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2013 Quality and Innovation Award Winners and Honourable Mentions
About the Awards
The annual Quality and Innovation Awards – now in its eighth year – encourage and recognize the
development of quality and innovative initiatives that have made significant contributions to the delivery
of cancer care for patients across Ontario. The awards are sponsored by the Cancer Quality Council of
Ontario (CQCO), Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) and the Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division. The
awards honour the development of new approaches, processes, products, or programs that enhance and
improve cancer care delivery in Ontario. Programs or organizations awarded for quality and innovation
have demonstrated a significant impact on stakeholders, the patient experience, cost effectiveness and
sustainability for the cancer system.
Winners
Quality
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre won the Quality Award for Implementation of a Medication
Reimbursement Specialist (MRS)
Difficulties in getting drug coverage for costly outpatient cancer medications can lead to significant
financial burden for patients and, in some cases, delay the start of treatment. Navigating through public
and private drug insurance procedures for enrolment, eligibility and drug reimbursement can be
complex, time-consuming and frustrating for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers. Princess
Margaret Cancer Centre piloted a three-year oncology-focused MRS position to support and guide
clinicians and patients through drug coverage processes. From June 2010 to July 2012, the MRS
conducted 538 patient consultations across 14 clinical oncology specialties. Coverage for the drug of
choice was successfully obtained for 98 per cent of all patients. The average turnaround time for drug
access was 10 days versus the previous three-week to three-month turnaround time pre-MRS role. Total
drug costs avoided for patients was $2,012,738.80, averaging $3,741.15 per patient. Due to the pilot’s
success, the MRS position is now a permanent role; a second MRS position was added to support and
sustain this new standard of patient care.
Innovation
The Ottawa Hospital won the Innovation Award for the Ottawa Cardiac Oncology Program (OCOP)
Chemotherapy in cancer treatment can be life-saving. However, growing evidence is also showing that
chemotherapy can have the unintended consequence of damaging the heart. The OCOP was established
at The Ottawa Hospital in 2008 by a multidisciplinary team consisting of medical oncology, cardiology
and pharmacy, and was the first program of its kind in Canada. For patients and their families,
navigating and understanding the complexities of the cancer care system and the impact of care post-
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treatment can be overwhelming. This difficulty is compounded if complications from cancer treatment
occur, requiring a multidisciplinary approach involving several medical specialties. OCOP provides
patients with an integrated approach to cancer therapy, with seamless communication between
healthcare providers, as well as timely access to medical assessment and treatment services, having an
impact on quality of life post treatment. The OCOP enables this type of collaboration, resulting in
improved patient satisfaction, compliance with therapy and better overall treatment outcomes.
Honourable Mentions
Quality
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant LHIN for Quality
Award Honourable Mention for development of a patient-centred esophageal program
Most cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed when the cancer is advanced, resulting in a 13 per cent
five-year survival rate, one of the lowest of all cancers. There was no care path or system in place to
ensure equitable access to timely diagnosis and treatment, which can improve survival rates. Even for
those diagnosed with advanced cancer, treatment can slow the progress and relieve symptoms. St.
Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton developed a care path and Esophageal Diagnostic Assessment Program
(EDAP) to identify patients needing immediate referral for suspected esophageal cancer. EDAP has a
single access point for referrals to reduce wait times for diagnosis, minimize repeated tests, and improve
patient experience and treatment outcomes. For patients with suspected esophageal cancer, EDAP and
the standardized care path reduce workload on family physicians by getting their patients the right care
at the right time. The program also reduces the time family physicians spend on navigating the
healthcare system to access diagnostic testing and referrals to specialists. EDAP has reduced the wait
time for diagnostic testing from an average of 4-6 months to 15 days (from referral to EDAP to
completion of testing); average time from referral to EDAP to decision to treatment is 30 days.
Innovation
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre for Innovation Award Honourable Mention for QuickStart
Program: Same-day radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer
Whole breast radiation therapy (RT) is a standard treatment option for women with breast cancer
following breast conserving surgery. On an annual basis, this treatment accounts for more than 60 per
cent of all breast cancer patients treated at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. With increasing rates of
breast cancer and greater use of advanced, yet time-consuming planning methods, the hospital needed an
innovative, efficient approach to treat patients and prevent delays. Implemented in January 2010, the
QuickStart program at the Princess Margaret Radiation Medicine Program is a unique program that
provides a safe and efficient means of radiation treatment for early-stage breast cancer patients. The
QuickStart program brings together technological advances in software with clinical expertise to
expedite scans, treatment planning and delivery of the first treatment, all within one day. It is now a
standard treatment option offered to women with early-stage breast cancer.
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