Back October 18, 2018 Trillium Health Partners (THP) and SE Health (SE) have been awarded the prestigious 2018 Minister's Medal Honouring Excellence in Health Quality and Safety. Presented by Robin Martin, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care on October 17, THP and SE were awarded this distinct honour for their innovative cardiac program known as Putting Patients at the Heart (PPATH).

The Minister's Medal is Ontario's most prestigious quality award, recognizing only three initiatives annually across the province. These award recipients are health care providers who have gone above and beyond to improve care for patients and families. This year's theme, Innovating Integration, honours innovative initiatives undertaken across Ontario that look to achieve better experiences for patients and providers, as well as better health outcomes with better value in health care delivery. 

PPATH redesigned the care journey for cardiac surgery patients by streamlining and simplifying access to follow-up care for patients. It allows cardiac patients to return home sooner and with better supports. 
PPATH brings together the hospital and home care, who act as one team providing seamless service to the patient and have the ability to share health information through a shared electronic health record. The innovative program has a dedicated 24 hour, seven day a week support line for patients to help them get timely answers to their questions after surgery without needing to visit their doctor or the emergency department. Patients are also supported by a community nurse, who can visit them at home to assess any symptoms or concerns and recommend next steps.
The innovative partnership program has provided patients with high quality care and an improved experience, while increasing hospital capacity and lowering heath system costs by reducing the length of stay. 

QUICK FACTS:

• Patients in the PPATH program are able to return home, on average, one day sooner following heart surgery. In addition to supporting patients' choice to recover at home, this frees up three hospital beds annually and thus creates better access to inpatient hospital care for patients who need it.

• Patients report 96% satisfaction with the program and 98% would recommend the program to family and friends. This reflects the active involvement of patients in co-designing the service alongside THP and SE Health, ensuring it incorporates what matters most to them.

• PPATH has resulted in a reduction in post-surgery emergency department visits by 33%, and hospital re-admission rates by 25%. Health system savings of $1.7 million were achieved over 2 years. 3.5 times more patients received community care.

• In addition to receiving this year's Minister's Medal, the program has been recognized across Canada receiving the recent Canadian College of Health Care Leaders, 3M Health Care Quality Team Award – Improvement Across a Health System.

QUOTES:

"Trillium Health Partners is honoured to be awarded the 2018 Minister's Medal with our partner SE Health. We believe in the power of teamwork and that partnerships create better health outcomes and experiences by bridging gaps inside and outside of the hospital, while increasing capacity to meet the growing demands of our community."
Michelle DiEmanuele, President and CEO, Trillium Health Partners

"We often talk about how hard it is to change the health care system, yet the collaborative, agile approach behind this bundled care program provides us with a roadmap for success. By engaging patients and caregivers and leveraging the core expertise of both community and hospital nurses, physicians, health leaders and professionals, we have achieved meaningful change in a simple, efficient and scalable way. The results of PPATH speak for themselves. A big shout-out to the bright minds at Trillium Health Partners and SE Health for showing us the way."
Shirlee Sharkey, President and CEO, SE Health

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