Date/Time: Friday June 19, 2026 8am – 11am

Abstract:

The pipeline of innovative cancer therapies is increasingly comprised of highly complex products in terms of the support systems required to enable their use in patients.  As a result, ensuring health system implementation readiness has emerged as an additional factor impacting timely and equitable patient access.  Implementation readiness encompasses activities related to planning, funding, and preparing teams, institutions and patients to enable the actual use of a product in a patient in a healthcare facility (e.g., hospital, clinic, etc.).

To support health system leaders in their efforts to undertake proactive implementation planning for complex therapies, an Implementation Readiness Playbook has been developed.

Purpose:

To hold a briefing session for Ontario cancer system leaders to share learnings and develop concrete actions for improving health system readiness for new cancer therapies.

Objectives:

The objectives for this session are:

1. To provide a briefing on the Implementation Readiness Playbook and its role in supporting Ontario’s front-line cancer system leaders in their efforts to implement provincial and regional Cancer Plans and ensure timely patient access to new therapies.
2. To provide a forum for sharing information on and promoting knowledge translation of existing implementation readiness activities in Ontario cancer centres.
3. To collaboratively develop ideas and/or actions for promoting implementation readiness within Ontario cancer centres as well as other parts of the cancer system.

A shift to more proactive planning will serve as a catalyst for quality improvement in the cancer system, with a focus on methods to improve the effectiveness of new oncology product adoption at the organizational and regional level.

Speaker Information

Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Matthew Hart
• Neil Johnson

Overview of Implementation Readiness Playbook

• Neil Johnson

Panel: Examples of Implementation Readiness

• Dr. Scott Berry, MHCW Regional Cancer Program
• Dr. Sebastien Hotte, Juravinski Cancer Centre
• Moderator: Judy Glennie

Panel: Respondents - Stakeholder Perspectives on the Implementation

• Bob Bick, CanCertainty
• Dr. Leta Forbes, Ontario Health
• Tracey Taylor, J&J Innovative Medicine
• Moderator: Judy Glennie

Agenda

8:00-8:10am:     Welcome and opening remarks 

8:10-8:50am:     Overview of Implementation Readiness Playbook

8:50-9:20am:    Panel Session:  Examples of implementation readiness activities in Ontario Cancer Centres

9:20-9:40am:    Panel Session:  Respondents - Stakeholder perspectives on the Implementation Readiness Playbook

9:40-9:50am:    BREAK

9:50-10:50am:   How do we continue to improve the timeliness of patient access to new medications?

10:50-11:00am:  Closing Remarks