Our latest white paper on healthcare proposes to give patients a single pathway through the system -- not a run-around through multiple layers of bureaucracy. And its goal is to deliver on the Triple Aim approach, as defined by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement: to enhance patient quality and satisfaction, improve the health of the population and reduce the per capita cost of health care.

Imagine a bicycle wheel that's got all its spokes, but a loose hub. Wouldn't get you very far, would it? Well, that's a rough analogy for the way Ontario's health care system is currently organized at the regional level. No direct linkage holding the parts of the system together, from home care to primary care to hospital care.

With a $15 billion deficit, Ontario can't afford to keep throwing money at health care. We need to be smarter about how we spend what we have, and to always put patients' needs first. That's the context in which we offer our ideas for restructuring health care. But here's the most important thing: The next time a loved one needs some combination of hospital care, home care and the attention of their physician, and you want to help guide them along from one stage to another, you'll both know just where to go, and when. No more run-around.

Ontario is moving far too slowly in adopting a patient-centred approach to funding health care -- a model that most developed countries have been using for years. Patient-centred funding doesn't mean less money for hospitals and hubs -- it simply means they'll get the right amount of money.