Commission on the Reform of Ontario's Public Services

Recommendation 5-85: Work with the federal government on nutrition information and,
where appropriate, regulation.
Recommendation 5-86: Medical schools should educate students on “system issues,” so
they better understand how physicians fit into the health care system; for example, how to deal
with patient needs efficiently and effectively, but using fewer resources by connecting different
parts of the health care system.
Recommendation 5-87: Do a better job of flagging health professions and locations that are
currently in short supply or where shortages can be expected in the future.
Recommendation 5-88: Link the Ontario Drug Benefit program more directly to income.
Recommendation 5-89: Help reduce medication errors through the use of electronic supports
to cross-reference multiple prescriptions.
Recommendation 5-90: Reduce fraudulent prescription medication use through the use of
drug information systems.
Recommendation 5-91: Pursue — with other provinces — the possibility of establishing a
national entity that would set a common price for pharmaceuticals for the entire country
(or at least jurisdictions opting in).
Recommendation 5-92: Conduct drug-to-drug comparisons to determine which drug is the
most efficient at addressing a given ailment.
Recommendation 5-93: Work with the federal government to ensure that Ontario’s interests
in expanding use of generic drugs are not undermined by a Canada-European Union Free
Trade Agreement.
Recommendation 5-94: Use pharmacists to their full scope of practice.
Recommendation 5-95: Centralize all back-office functions such as information technology,
human resources, finance and procurement across the health system.
Recommendation 5-96: Establish a central mechanism to oversee the creation of a “spot
market” for goods and discretionary services, such as diagnostics, infusions and specialist
consultation services.
Recommendation 5-97: Put a wider array of specialist services to tender based on price and
quality, while remaining under the single-payer model.
504