ACAHO members share a spotlight in National Task Force’s blueprint for the Future of AHSCs in Canada
The spotlight is shared by ACAHO members in a groundbreaking report by the National Task Force (NTF) on the Future of Canada's Academic Health Sciences Centres (AHSCs). The report's eight recommendations provide a blue print for better leveraging those Canadian organizations that combine high volume, complex, rare and specialized care patient care with life-saving research and innovations, and the provision of world-class training to future clinicians (see News Release, NTF Report, and Executive Summary).
"In consultation with over 100 clinical, academic, healthcare and policy leaders, the National Task Force's report, "Three Missions, One Future...Optimizing the Performance of Canada's Academic Health Sciences Centres" describes Canada's AHSCs as national resources that provide global leadership in the areas of patient care, research & innovation, and training and contains eight recommendations for the future of these organizations", said ACAHO's President and CEO, Mr. Glenn Brimacombe.
"ACAHO is pleased that Canada has a roadmap for the future of AHSCs", said Dr. Jack Kitts, President & CEO of the Ottawa Hospital, and Chair of the ACAHO Board. "The integration of exemplary patient care with world-class research and training, unlocks a potential for individual patients as well as for the future of health, the health system and the economy. Countries around the world have plans for leveraging their AHSCs, we're looking forward to seeing this resource grow for Canada as well".
The eight recommendations in the report include the evolution of Academic Health Sciences Centres into Academic Health Sciences Networks (AHSNs) - which reflects the emergence of new healthcare organizations with broad regional responsibilities for health and health care, combined with emerging trends in academic medicine such as distributed medical education, e-Learning, and collaborative inter-professional models of care across a broader range of organizations and institutions. The AHSN would be expected to lead in the development, coordination, integration and dissemination of new knowledge and innovative and cost-effective leading practices across a broader continuum of care.
"AHSNs are a novel proposition that have the potential to modernize the health system, attract world-class researchers; help solve the health and health system problems of the future, generate products, services and spin-off companies that benefit the economy and serve as a source of local regional, provincial/territorial and national pride", said Mr. Glenn Brimacombe, President & CEO of ACAHO. "They will require the collaboration of multiple partners, various levels of government, and strong leaders but there is consensus on the direction and we're looking forward to transformative impact this could have".
The recommendations also focus on the importance of establishing more effective governance mechanisms across universities and academic healthcare organizations (e.g., teaching & research hospitals, academic provincial and regional health authorities and others), in addition to building more consultative inter-ministerial mechanisms between academic health sciences networks and provincial and territorial governments, and the federal government.
In considering issues of funding; the National Task Force concluded that while AHSNs should be able to show the value they achieve with the funding they receive, funders must also recognize and begin to address the significant and legitimate resource problems facing AHSNs.
The National Task Force, comprised of 19 members, was Co-Chaired by Mr. Jeffrey Lozon (President & CEO of Revera Living, and Past-President of St. Michael's Hospital), and Dr. Jean Rouleau (Dean of Medicine, Université de Montréal).
The full report, in addition to background documents, can be found at the following web-site: www.ahsc-ntf.org. The National Task Force gratefully acknowledges Health Canada as the primary funding source for this project.
The establishment of a National Task Force has received support from over twenty national health organizations. To oversee the process, a Steering Committee has been created and is Co-Chaired by Mr. Glenn Brimacombe (President & CEO, Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations), and Dr. Nick Busing (President & CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada).
Additional information on the National Task Force is available at the following web-site www.ahsc-ntf.org
May 31, 2010