Priority Health Innovation Challenge

In Canadian healthcare, there is no shortage of innovation and creativity focused on achieving lasting improvement in patient experience, health outcomes, work life of providers and value-for-money. Our challenge is to spread proven innovations in shared priority areas¹ further across the country. The first step to achieve this, is to identify promising innovations and innovators.

Working with supporting healthcare organizations, the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement launched the Priority Health Innovation Challenge to identify and grow promising innovations in two shared priorities: access to mental health and addictions services, and home and community care.

Teams are participating in the Priority Health Innovation Challenge with new or existing innovation projects addressing one of the two priority areas that respond to the healthcare needs of people living in Canada. CFHI supports these innovators to increase the potential impact of their innovations.

The Priority Health Innovation Challenge is running from April 2019 until October 2020 and teams can apply to join at any time until August 2020 (further details below).

How the Priority Health Innovation Challenge contributes to better healthcare in Canada

The Priority Health Innovation Challenge has the potential to benefit more people by identifying and supporting novel approaches that increase access to care.

Teams participate with innovation projects that are addressing at least one of the following common indicators related to the relevant shared priority area.²

Mental Health and Addictions Common Indicators

Wait times for community mental health services
Early intervention for youth aged 10 to 25
Awareness and/or successful navigation of mental health and addiction services
Rates of repeat emergency department and/or urgent care centre visits for a mental health or addiction issue.
Hospitalization rates for problematic substance use
Rates of self-injury, including suicide

Home and Community Care Health Common Indicators

Wait times for home care services, referral to services
Alternative level of care, length of stay for inpatients requiring home care services
Home care services helped the patient stay at home
Caregiver distress
Inappropriate move to long-term care
Death at home/not in hospital

Priority Health teams submit baseline and ongoing outcome data that reflect the relevant common indicators and the number of patients reached. This data contributes to developing an understanding of innovations that have potential for spread and scale.

Team benefits

Participating teams are supported to strengthen their innovations through:

Opportunities to become part of a pan-Canadian community of innovators and connect, share and learn from people facing similar challenges working in the same priority area
Access to learning opportunities and resources including webinars with leading healthcare experts
Receiving national recognition for their innovation
Opportunities to receive financial awards that can be used for staff training, education, patient/family/caregiver engagement or other ways that can support long-term success of the innovation. Up to $400,000 (total) is available.

How to apply

Teams can apply with a new or existing innovation project, within the two shared health priority areas, that address at least one of the relevant common indicators. We are looking for teams that are directly providing health or social care to patients. All teams must include a patient, family or caregiver representative, as well as a regulated healthcare provider. We know small changes can make a big difference in healthcare, so a broad range of projects and quality improvement initiatives are eligible.

To apply to join, teams create an account through our online portal – it takes less than 30 minutes. You will also need to review the Terms and Conditions.

Apply to join the Priority Health Innovation Challenge

Mini-Challenge #3

Registered teams can enter by sharing how you are adapting your work to meet the needs of your community during this time, or you can complete an Improvement Charter reflecting the current state of your project. Up to 10 awards are available at $5,000 each.

Find Out More

Webinars

As part of the Priority Health Innovation Challenge, we are hosting a series of webinars with healthcare improvement experts including experts in mental health and addictions services, and home and community care. The webinar themes are focused on supporting the needs of the participating teams; however, anyone can join.

Upcoming webinar

Thursday, September 17, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. EDT
Increasing Access to Care: The Big Picture

Previous webinars

Recordings of past webinars are available, including:

Rapid Innovation: Lessons from a Crisis with Dr. Jaason Geerts (Manager, Leadership and Partnership Development, Canadian College of Health Leaders) and Kathleen McQueen (Provincial Leader, CBI Health Group)
Using Data for Improvement with Dr. Rylan Egan (Assistant Professor, Tenure-Track, Queens University) held May 2020.
Innovations in Mental Health and Addiction Services with Saima Awan (Clinical Operations and Business Analytics, Dana Farber Cancer Institute) and Eftyhia Helis (Knowledge Mobilization Officer, CADTH) held in December 2019
Health Innovation: The Evolution of Patient Partnership with Julie Drury (Strategic Lead, Patient Partnerships, CFHI) held in November 2019

The Teams

Innovations in access to home and community care

Innovations in access to mental health and addictions services

Judges