Another piece of information that needs to be addressed is “hospital funding” which is important to get a grasp of since one of the prime functions of the Board is to oversee the financial aspect of the Hospital. Unfortunately, funding is, at present, in transition but we will outline what it is supposed to be.
In theory, there are three funding envelopes: Global (20%), Health-Based Allocation Model (HBAM) (40%) and Quality-Based Procedures (QBP) (40%). HBAM is supposed to take into consideration a hospital’s demographics, QBP the procedures performed in the hospital. The percentages have never been attained nor are they likely to do so. The Health System Funding Reform (HSFR) is being reconsidered as it does not address a hospital’s needs as it should, but parts will probably be retained thus it is important to basically understand the components. Since most hospitals are operating over capacity, the Province has introduced “surge funding” to help cover the cost of hospitals overcapacity.
The hospital does receive funding from Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) for cancer-related QBPs.
The Resource Committee deals with the “nuts and bolts” of financing, reporting each meeting the present financial picture of SAH. The Board must approve, though, the fiscal budget considering the presented assumptions and financial risks associated with the budget assumptions, as submitted by the Resource Committee.
The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care does not provide funding for Capital Equipment so the SAH Foundation, as well as the SAH Volunteer Association, raise funds for capital purchase such as scopes, CAT scanners, laboratory equipment, etc.