On this page:
Upcoming Webinar:
Local Innovation in Population Health: Lessons from the LDPHM Initiative
Join us this month for a dynamic webinar exploring the Locally Driven Population Health Models (LDPHM, formerly known as the High Priority Community Strategy) initiative in Ontario. This session will provide an overview of the LDPHM approach, share key areas of work and early findings across Ontario, and highlight local innovations in population health planning and delivery. We will also be joined by representatives from the Health Common Solutions Lab, who are also participating alongside the communities. Hear directly from three community-based agencies involved in the initiative as they share their experiences, challenges, and practical lessons learned that can inform population health efforts across Ontario’s diverse regions. Whether you’re part of an OHT, CHC, public health unit, or another organization focused on health equity and systems transformation, this webinar will offer valuable insights for applying locally driven approaches in your context.
Webinar by Blocks
Learning Health Systems in Ontario Health Teams: What is the current Capability? And what are the Accelerants and Brakes?
From April to December 2024, the HSPN facilitated a series of webinars on the Learning Health System. Hundreds of collaborators participated in these events and thousands have watched afterwards. You can review these events on the HSPN OHT webinar page (https://
Topic: Supporting Evaluation in Learning Health Systems: What do OHTs need to know?
Join our “Supporting Evaluation in Learning Health Systems: What do OHTs need to know ?” On November 26th, 2024 from 12:00-1:30pm EDT. This webinar will provide an overview of introductory and advanced issues related to evaluation of health programs and models such as those implemented as part of the Ontario Health Team initiatives. Leaders supporting local and regional evaluation in Ontario Health Teams in the South, the East and the North will share their experiences in building evaluation capacity and supporting local evaluation. Come hear from Drs Catherine Donnelly, Reham Abdelhalim and Brianne Wood on their experiences and advice to support this final and essential “gear” in the Learning Health System. Share your experiences and exchange with OHTs across Ontario.
Considering Implementation in Learning Health Systems: From Research to Routine Practice
Join our “Considering Implementation in Learning Health Systems” webinar this September. This webinar will provide an introduction to knowledge translation and implementation science methods. Using a project that implemented fascia iliaca blocks as a pain management method for hip fractures in a Toronto hospital as a case study, participants will learn how a knowledge translation framework, the Knowledge to Action Cycle, can be used to support implementation of new practices in clinical settings. Participants will hear from multiple members of the project team who can provide valuable perspectives on doing real-world implementation. Come to learn about theories, models and frameworks, how these were applied in the case example, and finally, tools on how to use the theories for practical implementation efforts.
Using Evidence in the Learning Health System
This webinar explores how to locate or undertake rapid syntheses of existing evidence to regarding the success or failure of solutions applied to the problems you are trying to solve in your Ontario Health Team. We are host to global leading centres for evidence curation and creation here in Ontario including RISE and the McMaster Health Forum, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research. Hear about how these centres can help you to connect with evidence for your OHT. Learn how to leverage existing knowledge to enhance your health system’s performance and adaptability. Where there is insufficient evidence, begin to think about how your intervention can be set up to generate evidence regarding success for your own work and for others facing similar problems
Using Data to Inform OHT Activity: The first stop of the Learning Health System
This month the HSPN OHT webinar focuses on the use of data to inform OHT activity. This is the second in the Learning Health System (LHS) webinar series. Here we focus on the first “gear” of the action framework for the LHS: Analytics and Population Insights. We will examine the use of population data and the use of local neighbourhood data, the use of patient experience data and the use of linked primary care data to identify populations and priority health outcome improvements across a range of OHTs. Join us to learn about these examples and to share your uses of data to create knowledge about your OHT population.
What is a Learning Health System?
This month we introduce a series on the Learning Health System (LHS) . This approach blends research with health care operations to speed the generation, synthesis, uptake, and refinement of evidence to improve population health, equity, patient experience, health workforce sustainability, and affordability. We introduce the LHS Action Framework describing how research and health care operations are linked and enacted in a comprehensive LHS approach to advance population health and health equity. Maureen Smith and Rob Reid will join Walter Wodchis to engage in discussion about this approach to health system improvement. Many are talking about the Learning Health System. What does it mean to you? Join the conversation at this month’s event.
New Data on Improvement Indicators for OHTs
Interested in learning more about how the improvement indicators progressed in Ontario Health Teams? Join us this January for an update about improvement indicators and how they’ve progressed in OHTs.
The Health System Performance Network first produced a set of 10 improvement indicators for Ontario Health Teams in January 2021. Over time, we have expanded to include indicators for common target populations (Mental Health, Older Adults, Palliative and End of Life, and Diabetes) and have provided OHTs with population profiles on Collaborative Quality Improvement Indicators). In the fall of 2023, HSPN updated all the indicators for all approved teams up to Cohort 4 (53 teams those with attributed populations). HSPN also conducted a survey of which indicators were most useful to OHTs. HSPN is currently distributing a full set of all indicators, PowerPoint presentations and detailed reporting on a subset of 12 indicators that OHTs identified as most important. Indicators have also been produced stratified by material deprivation, primary care models and population grouping methodologies.
At the January 23, 2024 HSPN monthly Ontario Health Team Webinar, we will review the results of our survey of OHTs regarding which indicators are most useful as well as host a discussion on what other indicators OHTs would find useful. We will review stratifications and how to use the indicator reports. We will also highlight details that OHTs have access to for all 28 indicators according to the 4 main stratifications.
All indicator reports will be distributed to OHTs before the webinar and posted online in early February. Come in January to learn about the 10 improvement indicators, what has changed since 2021, and what we should be doing to continue to monitor the progress of OHTs on health system indicators.
Results from the HSPN Developmental Evaluation: Advancing toward Maturity
After nearly 3 years of the OHT initiative, we are asking how OHTs are developing and what is needed to advance toward maturity.
Grounded in the experience of 6 OHTs participating in the HSPN Developmental Evaluation, in October’s HSPN webinar, we are sharing the key themes and findings in advance of our Developmental Report.
Come see if these themes resonate with your experiences and share your stories. We look forward to this exchange.
Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams: Health Care Costs & Value
In 2022, HSPN is hosting a series of events on Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams.
In July, we will review opportunities to measure and leverage health care costs and to create value by improving patient experience and outcomes as well as provider experience while managing costs at the population and individual level.
Join Dr. Walter Wodchis and special guests Jillian Paul and Howard Baker from the Ministry of Health Ontario Health Team and Health Health Sector Models Branches as well as Ontario Health Vice President of Value Based Care Dov Klein as they talk about their goals and supports for improving value in Ontario Health Teams.
Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams (Part III)
In 2022, HSPN is hosting a series of events on Quadruple
Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams.
In June, we will review opportunities to measure health outcomes at the population and individual level using administrative and patient-reported data and how we are approaching equity in this measurement.
Come join us as Drs Kaileah McKellar, Ruth Hall and Walter Wodchis review HSPN measures for OHTs and join the discussion on how OHTs can move toward health outcome measurement in evaluating OHT initiatives.
We will review the measurement of PROMs and PREMs using
the HSPN surveys to support comparable measurement across OHTs.
Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams (Part II)
In 2022, HSPN is hosting a series of events on Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams. In May, we will gather for our second event focusing on Provider Experience.
Come join us as Dr Ruth Hall and Elana Commisso from HSPN review the approach to provider experience measurement and results from the Couchiching OHT.
Dr Erika Catford, Annalise Stenekes, Chris Archer and Angela Munday will share their reasons for measuring provider experience in the Couchiching OHT and to talk about the ways that they are using the results.
Come to hear about these experiences and discuss the approaches to measure and improve on provider experience at a time of great strain in health care.
Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams (Part I)
In 2022, we are hosting a series of events on Quadruple Aim Measures for Ontario Health Teams (OHTs): April is Patient/Client Experience Month.
Come join us as Walter Wodchis reviews the HSPN approach to patient experience measurement. Sarah Grace Bebenek and Sheila Koss from South Georgian Bay OHT will discuss their implementation of the HSPN patient experience survey with nearly 4000 respondents, and talk about how they plan to use the results in collaboration with patients and family.
Zahra Ismail, Director, Primary Care and Social Determinants at Ontario Health will discuss the strategic direction for patient reported experience measurement at Ontario Health.
Stories from the Ivory Tower
In March, we are coming out with our stories from the ivory tower of university-based evaluation of Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). Evaluators from the HSPN have spent the better part of the past year observing the development of OHTs with an aim to understand:
Join us on to engage in a discussion of these questions as they relate to the development of population health management and integrated care in Ontario with attention to selected foundational elements of the OHT model.
Segmenting your OHT Population: Stories from the Field (Part III)
In February, we will merge our streams of population health management and stories from the field providing real-world examples in Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) of using data to better understand where, how, and for whom interventions can be directed. Examples include the raw use of hospital diagnoses through sophisticated segmentation with pre-packaged risk stratification tools. Presenters will describe their use of Intellihealth and Integrated Decision Support (IDS) resources.
Speakers will include Darren Gerson and Holly Opara from the North Toronto OHT, Lauren Tessier from Chatham Kent OHT, and Caitlin Agla from KW4 OHT. We look forward to this conversation and to uncovering the good, the bad, and the ugly in trying to use population segmentation in the real world of OHT implementation.
Using Segmentation to Support Quality Improvement
In January, we come back again to segmentation for population health management, building on the February and September 2021 webinars.
This time we will look at the new collaborative Quality Improvement Indicators and other areas for improvement across Ontario Health Teams and look at data to help understand how population segmentation can be used to design different approaches to improvement on common indicators.
Walter Wodchis (co-lead HSPN OHT evaluation) will present on the provincial view of collaborative Quality Improvement Plan indicators and how OHTs can use population segmentation to better understand and improve on cQIP measures. This is a prelude to data that HSPN will provide to support OHT cQIP ideas.
Christina Clarke (RISE population health coach) will share key principles and examples to illustrate how segmentation can be applied at the local level in focus populations to understand and identify improvement ideas for cQIP and other areas of importance to OHTs.
Stories from the Field (Part II)
In November, HSPN is excited for the second in a series of events that focus on sharing stories from the experience of Ontario Health Teams. At this event, we focus on a few examples of teams that are looking at ways to meaningfully engage patients and families in co-design, to develop and implement integrated strategic plans, and to create robust governance structures. We are joined by Jeff Wingard and Melissa McCallum from Greater Hamilton Health Network OHT, Melissa Sharpe-Harrigan from the Chatham Kent OHT and the Patient and Family Health Council from North York Toronto Health Partners. From the HSPN, Gaya Embuldeniya, Kaileah McKellar and Walter Wodchis will also provide insights on these OHT initiatives. This event is essential for Governance, Strategic Planning or Patient and Family Engagement.
Stories from the Field (Part I)
In October, HSPN is pleased to announce the opening of a series of events that focus on sharing stories from the experience of Ontario Health Teams. At this first event, we are focused on a few examples of teams that are looking at ways to re-organize care and design new models. We are starting with example from central and northern OHTs. Chris Archer joins us from Couchiching OHT and Colleen Neil joins from All Nations Health Partners. Walter Wodchis and Ruth Hall describe the approach to our Developmental Evaluation and our experience of observing these teams as they develop toward OHT implementation.
How should we be evaluating integrated care?
In June, join us for a special event brought to you by the Health System Performance Network, in partnership with the International Foundation for Integrated Care –Canada, and Emerald Publishing. With leading practices from the Netherlands, England and Canada, we present the latest thinking in evaluation of integrated care, both locally and at the health system level.
OHT Improvement Measures for Focus Populations
In April, we took a look at improvement measures for common OHT focus populations including mental health and end of life.
OHT Improvement Measures: Where are OHTs starting from?
In March, we looked across all OHTs at the baseline achievement on key improvement measures. What is the range of outcomes? Is there any association with socioeconomic deprivation?
How to Measure OHT Success: Evaluation Metrics Using the Quadruple-Aim
In January, we discussed improvement measures to be used in the evaluation of Ontario Health Teams, both provincially and locally.
OHT Implementation: A Focus on Measures for Local Evaluation
How will you use your logic model to drive local measurement and reporting? Our November 2020 webinar focused on how to do this and showcased the way in which one OHT has implemented its logic model.
The Generation of Integration: Lessons Learned in Ontario, Canada
Ontario has experienced both successes and failures in past initiatives to integrate care. Our October 2020 webinar uncovers lessons and practical advice that will help us learn from our past.
Formative Evaluation for the 1st OHT Applicant Cohort
What are the areas of strength which OHTs can build on and where are there needs for supports? How are supports being organized to further OHT implementation? This month’s joint HSPN/MOHLTC webinar highlights findings from surveys and interviews completed by the first cohort of OHT applicants, and includes an update from the Ministry on planned supports for the OHT initiative.
Logic Models for OHTs
Interested in evaluation? Thinking about how to choose indicators and performance measures for your OHT? Do you have a logic model? Did you know you really should have one (or more)? HSPN introductory webinar to strengthen evaluation within your OHT.
OHT Evaluation
HSPN will play an important role with Ontario Health Teams in the coming years in undertaking a Central Evaluation of OHTs. An overview of the initial formative evaluation was provided at two webinars on December 17 and 19, 2019.