In the modern landscape of healthcare, innovative approaches are reshaping the delivery of services and the patient experience. Leaders in the field are leveraging their expertise to navigate the complex intersection of clinical practice, policy, and technology, driving advancements that enhance healthcare outcomes.

One such visionary is Nizar Mahomed, whose journey from orthopedic surgeon to healthcare innovator underscores the transformative potential within the industry. With a commitment to advancing value-based care and fostering connectivity, Nizar, as a CEO, has played a pivotal role in revolutionizing healthcare delivery in Ontario.

At the forefront of this transformation stands ArthurHealth Corporation, a pioneering healthcare solutions company committed to democratizing healthcare knowledge and optimizing delivery systems. Established in 2017, Arthur Health Corporation serves as a beacon of innovation, driving initiatives that prioritize precision in care provision and seamless integration across the healthcare continuum.

Let’s delve in to learn more:

Orthopedic Surgeon Turned Healthcare Innovator

After completing his training as an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Toronto, Nizar pursued further education, obtaining an MPH and PhD in health policy from Harvard School of Public Health. Commencing his clinical career at the Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Nizar initially focused on academic endeavors, developing models of care for health services delivery. Subsequently, he transitioned into administrative roles and spearheaded the creation of the Altum Health program for the University Health Network. Concurrently, he co-founded a biotech company, Arthritis Innovation Corporation, dedicated to advancing pain management post-total knee replacement surgery.

In 2017, Nizar, alongside Dr. Christian Veillette and Dr. Raj Rampersaud, established Arthur Health Corporation. This health solutions company is committed to delivering value-based care, prioritizing a patient-centered journey that ensures the provision of appropriate care by the right provider at the right time.

Arthur Health Corporation collaborated with The Ottawa Hospital to develop a clinically integrated network known as the Ontario Workers Network (OWN), offering healthcare services tailored to injured workers in Ontario. This network encompasses 20 hospitals and several large independent rehab provider partners. Through the provision of clinical guidance, management expertise, and a technology platform facilitating the integration of healthcare services, Arthur Health Corporation optimizes healthcare delivery across its clinical partners.

Navigating Governance and Strategy in Healthcare

Throughout his career, Nizar has served on various advisory boards, including positions on the boards of Arthritis Innovation Corporation and Arthur Health Corporation. His tenure on the Kensington Health Board has afforded him valuable insights into the governance responsibilities inherent in leading a large healthcare provider entity in Ontario. Understanding the intricate intersection of government mandates, citizen needs, and organizational dynamics has underscored the importance of vision and strategy in achieving organizational success. Nizar emphasizes that aligning vision and strategy is crucial, but execution is paramount. He believes that successful execution requires engagement and commitment from every member of the organization.

Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery

Arthur Health Corporation (AHC) is a pioneering healthcare solutions company committed to advancing value-based care for consumers, providers, and payers by democratizing healthcare knowledge and fostering connectivity within the healthcare system. The cornerstone of the approach lies in delivering precise care, precisely when needed, by the appropriate provider to all patients consistently. Established in 2017, AHC stands as a premier Canadian provider of health services and claims management. It serves as the principal integrating entity for the Ontario Workers Network (OWN), tasked with providing Ontario Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) and Motor Vehicle assessment, along with specialty services across Ontario. The offerings encompass integrated, transparent, secure, and accountable platforms designed to spur health system innovation and transformation.

At AHC, we adopt a value-based perspective toward healthcare delivery, establishing frameworks that foster accountability and offer solutions such as risk stratification, transparent information exchange, and evidence-informed care management. Working directly with an array of providers, administrators, decision-makers, and patients, we specialize in delivering seamless, shared-care, patient-centric models aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery efficiency.

The Ontario-developed, rigorously tested approach to clinically oriented hub services facilitates real-time integration and enhancement of patient flow/navigation (RMS), clinical decision-making by clinicians (case management system – CMS), and timely quality enhancements. This is coupled with the network-wide implementation of evolving care models alongside purpose-built, transparent workflows and dashboards catering to providers, administrators, organizations, and payers (Business Management Solutions – BMS), all aimed at optimizing healthcare outcomes, quality, and value.

By prioritizing clinically driven end-to-end digital health solutions, we boast extensive experience in delivering a harmonized clinically integrated network platform (CINP) referred to as Arthur Care. This platform encompasses the aforementioned sub-solutions (RMS+CMS+BNS) and has facilitated the swift provincial expansion of innovative clinical care models. These models have ensured timely, high-quality, and high-value care for the general public (https://www.lowbackrac.ca/) and Ontarians injured at work (https://www.ontarioworkersnetwork.com/about-own/).

Advancing Value-Based Healthcare

Arthur Health Corporation (AHC) spearheads advancements in value-based care, striving to democratize healthcare knowledge and foster connectivity within the healthcare system. Founded in 2017, AHC is a leading Canadian provider of health services and claims management. Serving as the primary integrating entity for the Ontario Workers Network (OWN), it delivers Ontario Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) and Motor Vehicle assessments, along with specialty services across Ontario. AHC’s integrated, transparent, secure, and accountable platforms drive innovation and transformation within the healthcare sector.

AHC’s approach prioritizes value-based healthcare delivery, emphasizing precision in care provision. Through collaboration with providers, administrators, decision-makers, and patients, AHC designs seamless, patient-centric models to enhance healthcare delivery efficiency.

Utilizing Ontario-developed hub services, AHC enables real-time integration and enhancement of patient flow/navigation (RMS) and clinical decision-making (CMS). These initiatives, coupled with network-wide implementation of evolving care models and purpose-built workflows, optimize healthcare outcomes and value.

With a focus on clinically driven digital health solutions, AHC has developed the Arthur Care platform, facilitating the provincial expansion of innovative clinical care models. These models ensure timely, high-quality care for the general public and Ontarians injured at work.

Embracing Emerging Technologies

Arthur Health Corporation has maintained a steadfast focus on innovation to enhance value delivery within the healthcare industry. Through collaborative efforts with numerous customers and delivery partner organizations, the company continuously explores emerging technologies and industry requirements. A notable example of this pursuit is the evolution of generative AI and large language models. While these technologies have been in development for over a decade, their momentum has surged notably since the introduction of Chat GPT to the market.

The recent launch of Arthur Care Nexus represents a significant stride for the company, positioning it to fully leverage these innovations. Built on the comprehensive Microsoft stack, the platform seamlessly integrates Copilot and Fabric for Healthcare, empowering Arthur Health Corporation to harness the potential of generative AI and large language models to their fullest extent.

Elevating Healthcare Connectivity

Highlighting recent developments, Arthur Health Corporation has unveiled Arthur Care Nexus, its latest Clinical Integrated Network Platform (CINP), leveraging Microsoft technologies. This innovative platform serves as a unified space for healthcare providers, patients, and stakeholders to collaborate seamlessly and communicate effectively in delivering comprehensive and well-coordinated care.

The embedded Learning Healthcare System approach embedded within Arthur Care Nexus facilitates real-time enhancements in clinical decision-making by clinicians. It also drives timely quality improvements, iterative and efficient network-wide implementation of evolving care models, and integrates purpose-built, transparent workflows and dashboards. This integration enables optimized healthcare outcomes, quality, and value across the spectrum.

Arthur Care Nexus has played a pivotal role in the swift provincial scaling of innovative care models. These models have facilitated the delivery of timely, high-quality, and high-value care to both the general public and injured Ontarians, marking a significant advancement in healthcare accessibility and quality.

Fostering Healthcare Collaboration

In healthcare, successful collaboration among team members hinges on a clear organizational vision. Once the north star for the organization is identified, engagement and input from all stakeholders on the journey forward are necessitated. At Arthur Health Corporation, the true north star is enhancing outcomes and experiences for the patients served. Furthermore, the organization is committed to advancing the quadruple aim, which entails improving patient outcomes while reducing costs and enhancing patient and provider satisfaction. By prioritizing the quadruple aim, Arthur Health ensures that all stakeholders in the healthcare system are invested and collaborate effectively towards achieving the ultimate goal.

Fostering Collaborative Culture

At Arthur Health, every team member’s input and contribution are highly valued within the organization. The company maintains a relatively flat organizational structure, fostering an environment where team members are encouraged to actively participate and share their ideas and perspectives across all operational aspects. Recognizing the complexity of delivering successful healthcare solutions, Arthur Health actively solicits input from its team members, acknowledging that no single individual possesses full awareness of all necessary components. The company is fortunate to benefit from expertise spanning various sectors, including information technology, medical proficiency, system leadership, healthcare integration, and operational proficiency. Each team member’s contribution is esteemed, fostering an environment where there are no wrong questions or answers.

Measuring Success

At Arthur Health Corporation, success is gauged not only by financial metrics but also by customer satisfaction, impact on value-based healthcare delivery, and staff engagement. Over the past seven years, Arthur Health has demonstrated considerable success in these metrics by evolving substantial clinically integrated networks across the province of Ontario. These networks span both the public and private sectors, as well as the insurance sector.

Embracing Lifelong Learning in Healthcare

From Nizar’s perspective, learning is an ongoing journey essential for achieving greater impact and success. Particularly in the current healthcare landscape characterized by strained resources, limited funding, a shortage of health human resources, and an aging population with increasing healthcare needs, continuous learning is imperative. As a learning organization, Arthur Health Corporation embraces this philosophy as a fundamental principle guiding its daily operations. It underscores the critical importance of collective efforts in reshaping healthcare delivery methods for the 21st century to address the challenges confronting us today and in the future.

Forging Collaborative Solutions

Arthur Health Corporation’s key strength lies in its extensive networks cultivated over the past three decades within both the healthcare provider and payer spheres in Ontario. These networks facilitate collaborative efforts to advance healthcare delivery systems. Arthur Health adopts a collaborative and inclusive approach to innovation, enabling engagement with the healthcare community to evolve care models.

A notable example is Dr. Raj Rampersaud, Chief Medical Officer at Arthur Health. Dr. Rampersaud, a world-renowned orthopedic spine surgeon, dedicated over a decade to developing the Rapid Access Spine Model of Care, aimed at enhancing care for patients with low back issues. This model has achieved remarkable success, becoming the provincial standard of care for spine disorders in Ontario. Arthur Health serves as the technology provider for this model and continues to collaborate with the province to further enhance and improve healthcare delivery value.

Navigating Healthcare Challenges

The healthcare sector faces three significant challenges: limited funding, a shortage of health human resources, and an aging population with escalating healthcare needs. Addressing these challenges demands a collective effort from private, public, and governmental entities to develop innovative solutions. Arthur Health Corporation advocates for the adoption of clinically integrated networks, augmented by emerging technologies, that foster greater integration among patients, providers, and payers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds immense potential to enhance service delivery efficiency, alleviate administrative burdens, and reduce costs. By leveraging AI, healthcare providers can increase their capacity to care for more patients and reinvest savings to expand service delivery. Despite the formidable challenges, the opportunities for improvement are equally substantial. Arthur Health Corporation is enthusiastic about the future and is committed to playing a pivotal role in the evolution of healthcare in Canada.