This conference is the largest national gathering of health system leaders in Canada and provides a forum for questions, debate and sharing strategies and solutions to the most pressing health system challenges. This year’s theme is Value-based healthcare: Embracing a patient and family-centered approach.

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Canada, like health systems around the world, is struggling with rising healthcare costs, uneven quality, and how to ensure that patients and families are at the centre of a sustainable healthcare system. Canada spends more on healthcare, compared to most of its peers, and generally achieves less. Governments, health leaders – and those we serve – are looking for better value, improved quality, better outcomes, and enhancing the “value” proposition through the lens of the patient and family. In an era of increased complexity, with an aging population, a rising prevalence of chronic conditions, and the acceleration of medical innovations – and at a time when health spending is outpacing economic growth – achieving greater value from how health services are delivered. There is a growing understanding that the status quo is no longer acceptable – we can and must do better. How do we gain greater value from healthcare investments, achieve better health outcomes, and improve health system performance? How do we ensure that patient and family experience is central to how we define value, and that the patient is a co-creator in the process of creating and sharing value?

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A patient and family-centered approach is at the heart of value-based care. Patient and family-centered care and engagement have been shown to improve quality and safety, clinical outcomes, organizational efficiencies, organizational culture and patient satisfaction and experience. How do we achieve better outcomes more efficiently? How do we ensure that patients and families are at the centre of decision-making at all levels? Health leaders at NHLC will explore what needs to be done to create a patient and family-centered healthcare system that reflects what patients need.

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NHLC 2017 will showcase leadership and success stories in achieving a patient-centered approach to value-based healthcare from both Canada and internationally. It will examine many essential dimensions of value-based healthcare, including:

• the role of leadership – at all levels – as a critical enabler of patient and family-centered value-based care;
• the importance of research as a key driver of a patient and family approach to value-based care;
• the essential role of technology, including information technology, electronic health records, and new methods of delivery, including virtual healthcare and mobile health;
• the strategic role of industry;
• the organization of new payment and compensation models and accountability around patients’ needs;
• the use of value-based healthcare models that focus on accountability for patient outcomes;
• the use of value-based procurement to boost innovation and improve system performance;
• improved integration of healthcare services across the continuum of care as patients transition through the system;  and
• the central role of information systems and measuring outcomes to better understand how effectively the health system is achieving its goals, and support better decision-making.

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We are pleased to offer the Great Canadian Healthcare Debate for the third year. This Debate will offer health leaders and trustees attending NHLC a unique opportunity to debate and pass policy resolutions aimed at assisting policy-makers at all levels to raise the bar in designing solutions to the key healthcare policy challenges facing Canada. The conference will build on the 2016 theme Pathways to innovation and change, and will address the extent to which a patient and family-centered approach to value-based healthcare can drive improvement and innovation. We encourage you to foster new ideas and partnerships by sharing experiences, guiding new initiatives and discovering creative solutions to ensure a healthy future for Canada.

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Enjoy the conference!

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Ray J. Racette, MHA, CHE President and CEO, Canadian College of Health Leaders Bill Tholl, M.A., ICD.D President and CEO, HealthCareCAN