Primary Integrated Health Care Innovation Network Coordinating Office

In recent years, health systems in Canada and other countries have been exploring how to better assist people with complex needs, who account for a large share of system costs, but receive fragmented care. Integrating primary care providers, specialists, and community services is a key strategy for improving their experiences and outcomes. The Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (SPOR) has funded the Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations Network (PIHCIN) of networks in 11 provinces and territories to address this issue, each co-led by a researcher, clinician, and policymaker. They have supported 4 rounds of funding of new approaches to primary and integrated care, as well as several cross-provincial policy comparisons. There is a Network Leadership Council (NLC) with representation from each network, but there is no structure to engage with national and international partners or coordinate pan-Canadian evaluation initiatives. This proposal describes a Coordinating Office that will act as a secretariat for the NLC, facilitate information exchange internally and externally, set and report on common performance measures, and engage with national and international groups to support transformation of health systems to improve care for people with complex needs. It will do this through information sharing across networks with a shared database of operational documents, a platform for video conferencing, and a website. It will help organize symposia to disseminate new knowledge emerging from the networks and mentor junior researchers in primary and integrated care. It will also raise funds to grow and sustain these efforts. The overall goal of the Coordinating Office is to work with provincial networks, national, and international partners to promote a learning health system to help people with complex needs, and promote the spread and scale of successful primary and integrated health care innovations across Canada.