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Hospital Planning and Accountability

Transitioning to LHINs: Implications for Hospitals

Proposed timetable for negotiations between LHINs and health service providers has negotiations with hospitals beginning in 2007.
Most hospital programs and services to be transferred to LHINs upon assignment of agreements.
Proclamation of key provisions of LHIN legislation paves the way to the assignment of agreements.

1. Proposed timetable for negotiations between LHINs and health service providers has negotiations with hospitals beginning in 2007.

The ministry has developed a draft regulation for public consultation, which would see the negotiation of service agreements between LHINs and health service providers being phased in by sector over a three-year period.

The proposed regulation would exempt LHINs from the requirement to give notice and negotiate an agreement within 90 days for the following service providers: Community Health Centres; Community Mental Health and Addiction Services; Community Service Agencies; Community Care Access Centres (CCACs); and Long-Term Care Homes. These service providers would be exempt until March 31, 2009, except for CCACs, which would be exempt until March 31, 2010.

The regulation was published in The Ontario Gazette on February 10 for a 60-day public consultation period.

According to the proposed timetable, LHINs would begin to negotiate agreements for 2008/09 with the hospital sector in fiscal year 2007/08.

Other sectors would follow suit, with negotiations beginning in fiscal year 2008/09. In the interim, they would continue to operate under their existing agreements.

Hospitals have an opportunity to submit written comments on the draft regulation on or before Tuesday, April 10, 2007.

For more information, see the Notice of Proposed Regulation Accountability Regulation Under the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006.

2. Most hospital programs and services to be transferred to LHINs upon assignment of agreements.

Upon assignment of agreements, LHINs will assume responsibility for most programs and services currently administered by the ministry that are delivered by the following health service providers :

Public and Private Hospitals
Long-Term Care Homes
Community Health Centres
Mental Health and Addictions
Community Support Service Agencies

For more information, see the February 22^nd memo from Deputy Minister Ron Sapsford and the attachment.

According to the attachment, the LHINs would assume responsibility for most hospital programs and services. The Ministry would retain provincial responsibility for cancer programs funded and managed by Cancer Care Ontario and the Paediatric Oncology Group of Ontario.

3. Proclamation of key provisions of LHIN legislation paves the way to the assignment of agreements.

In the March 17 issue of The Ontario Gazette, a number of key provisions of the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 (LHSIA) permitting the assignment of the Minister's rights and obligations to a Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) under all, or part, of an accountability agreement between the Minister and a health service provider were proclaimed into force, effective March 19, 2007.

Other key provisions will become law on April 1, 2007. These relate to Minister/LHIN accountability agreements, provide authority for LHINs to fund health service providers, and permit a LHIN to direct a health service provider to undergo an audit at any time.

For more information, see The Legal Environment section.



Call the ministry INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only) TTY 1-800-387-5559 Hours of operation : 8:30am - 5:00pm

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