Evolution of Ontario Health reporting

#ontario #canada #healthpolicies #health #government

Did you know that Ontario Health, the largest healthcare department in Ontario, was responsible for publishing a yearly report on the performance of Ontario’s health system?

It appears, however, that no report has been published since 2019, almost 7 years. That's because it has evolved into a topic-specific performance report: https://www.ontariohealth.ca/system/reporting/performance

These reports contain a trove of data and information about healthcare in Ontario. Most key reports are up to date. "Time Spent in Emergency Departments" report, for example, is up to date (2026). The Ontario Cancer Screening Performance Report is scheduled this year, for example, but its last version is from 2023. The "Long-Term Care Home Performance" report seems dated, however, with no updates since 2023.

In 2024, an annual format emerged. It was a shift from the 2019 format.  The new reports are to serve different purposes, have different structures, and focus on distinct content. Here is a quick comparison of pre-2020 to 2024 to now (a second annual report was published for 2025/2026)

Quick Comparison

Aspect	Measuring Up 2019 (and earlier editions)	Ontario Health Annual Report 2024/25 (and recent ones)
Primary Purpose	Independent system performance evaluation — how the health system is performing overall using key indicators.	Organizational accountability report — what Ontario Health (as the agency) achieved in the fiscal year, aligned to its business plan priorities.
Focus	Objective metrics on access, quality, patient/provider experience, outcomes, value/efficiency (e.g., ED wait times, ALC days, cancer surgery waits, primary care access). Based on Quadruple Aim.	Progress on 7 strategic priorities (e.g., reducing inequities, faster access, supporting workers, clinical excellence). Includes operational highlights, integration efforts, and financials.
Structure/Content	Short (~30-40 pages), data-heavy with charts, trends, comparisons, and technical supplements. Strong emphasis on gaps and improvement areas.	Longer (~130 pages), narrative-driven with messages from leadership, priority-by-priority highlights, team/operations info, risks, governance, and audited financial statements. Includes an appendix for Ontario Health atHome.
Data Style	Standardized, comparable indicators over time with benchmarks.	Mix of qualitative achievements, some quantitative examples (e.g., screening expansions, wait list reductions), but not a comprehensive performance scorecard.

The Measuring System Performance section is extremely comprehensive as well. However, it has much more outdated information than other sections. For example, the Indicator Library contains 219 indicators, but only 10 are relevant to 2025 or 2026. Many more have not been updated since 2016. Perhaps some have data aggregated elsewhere, and these have been made redundant, but this is unlikely, as disclaimers have not been published to this effect. These indicators are archival/reference tools, but it would be important to understand the detailed methodology and Ontario Health's vision for their continued (or discontinued) use.