Ontario backs health technologies with CAD $12M fund boost

The Ontario government has introduced the Health Innovation Pathway to streamline the review and adoption of health technologies across the province.

The new system aims to establish a consistent process for evaluating technologies, including medical devices, digital tools, medical imaging, laboratory and genetic testing. According to government, by prioritising Ontario-developed solutions, the pathway intends to provide more patients with advanced care options within their communities.

Ontario Health will act as the primary intake point for proposals to the pathway, stated Matthew Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Health.

"Working in close partnership with the provincial government, we will evaluate eligible proposals and support implementation planning and adoption of new and innovative technologies in Ontario, giving clinicians and health service providers the tools they need to improve care."

The Ontario government has announced funding for four initial projects through the Accelerator Fund. These include a CAD $5 million investment in wound care management, which will bring digital wound management solutions and advanced dressings to providers; a CAD $1.5 million allocation for AI-powered screening to support early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy; a CAD $5 million investment in computer-assisted navigation systems for hip and knee replacement surgeries; and a CAD $500,000 allocation for development of non-invasive abdominal wall surgical supports.

The wound care project is intended to improve outcomes for patients at risk of lower limb amputations by using data-driven tools and advanced dressings. The AI-powered screening will focus on preventing blindness in adults caused by diabetic retinopathy. The navigation systems for orthopaedic procedures are expected to increase surgical precision and reduce the frequency of revision surgeries, while the abdominal wall support project will provide clinicians with new options for managing open abdomens after surgery.

The Health Innovation Pathway builds on the foundation of Ontario's Life Sciences Strategy, which recently received a CAD $201 million investment from the provincial government. It is an innitative to accelerate the province as an international biomanufacturing and life sciences hub. The government also highlighted previous initiatives, including the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative designed to support local business innovation and strengthen supply chains, and ongoing investments in digital and virtual care projects benefitting over 6.1 million people in Ontario.

"The launch of the Health Innovation Pathway marks an important step forward in accelerating the adoption of medical technologies that will not only deliver better outcomes for patients and their families, but further position our province as a global leader in biomanufacturing and life sciences. 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," said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Central to the implementation of the Health Innovation Pathway is the Health Technology Accelerator Fund, which was announced in the 2024 Ontario Budget. The fund is designed to assist health service providers in purchasing and integrating new technologies that demonstrate promise of improving patient care and supporting Ontario's life sciences sector.

The Health Innovation Pathway will continue to support made-in-Ontario solutions, with ongoing collaboration between government ministries and agencies to further enhance patient care and health system performance.