The Integrated Client Care Project is an innovative multi-year initiative based on research demonstrating that more integrated approaches to healthcare result in better health outcomes and more cost-effective care.
Starting with home care services, the project will test a new, more integrated model of care with several interested sites across Ontario. In the longer term, the goal is to move toward redesigning Ontario’s healthcare system to dramatically improve the value of care — with “value” defined as the outcomes that patients and clients experience for the total cost of care for their condition. Ultimately, a healthier population should lead to more sustainable healthcare spending.
Reorganizing care around clients’ needs
Beginning with selected home care services, the Integrated Client Care Project will study the process and impact of reorganizing care around clients’ needs through:
• specialization – organizing care around clinical circumstances and focusing care to achieve higher quality and better value,
• integration – integrating services through the development of multidisciplinary care teams, and
• coordination – establishing mechanisms to ensure the seamless delivery of care across the continuum, including primary and acute care.
Care will be organized around five client care groups — wound care, palliative care, chronic disease management, frail elderly (75+ years old with two or more clinical conditions), and children with complex medical conditions. By specializing in one of these areas, service providers will become better able to provide “best practices” care that focuses on prevention of avoidable problems. They will also be better able to coordinate care for their clients, linking them with other services and helping them navigate through the variety of services they need.
A multi-partner project
Integrated Client Care is co-sponsored by the
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the
Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC) and the
Collaborative for Health Sector Strategy at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. The project is also a key component of the Ministry’s “
Strengthening Home Care Services in Ontario” strategy.
Working with teams at the four early implementation sites, CHQI will train and coach staff and leaders in quality improvement science and methods. Collaboratively, they will develop the skills and tools needed to support their improvement work and performance reporting. For more detail, see
CHQI’s role.
On our website, you will find information about the aims and activities of the
early implementation sites, along with
tools and templates to help design and measure changes in the processes of care, plus links to
project news and
event information.
OACCAC’s website hosts more information on the project and the research behind it, as well as a password-protected portal for project participants to share working documents.
Project Lead: Susan Taylor