Provincial Clinical Lead, Standardized eReferral Forms

Role title: Provincial Clinical Lead, Standardized eReferral Forms

Reports to: Vice President, Patients Access and Clinical Transformation

Location: Toronto/ Virtual

Anticipated time commitment: 2 days per week

Term: 2 years + 1 year optional extension

Number of opportunities: 1

Posting date: August 11, 2025

Closing date: September 10, 2025

Position Summary

Ontario Health is seeking expressions of interest from practicing Specialist Physician leaders in Ontario with extensive experience in the digital health and health system change management for the position of Provincial Clinical Lead, Standardized eReferral Forms, Patients before Paperwork.

In this role, the Provincial Clinical Lead, standardized eReferral forms will provide strategic direction and oversee the development and implementation of standardized eReferral forms across Ontario, as a critical component of the implementation of eReferrals and Central Intake across the province.  The initial process for designing the first phase of standardized forms has been established and used to build out the subsequent phases of required standardized forms.  A continuous improvement process will be designed and used to maintain the existing forms.  This role will involve significant engagement with several Specialist Leaders and organizations.  In addition, there will be a need to provide strong clinical guidance and leadership in the change management efforts to support the gradual and planned transition for clinicians who use their legacy forms to the new provincial standardized forms, as part of the province-wide implementation.  

Patients Before Paperwork (Pb4P) is a five-year joint initiative of the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ontario Health (OH) aimed at modernizing Ontario’s health care system through the strategic implementation of digital health tools. Pb4P addresses long-standing inefficiencies in care delivery by replacing paper- and fax-based workflows with secure, integrated digital solutions – that will start with focussing on coordinating and optimizing the referral experience – and is where this role is aligned.  The initiative is grounded in the quintuple aim: improving patient experience, enhancing population health, advancing health equity, improving provider experience, and delivering better value.

Questions about the role may be submitted by email no later than August 27, 2025. 

A consolidated list of all questions and answers will be available to any party, by request, by September 3, 2025.

Interested parties should forward their expression of interest and curriculum vitae, electronically, with the subject line as “Application for SRF Provincial Lead - [Your Name]” no later than 5:00 P.M. on September 10, 2025.   

To send a question, receive a copy of the consolidated list of questions and answers, or to submit your expression of interest, please contact Sourcing@ontariohealth.ca.

Accountabilities

The key responsibilities of this role are:

• Serve as a provincial champion for eReferral and standardized eReferral forms (including strong collaboration with Central Intake Clinical Lead) implementation in Ontario helping to articulate and promote the value proposition for providers, patients and the Ontario health system, especially as it relates to the use of standardized forms.
• Provide clinical leadership and guidance on the development, ongoing maintenance and implementation of standardized eReferral forms for the province as a critical part of the implementation of a coordinated and optimized referral system across the province.
• Serve as Lead/co-Chair of key committees to implement eReferral, Central Intake and the standardized forms aligned with program principles, facilitating collaboration with internal and external health system partners, knowledge exchange, and decision-making across multiple clinical pathways.
• Building on the standardization model established to develop the first 17 standardized eReferral forms, continue with the development of critical additional standard forms based on clinical priorities. Provide ongoing leadership for the implementation and subsequent optimization of the initial 17 forms.
• Act as a skilled negotiator to build consensus with diverse health sector partners, on provincial and regional standards for standardized eReferral forms, based on clinical evidence and operational feasibility.
• Provide a strong, reflective clinical perspective to ensure that SRF remain grounded in the realities of front-line practice and provider experience.
• Support the development of technical guidance, evaluation metrics, and implementation tools to enhance quality, equity, and performance.
• Promote a culture of continuous quality improvement, person-centered care, and clinical innovation.
• Provide strategic clinical guidance to to ensure clinical priorities are aligned with product rollouts. This will include working with a variety of OH teams including the digital, clinical support, change management, communications, and user experience teams, using a respectful and collaborative approach to inform the design of workflows and support effective implementation.
• Advise on the accessibility and appropriateness of digital tools for different communities and help identify where efforts should be targeted to ensure equitable reach and adoption, including establishing clinical targets and priorities.

Qualifications

• A practicing Specialist in good standing with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), with a minimum of 5 years clinical experience.
• Proven leadership in clinical governance, system design, protocols for leading health system transformation at the regional or provincial level.
• Strong professional aptitude for systems thinking, ability to analyze information and to make sound decisions, comfortable reviewing and interpreting data. A true health system thinker.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with a demonstrated ability to build consensus and manage complex multi-stakeholder relationships. Strong professional presence and ability to present to large and small audiences in a concise, articulate and dynamic fashion.
• A clear commitment to evidence-based medicine, health equity, and person-centred care. Enthusiasm for and commitment to quality improvement in health care at the system level.
• Strong understanding of knowledge transfer and exchange (KTE) strategies for implementation with specialists and primary care providers.
• Advanced experience developing forms, implementing operational and clinical guidelines, protocols, and standards at a system level.
• Strong understanding of Ontario's health care environment, particularly with a systems focus on the issues facing coordinating and optimizing referrals, and (referral) forms development, including key health system leaders such as the Ontario Medical Association, Ministry of Health, etc.
• Expert knowledge and currency with medical literature and evidence-based guidelines, as it pertains to primary and specialty care, referral management and referral forms.
• Good knowledge and understanding of health information systems and electronic medical records with experience in the use of health informatics and health system performance measurement and management to promote change.

How to Apply:

Interested parties should forward their expression of interest and curriculum vitae, electronically, with the subject line as “Application for SRF Provincial Lead - [Your Name]” no later than 5:00 P.M. on September 10, 2025 to Sourcing@ontariohealth.ca.

We will evaluate all applications against the skills and experience requirements for the position. Those candidates selected for interview will be contacted directly by a representative from the Business Unit. Ontario Health may consider applications from incumbents currently in the position. If you have not been contacted within 3 weeks after the close of the posting, you can assume you are not under consideration for this position.

More About Ontario Health

Ontario Health is an agency created by the Government of Ontario with a mandate to connect and coordinate Ontario’s health care system in ways that have not been done before, to help ensure that Ontarians receive the best possible care.

Ontario Health oversees health care delivery across the province, which includes ensuring front-line providers and other health professionals have the tools and information they need to deliver the best possible care within their communities. This also means simplifying the current system and connecting and coordinating its many complex parts in new and innovative ways. This involves keeping a close eye on how the health system is performing and providing evidence-based standards and improvements to address any gaps.

Ontario Health helps to support significant and important transformation in Ontario’s health system, working to ease the transition between points of care for Ontarians and helping to ensure they have access to the care they need. Ontario Health is adapting world-renowned practices from areas such as cancer care and renal care to other parts of the system, including mental health and addictions.

Through integration, coordination, connection, and clinical excellence, Ontario Health is working to reduce strain on the system which will enable investment of more resources on the care Ontarians need, and most importantly, improve health outcomes and overall wellness for all.

As an operational service agency of the Government of Ontario, Ontario Health is accountable for conducting a fair and transparent process, providing equal treatment to all qualified parties, in selecting a candidate for the above-mentioned role.