthopaedic Expert Panel to support efforts to improve orthopaedic care for people across Ontario. The Expert Panel is mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to expand the achievements of the Wait Time Strategy for Orthopaedics.

The new Orthopaedic Expert Panel was convened in April 2008 and membership has been expanded from the previous panel to include a range of health system planners and health disciplines. In addition to Orthopaedic Surgeons, membership will include an Inpatient Rehabilitation Physician, LHINs CEO, Hospital CEO, Geriatrics Expert, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, and Registered Nurse representatives. Orthopaedic Expert Panel Members

The initial focus of the Bone and Joint Health Network (BJHN) will be to work with each Ontario Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), health care providers and professional groups to assist in creating and implementing a plan to meet the wait times for hip and knee replacements of 182 days from the surgeon’s office to surgery and for hip fracture care of 2 days from admission to surgery by the end of fiscal year 2008/09. To accomplish this, a knowledge translation approach will be used to build upon the current successes being achieved within several of the LHINs, and share learning’s about best practices and new methods with those LHINs that are continuing to have difficulty in meeting the provincial wait time targets.

The Bone and Joint Health Network benefits for people throughout Ontario will include:

Improvements in orthopedic care that are based on established best practices and include earlier access to assessment, shorter waits for surgery, better management in acute care, access to inpatient rehabilitation when needed, and community care to support people at home
Seamless transitions across the health care continuum from assessment, through hospitalization, and back home to the community or the most appropriate setting.
A LHIN based health system that is easily accessible and has the capacity to address patient needs by providing the right care, at the right time, in the right place across Ontario.

Orthopaedic Expert Panel Members – 2009-2010

Chair
Dr. James Waddell
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre

Lead Hip Fracture
Dr. Hans Kreder
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre

Lead Inpatient Rehabilitation
Dr. John Flannery
Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Hillcrest Site

Lead Foot and Ankle
Dr. Tim Daniels
St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto

Lead Data Management
Aileen Davis
University Health Network, Toronto

Lead Hospital
Tom McHugh
Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital

Lead LHINs
Mimi Lowe Young
Central West LHINs

Lead Orthopaedic Association
Dr. Tracy Wilson
Thunder Bay Regional Hospital

Lead Geriatrics
Dr. Rory Fisher
University of Toronto

Lead Physical Therapy
Fidelma Serediuk
Hamilton Health Sciences

Past Chair
Dr. Allan Gross
Mount Sinai Hospital

Lead Family Physicians
Dr. Christopher Jyu
The Scarborough Hospital Rouge Valley Healthcare System

Lead Community
Joanne O’Keefe
Champlain Community Care Access Centre

Ontario Orthopaedic Expert Panel Terms of Reference: Click Here »

Become a member of the Bone and Joint Health Network to find out more about BJHN and follow the progress of the exciting new projects that have begun in April 2008.