What is a Family Health Team?
What is a Family Health Team (FHT)?
A Family Health Team is an approach to primary health care that brings together different health care providers to co-ordinate the highest possible quality of care. The FHT is designed to give doctors support from other complementary professionals so that the patient receives best-practice care, within the community. The Family Health Team enables the Family Physician to focus on prevention and chronic disease management by providing a comprehensive and coordinated range of services to the patient and to increase the appropriate use of health care resources.
Who are the health care providers on the Parry Sound Family Health Team (PSFHT)?
The interdisciplinary team at the Parry Sound Family Health Team includes:
- Physicians of Medical Associates and Rugged Shores Family Health
- A Nurse Practitioner
- Registered Nurses
- Social Workers
- Pharmacist
- Administrative support team
What is the advantage of a Family Health Team?
- to provide access to care, closer to home
- to work as a team to keep patients healthy
- to help patients navigate their way through the heath care system
- to provide primary health care, chronic disease management and self-help tools to improve health
- to use state-of-the-art information technology giving providers access to patient information and test results
- to partner with numerous other agencies to bring their services and expertise to our community.
How do Family Health Teams work?
We provide a wide range of primary care services and also develop and implement evidence-based, collaborative chronic disease management programs, health promotion and a thorough preventative care tracking system. Our team utilizes an Electronic Medical Record.
Our team is committed to quality improvement, providing virtual an in-person appointments.
What does the future of health care in Parry Sound look like?
For years health care providers have recognized that the Family Physician - the point where most Ontarians make their first contact with the health care system - is key to the long-term management of public health.
Our vision is to have all of our providers work side-by-side in a shared office with our Family Physicians to offer a true collaborative, team approach. Our collaboration and program delivery continue to grow and improve based on patient need. Building on the Family Health Team model is an important part of changing both the health care system and the way people think about health care.
