The Government of Ontario has launched a new, streamlined system for reviewing and adopting healthtech solutions.
It’s called the Health Innovation Pathway, and it allows vendors to submit proposals for tech that potentially improves patient outcomes and increases efficiency in Ontario’s health system.
The Ontario government claims the program, which is already accepting applications, will accelerate the adoption of new tech in the province and prioritize “made-in-Ontario” technologies.
“Ultimately, we will judge the success of this innovation pathway based on whether it lets Canadian companies get their foot in the door.”
“By providing a pathway for these Ontario-made solutions and innovations to be implemented in our medical system, this initiative will champion our researchers, unlock new opportunities for commercialization, and build on the ambitions set out in our government’s Life Sciences Strategy,” Ontario minister of economic development Vic Fedeli said in a statement.
The Health Innovation Pathway was developed by Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health as part of the provincial government’s broader Life Sciences Strategy. Through the strategy, they hope to establish Ontario as a global biomanufacturing and life sciences hub. Supply Ontario will support the review and procurement of healthtech solutions through the program.
Canadian tech entrepreneurs and other leaders have argued that Canada’s existing approach to public procurement is a problem, including in the healthcare space.
Industry advocates expressed excitement about the potential of this initiative to address some of those barriers for healthtech in Ontario, and argued that its success will depend upon how well it prioritizes engaging local entrepreneurs.
In a LinkedIn post, Medical Innovation Xchange (MIX) executive director Elliot Fung called the Health Innovation Pathway “a game-changer.” Fung argued that Ontario’s healthtech entrepreneurs have developed “world-class solutions” for many years. However, he said few of these technologies have been used to benefit Ontarians, thanks to the absence of a clear reimbursement process and validated pathways.
“The Innovation Pathway addresses this barrier by providing a single, end-to-end process to test, validate, and scale the adoption of new technologies through public reimbursement,” Fung said. He added that the initiative could be a “turning point” for the adoption of locally made healthtech solutions in Ontario of the sort developed by MIX members.