If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going.

Change management initiatives are a key focus of healthcare systems across the country. This commentary, written by a former health minister, looks at change from the perspective of senior decision-makers. The need to directly link change management activities to broader transformation necessary to improve outcomes and ensure sustainability of healthcare in Canada is discussed. Suggestions for elements of a national transformation agenda, key enablers required to ensure the best change initiatives are leveraged across healthcare systems, and questions that should be asked by leaders in the evaluation of change initiatives are proposed.

Report from the Ready for the Next Round Thought-Leadership Roundtables on Building Resilience in Cancer Care and Control in Canada-Colorectal Cancer Canada; 2021.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated vulnerabilities in the Canadian health care system and exposed gaps and challenges across the cancer care continuum. Canada is experiencing significant disruptions to cancer-related services, and the impact these disruptions (delays/deferrals/cancellations) have on the health care system and patients are yet to be determined. Given the potential adverse ramifications, how can Canada's health care systems build resilience for future threats? (2) Methods: To answer this question, CCC facilitated a series of four thought-leadership roundtables, each representing the views of four different stakeholder groups: patients, physicians, health care system leaders, and researchers. (3) Results: Six themes of strength were identified to serve as a springboard for building resilience including, (1) advancing virtual care and digital health technologies to prevent future interruptions in cancer care delivery. (2) developing real-time data metrics, data sharing, and evidence-based decision-making. (3) enhancing public-private-non-profit partnerships to advance research and strengthen connections across the system. (4) advancing patient-centricity in cancer research to drive and encourage precision medicine approaches to care. (5) investing in training and hiring a robust supply of health care human resources. (6) implementing a national strategy and infrastructure to ensure inter-provincial collaborative data sharing (4). Conclusions: A resilient health care system that can respond to shocks and threats is not an emergency system; it is a robust everyday system that can respond to emergencies.

A Made-in-Canada Approach to Value-Based Healthcare.

Healthcare reforms that do not address outcomes of importance to patients may not be poised to successfully deliver the ultimate objectives of improved outcomes and quality of life for patients. Value-based healthcare is a distinct approach to aligning diverse health-system stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, health system administrators and the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries, on delivering outcomes that matter to patients at the same or lower cost. This article examines existing pan-Canadian infrastructure, including quality improvement and data initiatives, to demonstrate a path forward for this international healthcare transformation movement in Canada.