Virtual Primary Care
Description: On behalf of the East Toronto Health Partners, The EasT-FPN is leading the invitation to Primary Care providers to submit proposals for funding for Virtual Primary Care clinics as outlined below by Ontario Health.
Completion Instructions:
Download and review the proposal template in its entirety.
Send the completed proposal to contacts@eastfpn.org by 7:00pm on October 22, 2021
Subject line of your submitting email should indicate “VPC submission + [name of your proposal]”
For assistance contact Gregory.Stevens@tehn.ca or Farzin.Bahadori@tehn.ca.
Note the submission form and instructions are derived from the official Ontario Health application for Virtual Primary Care.
Information from Ontario Health
Ontario Health (OH) is inviting Virtual Primary Care proposals that align with the following priorities:
Improve the patient experience by optimizing primary care workflow and integration with OHT partners to support access to in-person and virtual care services (when appropriate).
Virtual care models for target populations, including but not limited to frail seniors, patients with mental health and substance use disorders, palliative care and chronic diseases.
Outreach services for unattached, underserved, or marginalized communities.
The objectives of this funding include:
Enabling patients to access appropriate virtual primary care services that improve their experience and timely access to primary care through optimizing the use of virtual care into the in-person practice workflow.
Primary care workflow redesign and integration with OHT partners to support optimal access to in-person and virtual care services.
Enhancing access to primary care for target populations, including but not limited to frail seniors, patients with mental health and substance use disorders, palliative care and chronic diseases through using virtual care tools to support interprofessional collaboration and delivery of care by various OHT partners to the target population(s).
Implementing or enhancing outreach services through using virtual care tools that would increase access for unattached, underserved or marginalized patient populations.
Strengthening primary care collaboration with other OHT partners and In Development Teams that support integrated care delivery for target populations.
Ontario Health Program Requirements
To be considered, all successful proposals must:
Be led by an OHT or In Development Teams or primary care network who would agree to signing a funding agreement with Ontario Health that includes performance targets and reporting requirements.
Demonstrate alignment with one or more of the following priorities:
Primary care practice redesign to support hybrid models of in-person and virtual care
Virtual care models for target populations, including frail seniors, patients with mental health and substance use disorders, palliative care and chronic diseases.
Outreach services for unattached, underserved, or marginalized communities
Propose an expansion to an existing virtual care program or a net-new virtual care program that improves the patient experience and timely access to care. Note: please review Section 5 to ensure any technology costs included in your proposal are eligible;
Provide an estimate of the number of patients and caregivers that can be supported up to March 31, 2022;
Provide an implementation plan with proposed milestones;
Propose a sustainable operating model that demonstrates how virtual care investments will enhance health human resource capacity. Proposals that include clinical staffing funding requests must propose matching in-kind contributions;
Be designed with input from patients with mechanisms to measure and improve the patient experience;
Demonstrate how services will be provided equitably for patients who face barriers to accessing virtual services because of a lack of devices, internet connectivity or digital literacy;
Describe how the program will meet the language needs of the communities it serves. Organizations within areas that are designated or partially designated under the French Language Services Act (FLSA) should describe how services will be provided in French to the Francophone community;
Be willing to participate in an evaluation;
Be reviewed, submitted, and endorsed by the OH region (EasT-FPN will coordinate within ETHP); and
Acknowledge that funding is only available for FY 2021/22.
Ontario Health Additional Criteria
To be considered, all success proposals should align with the criteria of one or more of the following priorities:
Primary Care Practice Redesign
Primary care providers have indicated the need for practice and workflow redesign as part of COVID-19 recovery planning to enable a hybrid model of in-person and virtual care delivery with the goals of improving the patient experience, timely access to primary care and interprofessional collaboration. Proposals focusing on practice redesign and channel management should:
Demonstrate how the plan will improve timely access to the appropriate level of in-person or virtual care.
Describe how different virtual care options (video, audio, secure messaging) will be used to complement and enhance in-person services.
Describe how the proposal enables access to same day or next day care, including supports for patients who require after-hours care.
Describe how the proposal supports collaboration within an OHT primary care network or with specialists or home and community care providers.
Describe how patients will be engaged in the practice redesign process.
Propose a communications plan that will be used to support patient awareness of care options.
Enhance Care for Target Populations
This funding can be used to support primary care-led interventions that are intended to enhance care for an OHT’s target patient population, including mental health and addictions, frail seniors, palliative and chronic disease patients. Proposals focusing on target populations should:
Demonstrate how programs and services have been designed to improve the health of a target patient population. Applicants are encouraged to use a population health management approach.
Propose how different virtual care options (video, audio, secure messaging) can be used to complement and enhance in-person services.
Describe the virtual care program model (referral process, patient onboarding, clinical model and staffing, communication with patient etc.) and how it will address the defined problem and enhance care for their prioritized patient population.
Implement Outreach Services
Virtual care programs can be designed to deliver outreach services to unattached, underserved, and marginalized patients who are looking for a primary care provider or experience barriers to care. Proposals focusing on outreach services should:
Describe the population that will be proactively targeted through the intervention. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate a population health management approach.
Describe the virtual care program model (referral process, patient onboarding, clinical model and staffing, communication with patient and/or circle of care, etc.) and how it will address the defined problem and enhance care for their patient population.
Describe whether the program will support the referral of unattached patients to a primary care provider to support continuity of care.
Propose how the program could align with the Provincial Health Care Connects (HCC) Program to improve attachment success (if applicable).
Propose how different virtual care options (video, audio, secure messaging) can be used to complement and enhance in-person services.
Provide a communication plan for patients and providers to support awareness of the program.
Technology Criteria:
Any funding requested for technology, including infrastructure, solution licenses, set-up or configuration costs, devices, voice or data plans, must support the delivery of health care resources and services to patients.
Eligible virtual care tools include patient navigation and screening, online appointment booking, videoconferencing, audio, asynchronous messaging and remote care solutions that support care pathways and the collection and exchange of patient biometric or self-reported data.
Digital self-care tools that support health promotion, disease prevention and chronic disease management and provider-to-provider messaging tools may also be eligible if they are part of a broader program that supports the delivery of virtual care services to patients.
Proposals for device lending programs, with or without data plans, must be cost-effective, targeted at individuals who face barriers to accessing care, and include a sustainability plan.
Proposals that include requests for technology licenses or services for virtual care solutions using video or secure messaging, successful proposals will be required to use a verified solution (https://otn.ca/providers/verified-solutions/) or use a solution provider that is actively participating in the verification process by December 31st, 2021.