Advancing the Science of Transformation in Integrated Primary Care:
Informing Options for Scaling-up Innovation.

Despite differences in systems of health care delivery between the United States and Canada, the two countries face common challenges to the transformation of primary care, including costs, health equity, multi-morbidity and patient engagement. Inherent in each of these challenges are issues related to measuring impacts and outcomes, building on advancements in Health Information Technology (HIT), and scaling-up success. Emerging evidence from both sides of the border can inform direction and options for moving forward.

The day and a half invitational event will bring together senior level policy makers and clinical decision makers, as well as experts in primary care research from both the United States and Canada symposium. It was organized to create a forum for sharing and dialogue on the common challenges we face in the transformation of primary care.

Symposium Objectives:

1. Share cross-border, evidence-based success stories addressing key challenges in integrated primary care transformation
2. Identify and examine opportunities to advance broader system-wide primary care innovation
3. Develop a bi-national research agenda to support primary healthcare transformation
4. Support opportunities for cross-border learning and collaboration

The organizers have been granted an amazing opportunity to partner with the Journal of American Board of Family Medicine on a special themed issue focused on primary care implementation science.  It will highlight not only themes emerging from this symposium, including one on each of the 3 thematic areas and one presenting the emergent binational research agenda, but also original research and commentaries from the field. 

Read more about the symposium in our organizer blogs at CMAJ Blogs.