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As baby boomers reach old age, will an influx of patients leave healthcare hanging by a thread? Private and public healthcare stakeholders weighed in on this and other questions at the fourth annual Future of Healthcare Forum. The forum took place at the Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto on October 20. The following pages give a snapshot of those thought-provoking, two-hour discussions.
Thanks to this year's Future of Healthcare Forum participants
Roundtable One
Dr. Ted Boadway, Ontario Executive Committee on Transboundary Air Pollution
Nan Brooks, University Health Network
Anne-Marie Charron, Eclipsys
Dr. Eric Grafstein, Providence Healthcare, St. Paul's Hospital
Nadir Hirji, Accenture Inc.
Dr. David Jenkins, University of Toronto
Dwight Nelson, Regina Qu'Appelle Health Authority
John Perry, National Quality Institute
Lisa Shoniker, AGFA HealthCare
Roundtable Two
Ed Buffett, Buffett & Company Worksite Wellness
Michael Burgess, Wyndham Worldwide Canada Inc.
Brent Frieday, Medavie Blue Cross
Geoff Loucks, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Terry Martin, Sun Life
Jan Mitchell, Healthcare Benefit Trust
Scott Stewart, The Williamson Group
Jonathan Winston, Shepell-fgi
Roundtable One: The public sector
Q How will an aging society affect the delivery of public Healthcare in Canada?
Anne-Marie Charron: With an aging population, the number of patients will increase, and that will mean fiscal demands on the healthcare system will increase as well. Our publicly funded system is already struggling to provide high-quality care to the population and have accurate data, so it will be even more of a challenge.
Dr. Eric Grafstein: I'm going to challenge that right off the bat by saying there are studies that suggest that the fact that you're old doesn't necessarily contribute to healthcare costs. It's the fact that you're in the last two years of your life. So, if we have an aging but healthy population, it may not increase healthcare costs-at least, not nearly as much as, say, new technology. How will an aging society affect the delivery of healthcare? Well, in an aging society, each person still has a vote in how they live their lives. So I think there will be more focus on prevention and more attention will be drawn to that.
Nadir Hirji: The way healthcare is delivered-at a hospital or at an office-will change with remote diagnostics. There will be more focus on disease...