ADDICTION: IHA WANTS OUTCOME-BASED PROGRAMS

Addiction service providers in the Okanagan Health Service Area have begun
regular meetings with addictions program manager Pat Townsley, with an eye
toward next April's contract review.

"This is just a regular part of the process," said Townsley.

"It's really an opportunity for service providers to come together and talk
about things and identify key issues."

The Interior Health Authority has an annual budget of $10 million for
addiction services including $3.4 million for the Okanagan Health Services
Area which encompasses Kelowna.

When Townsley was hired last January, she promised a review of all existing
contracts and a move toward outcome-based best practices, a point which was
brought up at the first meeting on May 9.

"Funding uncertainty was raised by some of the contractors," Townsley said.

"The purpose of the planning meetings is to bring together all the key
players to look at what we need and to see how they fit in. You have to
know what you have before you can know what you need."

For best practice and outcomes information, Townsley said she is relying on
a series of documents put out by Health Canada.

"We're certainly looking to outcomes-based contracting but that's something
that will come.The outcomes will be spelled out quite a bit better than
they have in the past."

Townsley said that move will be helped by the introduction within the
Interior Health Authority toward a shared patient file system.

"That technology is going to help us a lot. In fairness, it is difficult to
track outcomes. Addicts are a transient population. We'll be getting better
at tracking their movement through the health care system."

Townsley said the whole addictions field in B.C. will benefit from the move
to the new technology. "We're getting much more sophisticated in monitoring
the service we provide."