VICTORIA — Hospitals in British Columbia are expected to start operating more like private businesses under upcoming reforms that include rewarding facilities for treating more patients and cutting wait times.
Health Minister Kevin Falcon is set to introduce so-called patient-based funding that he said will increase productivity, efficiency and quality of care.
Falcon, who wouldn’t comment on the plan until today, is also expected to announce the formation of a new organization that oversees the implementation of future health funding in B.C.
Since 2008, the Health Ministry has developed several pilot projects that involve increasing patient services at emergency rooms, breast cancer clinics and orthopedic surgeries.
Health officials point to four rapid access breast cancer clinics in the Vancouver area that aim for a breast cancer diagnosis within 21 days and a project that rewards hospitals that reduce patient bottlenecks in their emergency rooms. Last week, health authorities were told to cut 10 per cent from their $450 million public health budget.