Project Title: Impact of Profit Motive on Clinical Autonomy: The Case of Rehabilitation Professionals in Ontario

Research team:
Coburn, D
Randall, G
Rappolt, S
Williams, AP

A desire to control rising health care costs has been the primary impetus behind the state's efforts to restructure health services in Ontario. In the acute care sector we have seen hospitals closed, amalgamated, and their services rationalized or shifted into the community. In the delivery of community services we have seen the creation of Community Care Access Centres and the implementation of a managed competition model which permits direct competition between the traditional not-for-profit service providers and for-profit corporate service providers. Since the main focus of restructuring has been cost control, little consideration has been given to the broader implications for health professionals or their professions. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect that restructuring in the rehabilitation sector in Ontario has had on the mix of for-profit and not-for-profit service provider organizations and to determine the impact that employer profit motive has on the clinical autonomy of rehabilitation professionals. Portions of this work continued to the work of PhD candidate Glen Randall. It received seed funding form the M-THAC Opportunities Fund.