Our Programs and Initiatives
AFHTO’s vision is that all Ontarians will have access to high quality, comprehensive team-based care. Together, AFHTO members are showing the way. We focus on what research evidence tells us about the value of team-based comprehensive care and focus on areas of improvement to deliver the best value to patients. With our members, AFHTO runs programs focused on:
- Measuring and improving the quality of care delivered
- Governing and leading interprofessional primary care organizations
- Achieving more seamless integration of care
- Networking and sharing innovations in team-based care at the AFHTO Annual Conference
Measuring and Improving the Quality of Care Delivered
Pursuing the Starfield Principles: optimizing quality, HR capacity and total cost of care
AFHTO is aligning measurement of primary care with evidence from work of Barbara Starfield, that an investment in primary care is associated with improved system quality, equity and reduced cost.
Quality Improvement Decision Support (QIDS) Program
The program supports cross-provincial coordination and knowledge exchange among QIDS Specialists and those working in similar capacities with teams across the province. The program also provides AFHTO members with advocacy, leadership and collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Ministry, provincial agencies, EMR vendors, the research community and others to advance manageable and meaningful measurement.
Measuring primary care for more than 1.7 million Ontarians – through Data to Decisions (D2D)
D2D is a summary report of team performance on a small number of measures that AFHTO members identified as being meaningful and possible to measure. The indicators are drawn from HQO’s Primary Care Performance Measurement Framework. In turn, D2D indicators have informed and refined broader implementation of this framework.
Governing and Leading Interprofessional Primary Care Organizations
Principles for Governance of Primary Care Organizations
FHT and NPLC leaders are focusing on building a system that best meets the needs of patients in an equitable way, one that is truly population-focused, and that is deeply integrated at the local level requires strong governance at the local level.
Governance and Leadership Program
Strengthening primary care leaders’ capacity to guide their organizations and impact the direction of our health system’s transformation, this program offers members popular free workshops, webinars, toolkits and ongoing support for team development.
Achieving More Seamless Integration of Health Care
Primary care leadership for care coordination
Effective care coordination is best led by a person’s primary care team throughout his or her lifetime. It reduces duplication, facilitates access and ensures continuity of care regardless of setting.
Optimizing capacity and spreading access to teams
Patients in primary care teams report higher levels of access to care, compared to Ontario residents in general. However, only 25% of Ontarians have access to team-based care. AFHTO has developed a set of principles for optimizing the value of teams and offered an initial set of recommendations to spread access.
Policy Positions and Submissions
Networking and Sharing Innovations in Team-Based Care
AFHTO’s annual conference is our premier event. Incorporating elements from our other programs, conference attendees share ideas, network, and promote excellence in team-based care for all primary care. Upcoming conferences:
*October 23-24, 2025