Ontario has announced a new investment of $20 million for health innovation as part of the government’s adoption of all six recommendations from the Ontario Health Innovation Council (OHIC). The goal of these recommendations is to support more Ontario-made health technologies, improve patient care and encourage economic growth. As proposed in the 2015 Ontario budget, the government will:
- Create a dedicated Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist to champion Ontario as a centre for health technology innovation
- Establish a new $20 million Health Technology Innovation Evaluation Fund to support made-in-Ontario technologies
- Use newly created Innovation Broker positions to connect innovators and researchers with opportunities in the health care system
- Streamline the adoption of health care innovations across the health system
- Shift to procurement practices that focus on outcomes, such as fewer hospital readmissions and the long-term value of medical devices
- Invest in the assessment of emerging innovative health technologies to get those products to market faster.
For more information, visit the Government of Ontario’s website.