Dollars to beef up ED physician coverage paying dividends: Sault Area Hospital

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Additional dollars appear to be just what the doctor ordered. 

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Sault Area Hospital time to physician initial assessment, the period between registration and being seen by a physician assistant, physician or nurse practitioner, has seen a “significant improvement” over the past three months, with wait times consistently below the five-hour goal. SAH says the addition of 16 hours of daily physician coverage, funded by the Ministry of Health, has made a “notable” impact.  

Monday’s board of directors meeting heard the hospital has secured a six-month extension for the additional funding, with assessments continuing every six months.  

“It’s an example of how the funding makes a difference,” director and Resources Committee chair Armand Capisciolto said. 

Sault Area Hospital was initially provided funding for expenses incurred between April 1 and Sept. 30.  

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SAH director of communications and public affairs Brandy Sharp Young told the Sault Star this week the hospital received an estimate of $158,700 in one-time funding through the Temporary Locum Program for Q1 only – April 1 to June 30. 

“This is an estimate only and may be subject to change,” Sharp Young said. 

As Q2 – July to September – expenses have not yet been finalized and validated, the funding figure has not yet been finalized. In September, SAH was notified it could submit for expenses incurring between Oct. 1 and March 31, 2025. 

“The funding amount is unknown at this time,” Sharp Young said. 

The ability to access temporary locum dollars to enhance physician coverage in the emergency department allows SAH to better accommodate unattached patients, and is “key” to reducing initial assessment times and overall ED wait times, hospital president and CEO Ila Watson reported last month. Since the implementation of enhanced physician coverage in June, initial assessment times have improved “significantly,” she added. 

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When hospital occupancy reaches high levels – between 200 and 300 – patient movement out of the emergency department is impeded, leading to fewer available beds. 

Between 45,000 and 50,000 patients are treated annually at SAH’s emergency department and fast track clinic. On average, some 150 patients are seen daily. 

Quality Committee chair Johanne Messier-Mann said that while patient volumes have not seen a significant increase, this may change within the next six to 12 months.  

The primary care problem here became abundantly apparent last spring when Group Health Centre announced some 10,000 patients – one sixth of GHC’s overall roster – lost access to primary care services due to a significant physician shortage. 

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However, the province stepped in at the last minute, unveiling plans for a new outpatient clinic funded by the Ministry of Health. The province injected more than $2.8 million throughout a two-year term to establish the Access Care Clinic at GHC’s 170 East St., facility that can service 11,200 patients. 

One in five people in Ontario currently do not have a family MD, which will grow to one in four unless action is taken, the Ontario Medical Association says. It’s estimated there are now some 30,000 people in this area without a primary care provider. 

Meanwhile, Messier-Mann said SAH efforts to recruit a nurse practitioner and a second physician assistant have not been successful, adding medical directives have granted PAs “greater autonomy.”  

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Since 2007, PAs have been integrated into a number of clinical settings and two university-based PA education programs have been established in Ontario. These individuals work as part of interdisciplinary care teams, helping to decrease wait times and improve patient access in high-need areas, including emergency medicine and primary care. 

Messier-Mann also reported that the implementation of a virtual queue system is progressing.  

“Bed flow improvements are a priority, including optimizing the use of geriatric assessment nurses in the emergency department,” she said. 

jougler@postmedia.com   

On X: @JeffreyOugler 

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