News

Letter from the CEO

On behalf of CorHealth, I would like to start off by acknowledging the hard work and dedication of our stakeholders during this time. Thank you for your continued efforts to support the CorHealth team in advancing quality cardiac, stroke, and vascular care for all Ontarians.

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Stroke Unit Care and Endovascular Treatment Updates

Stroke unit care is a long recognized best practice, however in Ontario, there is regional variation in access, and patient outcomes. Identified by stroke system stakeholders as a priority to address, CorHealth has been engaged in detailed project planning for Phase 1 of this multi-year initiative.

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Cardiac: Atrial Fibrillation and AVI Model of Care

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of irregular heartbeat and is associated with poor quality of life, increased risk of death, stroke, heart failure, and hospitalization. The atrial fibrillation project is a multi-year initiative that will be rolled out in three phases.

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Vascular: Lower-Limb Preservation Strategy Updates

The Ontario Framework for Lower-Limb Preservation, an evidence-informed, best-practice roadmap that highlights the key care activities, minimum care requirements, and key considerations for the development of a regional model of care, is nearing completion. An accompanying Change Package has also been developed that provides actionable change ideas, tools and resources from which lower-limb preservation providers, organizations and champions can adopt and/or adapt to improve lower-limb preservation care delivery, services, and outcomes regionally.

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Funding: Heart Failure QBP and Cardiac Funding Updates

The Congestive Heart Failure Quality Based Procedure (CHF-QBP) approach is currently limited to inpatient acute care, with the potential unintended consequences of avoidable patient admissions, and misalignment with best practice for the patient population with heart failure. Upon direction from the Ministry of Health (MOH), CorHealth has been exploring the potential for enhanced program flexibility and accountability in the use of existing CHF-QBP funding.

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Letter from the CEO

As the province moves into Step 2 of Reopening this week, the health system is looking at plans to balance continued COVID-19 response while also moving into Recovering. To support these efforts, CorHealth and the Chairs of its Leadership Councils and Stakeholder Forums have been continuing to meet and align with the provincial efforts led by Dr. Chris Simpson and Ontario Health.

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Stroke Awareness Month and Reporting

June is the official stroke awareness month in Canada. During this month, CorHealth Ontario collaborates with the Regional Stroke Networks and the Heart and Stroke Foundation to amplify stroke best practices and highlight current performance of the Ontario Stroke System. From everyone at CorHealth Ontario, a heartfelt thank you to all healthcare providers for their continued efforts on driving excellence and best practice in stroke care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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Atrial Fibrillation in Ontario

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of irregular heartbeat and is associated with poor quality of life, increased risk of death, stroke, heart failure and hospitalization. CorHealth has begun a three phase multi-year initiative to understand the current state of AF in the province, to develop recommendations for system change, and ultimately improve access to catheter ablations for eligible patients with AF in Ontario.

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Lower-Limb Preservation (LLP) Strategy

Work has continued on the development of an Ontario Framework for Lower-Limb Preservation. This Framework is an evidence-based, best-practice reference document that highlights the key care activities, minimum care requirements, and key considerations for a regional model of care. The goal is to optimize the delivery of sustainable best-practice lower-limb preservation care and maximize positive patient outcomes while minimizing health care costs.

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Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Measurement & Reporting

COVID-19 has further highlighted existing data gaps in cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR), as consistent and reliable data to show the impact of COVID-19 on CR is not currently available. CorHealth’s COVID-19 Cardiac Rehabilitation Stakeholder Forums confirmed the need for regular, reliable, and comparable data regarding CR activity in Ontario; including data on activities prior to, during, and post COVID-19.

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Letter from the CEO

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present us with an exceedingly difficult crisis challenging our healthcare system, front-line workers, patients, families, and community. I would like to acknowledge and thank all of our stakeholders and their continued dedication to cardiac, stroke, and vascular care for all Ontarians while also balancing the necessary care needs for COVID-19 patients.

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COVID-19 Cardiac, Stroke, and Vascular COVID-19 Reporting

The CorHealth team has developed cardiac and vascular COVID-19 reporting tools to support stakeholders during the pandemic. These tools are Excel files that allow users to easily view volumes data such as procedure, wait list, and new referrals, as well as wait time information.

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COVID-19 Stakeholder Forums

As our stakeholders contend with Wave 3 of COVID-19, CorHealth is hosting joint COVID-19 Stakeholder Forums for cardiac, stroke, and vascular participants, as required. The impetus for these Forums came from CorHealth’s stakeholders wanting an opportunity to share approaches to decision making about patient care during COVID-19, in order to provide some consistency across the province.

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Heart Failure Awareness Week

CorHealth is pleased to support the Canadian Heart Failure Society’s 3rd Canadian Heart Failure Awareness Week happening from May 3 to 9, 2021.

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Non-COVID-19 Related Work Updates

Where possible, CorHealth is continuing non-COVID-19 related work focusing on activities that do not require high levels of stakeholder engagement as we recognize the current burden on our stakeholders. This article provides an overview of numerous activities including: Ontario Health Transition, CorHealth Registry Upgrade, Refreshed Echocardiography Standards, Inaugural Executive Report release, Improving Access to Stroke Unit Care, and Lower-Limb Preservation.

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Letter from the CEO

First and foremost, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the phenomenal work of clinicians, administrators, community care centres, and healthcare organizations providing cardiac, stroke, and vascular care to Ontarians, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.

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Stroke Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS)

Over the past year, CorHealth Ontario has been working closely with key stroke system stakeholders to improve access to Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) throughout Ontario.

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Cardiac and Vascular Outcome Reports and Best Wishes to Garth Oakes

The second annual Consolidated Cardiac Outcomes Report was released on November 12, 2020. The report included new risk-adjustment models for cardiac surgery, developed in collaboration with ICES, and the inaugural inclusion of heart failure indicators.

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Lower-Limb Preservation (LLP) Strategy

The goal of the Lower-Limb Preservation (LLP) Strategy is to reduce avoidable, non-traumatic major lower-limb amputations in Ontario. This goal will be achieved with a focus on access to high-quality best-practice early screening and monitoring of at-risk individuals, and the provision of appropriate vascular lower-limb wound and diabetic foot care.

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Vascular Quality Based Procedures (QBPs) Update

To ensure a consistent and comprehensive management and funding of all AA and LEOD repair procedures, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has asked CorHealth to investigate the potential inclusion of activity beyond inpatient procedures within the vascular QBP funding envelope.

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Letter from the CEO

First and foremost, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the phenomenal work of clinicians, administrators, community care centres, and healthcare organizations providing cardiac, stroke, and vascular care to Ontarians, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.

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Virtual Care

In June 2020, CorHealth Ontario initiated a provincial stream of work to support high-quality virtual care across the care continuum and to help promote equitable access to virtual care options for cardiac, stroke, and vascular patients and their providers.

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Lower-Limb Preservation Strategy

The CorHealth team has been busy developing Fiscal Year 2020/21 work plans and timelines to support lower-limb preservation in Ontario.

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Aortic Valve Implantation Model of Care

The Aortic Valve Implantation (AVI) Model of Care Initiative is a disease-based care model that aims at ensuring timely and equitable access to appropriate and efficient treatment for persons with Aortic Stenosis through patient informed choice, patient referral and triage, efficiency improvements, and outcome measurement. The model aims at shifting towards minimally invasive and less hospital resource intensive care for Aortic Stenosis.

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Endovascular Thrombectomy Volumes Check-Ins

As part of the Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) volume allocation process and to support the Ministry of Health on planning for EVT Quality Based Procedures (QBP) funding, CorHealth hosted a series of calls with each of the EVT programs and the Ministry of Health in early October to discuss projected EVT QBP volumes.

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Cardiac and Vascular Outcome Reports

Production of the second annual Consolidated Cardiac Outcomes Report is currently underway with an expected report release in November 2020. CorHealth is proud to announce that this report will include new risk-adjustment models for cardiac surgery, developed in collaboration with ICES, as well as the inagural inclusion of heart failure indicators.

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Cardiac Registry Upgrade

After postponing the hospital implementation in March due to the pandemic, the implementation was re-initiated in July.

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Canadian Cardiovascular Congress

The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress (CCC) is the largest gathering of cardiovascular and allied health professionals in Canada. This year the CCC was held virtually from Wednesday, October 21 to Saturday, October 24, 2020.

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A Performance Report for the Ontario Telestroke Program

The Ontario Telestroke Program (OTP) is a critical virtual care infrastructure in the provincial stroke system enabling access to hyperacute stroke care (i.e. tPA and EVT) in rural and remote areas of the province.

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Letter from the CEO

The world has certainly changed since we last sent you a CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) Quarterly newsletter. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has presented us with an unprecedented crisis that has challenged our healthcare system, front-line workers, patients, families, and community.

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Measurement and Reporting Update

In March 2020, the Vascular Volumes and Outcomes Report was released. This inaugural vascular performance report focuses on procedures for treatment of Aortic Disease and Lower Extremity Peripheral Artery Disease in Ontario.

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COVID-19 Activities and Forum Updates

COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis and poses a significant risk to the community as the landscape is rapidly evolving. In quick response to the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) Directive #2 (March 15, 2020), CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) began hosting weekly and bi-weekly COVID-19 Stakeholder Forums, paired with regular impact reporting and modelling, to support acute cardiac, stroke, vascular, heart failure, and rehabilitation stakeholders.

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Virtual Care

In response to COVID-19, CorHealth recognized the need to quantify and monitor the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac, vascular and stroke hospital activity in a timely manner. This monitoring enables hospitals and system planners to compare the effect of COVID-19 across providers and regions, alert CorHealth and the Ministry of Health of reduced access to care that can potentially lead to patient morbidity and mortality and informs backlog and capacity planning.

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June is Stroke Awareness Month

June is the official stroke awareness month in Canada. Historically, CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) has collaborated with the Regional Stroke Networks and the Heart and Stroke Foundation to amplify stroke best practices and highlight current performance of the Ontario Stroke System.

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Lower-Limb Preservation Strategy (LLPS) Update

Since the first meeting of the Lower-Limb Preservation Strategy (LLPS) Advisory Committee led by Dr. Ahmed Kayssi on February 28, 2020, during which the strategy scope and deliverables were validated, the CorHealth team has been busy developing FY 2020/21 workplans for each of the following deliverables: 1. Lower-limb preservation care delivery framework, 2. Measurement and reporting recommendations, and 3. Funding policy recommendations.

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Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Activity Reporting and Backlog Modelling

In response to COVID-19, CorHealth recognized the need to quantify and monitor the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac, vascular and stroke hospital activity in a timely manner. This monitoring enables hospitals and system planners to compare the effect of COVID-19 across providers and regions, alert CorHealth and the Ministry of Health of reduced access to care that can potentially lead to patient morbidity and mortality and informs backlog and capacity planning.

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CorHealth Ontario Message to Staff: Denouncing Anti-Black Racism and Racism of Any Form

We have all seen the heartbreaking examples of racism that have taken place across North America. CorHealth Ontario expressly denounces anti-black racism and all racism of any form.

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Bulletin

CorHealth Ontario Continues to Support Cardiac, Stroke and Vascular Care - COVID-19 Resource Centre Now Available

CorHealth Ontario continues to support our cardiac, stroke, and vascular stakeholders as we all navigate through the quickly evolving novel coronavirus situation. Acknowledging the ever-increasing burden on our healthcare system, CorHealth is working to provide access to information and reduce duplicate conversations at the provincial level so our hospital colleagues can focus on patient care.

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Bulletin

CorHealth Ontario Continues to Support Cardiac, Stroke and Vascular Care - Operations Continue During COVID-19 Pandemic

CorHealth Ontario acknowledges the measures currently being implemented by the Ministry of Health and the Government of Canada to ensure the health and safety of all citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read more Bulletin: CorHealth Ontario Continues to Support Cardiac, Stroke and Vascular Care - Operations Continue During COVID-19 Pandemic...

Letter from the CEO - Thank You!

As the calendar year comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and dedication advancing cardiac, stroke, and vascular care in Ontario.

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New Technologies Planning Committee: More Access to New Life Saving and Enhancing Cardiac, Stroke and Vascular Technologies

Since 2016, CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) has been working closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH), and with leadership in cardiac, stroke and vascular care in Ontario, to establish more transparent, effective and proactive planning practices, with the aim of supporting timely and equitable access to the latest, leading, safe and effective cardiac technologies for Ontarians.

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Canadian Cardiovascular Congress and Canadian Stroke Congress Updates

CorHealth Ontario took part in the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Montreal, Quebec, and at the Canadian Stroke Congress in Ottawa, Ontario. Highlights and presentations from the Congresses are available.

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Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) Steering Committee and Telestroke Update

The Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) Steering Committee will be expanding its role and purpose to include guidance and direction for the Ontario Telestroke Program.

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Vascular Lower-Limb Preservation Strategy

CorHealth Ontario, together with clinical experts and system partners, is beginning to develop a Lower-Limb Preservation (LLP) Strategy to address Ontario’s lower-limb amputation rate and wide regional rate variations.

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Aortic Valve Implantation (AVI) Model of Care Project

The AVI Model of Care Change Management Forum, which is comprised of representation from all 11 surgical advanced cardiac hospitals in Ontario, CorHealth Ontario, and the Ministry of Health, has met three times since September 2019. Forum discussions to date have reinforced a shared goal to ensure that all persons with aortic stenosis receive evidence-based care, including timely and equitable access to AVI treatments – either surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) or transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

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Funding Initiative Updates: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) Bundle and Stroke Bundle

Draft Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) bundle recommendations (patient cohort, care pathway and performance indicators) based on the Trillium Health Partners Pilot, and draft Stroke bundle recommendations (patient cohort, care pathway and performance indicators), have been submitted to the Ministry of Health.

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Measurement and Reporting Initiative

CorHealth Ontario’s (CorHealth) Measurement and Reporting Initiative is employing a comprehensive approach to achieving alignment across cardiac, stroke, and vascular reporting products and engagement strategies, while laying the foundation for monitoring critical indicators across the care streams to support system improvements.

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Stroke & Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Clinical Information Sessions

Health care in Ontario is moving towards greater integration between acute and post-acute care settings. CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth), along with our key Stroke and Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) stakeholders, has been working to advise the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) on Stroke & CABG surgery integrated care.

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Letter from the CEO – Update on the Ontario Health agency

As the province continues to take steps to transform Ontario’s health care system, the formation of the Ontario Health agency progresses. Susan Fitzpatrick, interim CEO of Ontario Health, is setting up a number of working groups to establish the agency with a clear focus on the continuity of patient care throughout the transition process.

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Big Bike for Cardiac Disease and Stroke Research

For the second year in a row, CorHealth Ontario took part in the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike initiative to support critical cardiac disease and stroke research.

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Thanking Laurie Bourne for Work on Data Collection and Reporting with CorHealth Ontario

It is with mixed emotions that we share Laurie Bourne, Senior Director of Health System Policy, Planning & Performance, will be joining Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) as the Director of Quality, Operational Excellence & Innovation.

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Aortic Valve Implantation (AVI) Reimbursement Model Project

In 2018/19, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), along with CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) began to explore the possibility of implementing an alternative, population-based reimbursement model for patients with Aortic Stenosis (AS). Through preliminary consultation with experts, and review of evidence, CorHealth identified that there was an opportunity to change from the current method of volume-based funding of Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement (SAVR) and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), to a new Aortic Valve Implantation (AVI) reimbursement model.

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Ontario Vascular Program Designations

In March 2019, CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) requested that all hospital vascular programs complete a standardized self-assessment, the Ontario Vascular Program Core Service Criteria Evaluation Tool.

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Supporting Emergency Department Clinicians

CorHealth Ontario’s (CorHealth) engagement with vascular stakeholders identified a need for the development of support tools for emergency department (ED) clinicians to appropriately manage patients with vascular emergencies.

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Implementation of CorHealth’s Information & Digital Strategy

Data and information are at the core of what we do – whether they are used to drive evidence-informed practice, inform planning and resource allocation, or to measure and report on quality and outcomes.

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Endovascular Treatment (EVT) System Improvements

For the past 2 years, CorHealth Ontario (CorHealth) has been working collaboratively with various stakeholders to support maturation of the provincial EVT system.

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Letter from the Interim CEO – Health System Transformation Update

In the March 2019 edition of the CorHealth Quarterly, I wrote about the health system transformation that was announced by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) in February 2019. Since the release of that newsletter, the MOHLTC has taken steps to transform Ontario’s health care system to be centred around patients, their families, and their caregivers. The following highlights key activities from the last few months supporting the transformation.

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2017/18 Stroke Report Cards Now Available

This year’s stroke report card marks the ninth edition of the provincial and Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) report cards and progress reports, capturing data from the 2017/18 fiscal year. These reports are created annually to provide an evaluation of stroke care and service in the LHINs and across Ontario, aligned to national recommended performance measures set out in the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations.

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Evolution of CorHealth Ontario’s Measurement & Reporting

In 2018/19 a key priority was to begin implementing our Information and Digital Strategy by defining our core data needs, reducing data collection burden on hospitals, and improving the value of our reporting. To support this, we engaged three Task Groups to make clear recommendations on how to enhance the value of our reporting across cardiac surgery, stroke and vascular.

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Key Learnings from the Integrating Heart Failure Care Initiative to Improve Patient Care in Ontario

From 2017-2019, CorHealth Ontario partnered with Health Quality Ontario and three Early Adopter Teams to begin the Integrating Heart Failure Care Initiative, a model that integrates heart failure care delivery with quality standards for a localized population of persons suffering from heart failure.

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Update: Leadership Councils

During the December 2018 issue of CorHealth Quarterly, we were excited to share the kickoff of our Leadership Councils, which are part of CorHealth’s Advisory and Task Group Structure. Since last year, the Leadership Councils have met two times, where they provided advice and guidance on multiple CorHealth initiatives and projects.

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Community-based Rehabilitation Services Needed to Reduce Hallway Health Care

In May, CorHealth Ontario met with Dr. Rueben Devlin to discuss the importance of community-based rehabilitation services. The objective of the meeting was to reinforce community rehabilitation services as an area where additional access will relieve pressures causing hallway health care.

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Integrated Care Bundles

In the Fall of 2018, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) communicated their direction for bundled care funding policy in 2019/20, involving integrated care for selected hospital-based acute and post-acute services.

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Echocardiography Quality Improvement Program: Major Milestone Achieved

The Echocardiography Quality Improvement (EQI) Program recently achieved a major milestone, having completed the on-site reviews for all sites that registered prior to November 1, 2017.

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Press Release: CorHealth Ontario Marks First National Heart Failure Awareness Week with Ontario’s Integrated Heart Failure Care (IHFC) Roadmap

Key Learnings from the Integrating Heart Failure Care Initiative (IHFCI) to Improve Patient Care in Ontario

TORONTO, ON, May 6, 2019 -- From 2017-2019, CorHealth Ontario partnered with Health Quality Ontario and three (3) Early Adopter Teams, to begin the Integrating Heart Failure Care Initiative (IHFCI), a model that integrates heart failure care delivery with quality standards for a localized population of persons suffering from heart failure.

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Bulletin: CorHealth Ontario to Mark First National Heart Failure (HF) Awareness Week with Release of Newly Developed Integrated Heart Failure Care (IHFC) Resources

CorHealth Ontario has translated the experiences gained from the Integrated Heart Failure Care Initiative into resources that begin to integrate care more broadly – an approach that can be expanded beyond cardiac disease into other chronic illnesses and population health management overall.

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Letter from the Interim CEO - Moving Towards Integrated Health Care: Ontario’s Health System Transformation

CorHealth Ontario has always had a focus on evidence-informed practice being delivered consistently across the province; integrating care delivery where possible; and, supporting the best cardiac, stroke, and vascular care for all Ontarians. This approach is consistent with the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care’s vision for Ontario Health.

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Introducing CorHealth Ontario’s Patient & Family Engagement Strategy

CorHealth Ontario’s inaugural 2017-22 Strategic Plan made a commitment to ensuring that patients and families would be partners and key advisors in helping shape cardiac, stroke and vascular care services in Ontario. As patients & families have been involved in several CorHealth initiatives to date, CorHealth is excited to introduce a more formal Patient & Family Engagement Strategy for the organization.

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Progress on CorHealth Ontario’s Information and Digital Strategy

A key priority in 2018/19 was to further define how CorHealth Ontario’s baseline data and reporting needs across the cardiac, stroke and vascular clinical domains, and to make recommendations on how CorHealth Ontario can reduce its data burden on hospitals. Three Measurement and Reporting Task Groups were formed across the cardiac surgery, stroke and vascular clinical domains, and Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown , Dean of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, was formally engaged to provide leadership and advice throughout the process.

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FY 2018/19 Q1/Q2 Endovascular Therapy Results

On October 24, 2018, CorHealth Ontario produced the first-ever provincial report on Endovascular Thrombectomy (EVT) performance in Canada. On March 29, 2019, the Q1/Q2 biannual report for FY 2018/19 will be released, followed by an anticipated release of the annual report in September 2019.

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Championing the Integrating Heart Failure Care Initiative, Heart Failure Quality Standard Now Available

Managing and supporting patients with heart failure (HF) along the care continuum and across transitions in care, requires a coordinated approach that connects teams of providers to provide ‘wrap around’ care to patients. To help improve care for patients living with HF and their caregivers in Ontario, CorHealth Ontario, in partnership with Health Quality Ontario (HQO), is championing and continues to support the Integrating Heart Failure Care Initiative (IHFCI).

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Ontario Vascular Program Evaluation Tool

In 2016, CorHealth Ontario worked with hospitals to provide Level 1, 2, or 3 designations to acute care vascular programs across the province using the ‘Ontario Current State Assessment and Proposed Program Framework: Acute Care Vascular Services’ as the guide. Since then, CorHealth has continued to focus on opportunities to advance vascular care through driving evidence-informed practice; and, informing planning, access, and resource allocation.

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Letter from the Interim CEO

In the Ministry Realignment announcement made on October 18, 2018, by our Deputy Minister, Helen Angus, we noted that our former Assistant Deputy Minister, Lynn Guerriero, was reassigned to OHIP (formerly Negotiations and Accountability Management) and also as the Executive Lead of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) Agency Review.

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Endovascular Thrombectomy Performance Measurement First in Canada

We are pleased to announce that on October 24, 2018, CorHealth Ontario launched the 2017/18 baseline performance results for Endovascular Thrombectomy on a dashboard hosted by Integrated Decision Support. This EVT performance measurement initiative is the first of its kind in Canada, and we are thrilled that Ontario is leading the nation.

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CorHealth Ontario Partnerships Supporting Primary Care

CorHealth Ontario’s corporate 2017-22 Strategy recognizes the need to focus on quality and performance across the continuum of cardiac, stroke and vascular care. The Strategy also recognizes that CorHealth Ontario should help primary care practitioners through active partnerships with organizations who have the expertise and mandate in this sector.

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Improvement in Timely Access to STEMI Care in Ontario

CorHealth Ontario would like to congratulate the 20 cardiac programs for their efforts in improving timely ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) access in Ontario. Since CorHealth launched the Quality Performance Measurement & Monitoring Cycle in 2017, we have seen an improvement in timely access to STEMI care in the province.

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Emergency Vascular Referral Pathways

Over the past five months CorHealth Ontario and CritiCall Ontario met with a number of emergency vascular care stakeholders to discuss the current and potential future state of emergency vascular referral pathways in Ontario.

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Inaugural Meeting Updates

The Leadership Councils and Clinical Advisory Committee have successfully met in the fall with great interest and engagement.

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Reinvigorating Our Measurement Agenda

A key priority in 2018/19 is to further define how CorHealth Ontario can best leverage data and reporting to drive health system improvement, and define our baseline data and reporting needs across the cardiac, stroke and vascular clinical domains.

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CorHealth Ontario Resource and Presentation Highlights

Check out some of the available CorHealth Ontario resources and presentation highlights that have been shared throughout Ontario and beyond during these past few months. Please visit the Resources for Planners & Providers section of our website to view any of the referenced material.

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Introducing CorHealth Ontario’s New Advisory and Task Group Structure

CorHealth Ontario, in collaboration with our many colleagues in the system across the province, has been working on a redesign of our Advisory and Task Group Structure that reflects our expanded mandate.

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New Model Seeks to Transform Management and Coordination of Heart Failure Care

In collaboration with experts across the province, CorHealth Ontario is pleased to have produced the Chronic Heart Failure: General Information and Practical Tips for Healthcare Providers pocket guide that is aligned with the 2017 National Heart Failure Guidelines. These national guidelines recommend the need for an integrated systems approach to organizing care and helping improve outcomes for patients with heart failure.

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Performance and Reporting Updates

This issue includes performance and reporting updates regarding CorHealth Ontario's Information and Digital Strategy, Adult Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Outcomes and Cardiac Surgery Outcomes Reports, Quality and Performance Measurement and Monitoring and the 2016/17 Stroke Report Cards.

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Interdisciplinary Heart Team Model

The Interdisciplinary Heart Team model was developed by CorHealth Ontario to provide a complementary and balanced approach to patient care through shared and integrated decision making by various medical care stakeholders from various specialties.

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Endovascular Therapy Update

CorHealth Ontario hosted a webinar on June 20, 2018, on evidence and potential implications of the 6-24 hour Endovascular Thrombectomy Treatment Window for acute ischemic stroke as well as CorHealth Ontario, Heart & Stroke and the Canadian Institute for Health Information came together on a joint effort on a new project called CIHI Special Project 440.

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Introducing Our New E-Newsletter, the CorHealth Quarterly

This is an exciting time in our organization’s evolution! Created by the 2016 merger of the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario and the Ontario Stroke Network, CorHealth Ontario’s new mandate spans cardiac, stroke and vascular care in the province. By building on the tremendous work of our legacy organizations, CorHealth Ontario is uniquely positioned to lead the way in enhancing cardiac, stroke and vascular care.

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What does CorHealth Ontario do?

CorHealth Ontario is an organization formed by the merger of the Cardiac Care Network and the Ontario Stroke Network. In June 2017, we became CorHealth Ontario, with an expanded mandate spanning cardiac, stroke and vascular care in the province. Last year, CorHealth Ontario launched its inaugural Strategic Plan, which marked an essential step towards the unification of our organization and the creation of a cohesive path to improved care in Ontario.

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The Quest for Quality Data and Information

As we look ahead, we know that CorHealth Ontario’s data needs have an impact on our healthcare planner and provider colleagues in the province. Today, we have the opportunity to collect relevant data in a more efficient and forward-thinking way, leverage data that already exists, and optimize the use of the collected data to support policy, planning and quality improvement.

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June is Stroke Month

CorHealth Ontario is proud to mark Stroke Month! While we work diligently year-round to improve the quality of stroke care throughout the province, June brings us the opportunity to reflect on the strides we’ve made together, and the work that still lies ahead.

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Getting Ontarians the Vascular Care They Need Faster and Closer to Home

Time is of the essence when a patient is experiencing a vascular emergency. We believe that Ontarians who are at risk of losing a limb, or worse, their life, should get the right care quickly and closest to home. To get there, this summer, CorHealth Ontario is proud to partner with CritiCall Ontario to improve the referral pathways for emergency vascular patients.

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New Opportunities for Provincial Engagement – Redesign of Our Advisory and Working Group Structure

CorHealth Ontario’s foundations are built on the impactful and lasting work of our legacy organizations. It is with great responsibility that we plan how to best build on their important work.

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Regional Reviews: Understanding Our Clinical Landscape

Optimal regional structures can be extremely effective in advancing evidence-based care, sharing best practice and innovation, targeting quality improvements and improving patient outcomes. In the fall, CorHealth Ontario launched the Regional Review Initiative, which seeks to understand today’s regional structures and resources supporting cardiac, vascular and stroke services in the province.

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Rehabilitation Call-to-Action

Rehabilitation can improve health outcomes and quality of life, and reduce costs by shortening hospital stays. Last summer, CorHealth Ontario began its work to create a Rehabilitation Call-to-Action to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term care that identifies the gaps and issues in rehabilitation care in our three clinical domains, cardiac, vascular and stroke.

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Resources for Healthcare Professionals: ICD Deactivation Guides

We are proud to share with you two new Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) deactivation resources for healthcare professionals!

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