TORONTO – The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) has officially opened its door as an Innovation Broker for the Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist with the Province of Ontario. In this role, CAHO and its members are connecting innovators and removing barriers so that innovations are brought into our hospitals and the healthcare system faster, improving patient care and benefiting the Ontario economy.

CAHO represents Ontario’s 23 research hospitals, which are a significant entryway into the healthcare system, covering the full spectrum of health services.

“As an Innovation Broker, CAHO is building capacity for innovation adoption across our hospitals,” said Karen Michell (pictured), executive director of CAHO. “We are developing standard procedures for adoption that enable clarity, transparency and timeliness for innovators, while also encouraging investment in Ontario by helping to clear the path to market.”

Appointed as an Innovation Broker by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in April, 2017, CAHO is ready to broker connections between innovators and Ontario research hospitals to find real-life validation test sites. Later in 2017, CAHO will begin brokering connections with hospitals that are ready to adopt specific innovations, and work with those hospitals to develop implementation plans to enhance the efficient adoption of the innovation.

CAHO welcomes innovators to submit proposals that address current and future health system challenges and has developed a list of critical problems requiring innovative solutions. This list will provide market intelligence for innovators to better align proposed innovations with the needs of the health system, though innovations that fall outside of this list will still be considered.

Visit CAHO’s Innovation Broker webpage (http://caho-hospitals.com/partnerships/innovation-broker/) to learn more about CAHO’s role as an innovation broker and information about how to submit ideas and requests.

About CAHO
The Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO) represents Ontario’s 23 research hospitals that play a unique and vital role in the province’s healthcare system. Collectively, we provide advanced patient care services, train the next generation of healthcare professionals, and conduct leading-edge research to discover tomorrow’s care today. On the foundation of this work, we generate the expertise and evidence to drive change as system leaders, building a healthier, wealthier, smarter Ontario. For more information, visit www.caho-hospitals.com.