Accelerating the impact of Ontario Health Teams to advance integrated health care and improve patient experience across the province

On 30 November, the Ministry of Health held a webinar which reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to the OHT model, and highlighted new areas of focus for OHTs as they progress towards maturity, work to integrate care using equity-based population health approaches and deliver better health outcomes and patient experiences. The new direction and vision for how OHTs can accelerate their impact was presented by the Honorable Sylvia Jones (Deputy Premier and Minister of Health), with additional reflections about the approach presented by Dr. Catherine Zahn (Deputy Minister of Health),  Matthew Anderson (Ontario Health President and CEO) and Betty-Lou Kristy (Chair of the Minister’s Patient and Family Advisory Council). The new areas of focus, which are also outlined in  Ontario Health Teams - The Path Forward include:

  • common clinical pathways to improve patient care, with a focus on congestive heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stroke
  • a common governance structure to progress to full implementation, with a focus on OHTs’ creating a not-for-profit corporation for the purpose of managing and coordinating OHT activities
  • consistent collaboration in decision-making, with a focus on standardizing the groups involved in OHT decision-making (e.g., primary-care providers, home- and community care providers, community care providers, public hospitals, mental health and addictions providers, patients, families and caregivers and physicians and other clinicians)
  • sustainable operational capacity, with a focus on identifying an Operational Support Partner (OSP) to make sure every OHT can sustain back-office functions on an ongoing basis
  • consistency in OHT-led public communications to support awareness of their role in delivering better connected care to Ontarians

    Ontario Health Teams - The Path Forward will help OHTs to take the next steps forward on the path to maturity, with the support of the ministry and Ontario Health.

A recording of the webinar is available for those who weren’t able to attend.