Primary Care Access Improvement
Primary Care Access Improvement (PCAI) helps team-based primary care organizations improve access to care by using the Advanced Access model to better balance appointment availability with patient demand. This proven approach helps patients receive timely, appropriate care while maintaining continuity.
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- What you'll get
Seed funding: Up to $15,000.
Expert coaching: To help you address challenges, sustain improvements and plan for long-term success.
Proven tools: Evidence-informed resources for implementing and measuring what works.
Learning and networking opportunities: To share knowledge, celebrate successes and drive collective progress.
- Topics
- Primary and community care
- Audience
Community organization
Point of care provider
Quality or safety improvement lead
Expanding access to care
PCAI is part of Care Forward — a growing movement of people sharing knowledge and applying proven approaches to improve healthcare quality and safety for more people across the country. The first cohort of PCAI is underway, and we are currently recruiting teams for the second cohort.
Key dates (cohort 2)
June 2, 2026: Applications open.
September 9, 2026: Applications are due.
January 2027: Program begins.
July 2028: Program ends.
Support for your team
Participating teams are supported throughout the 18-month program with:
Seed funding: Up to $15,000.
Expert coaching: Support to address challenges, sustain improvements and plan for long-term success.
Proven tools: Evidence-informed resources for implementing and measuring what works.
Learning and networking opportunities: To share knowledge, celebrate successes and drive collective progress.
Teams will be supported to implement Advanced Access while building skills in key areas of healthcare excellence, including equity, cultural safety, patient engagement and safety. Teams will also explore ways to strengthen partnerships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
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Learn more about the opportunity
Find more information in the Call for Applications which outlines eligibility, requirements, key dates and more.
Questions? Contact us by email
Readiness and eligibility
This 18-month commitment is an investment that can result in long-term improvements in patient care, team satisfaction and clinic efficiency.
Establish foundations through a kick-off webinar, begin monthly coaching, and submit initial provider experience and clinic data.
Apply the pillars during monthly coaching sessions and develop an improvement charter.
Finalize the program with a survey and report, while continuing to engage in learning activities and focus on long-term sustainability.
A proven model for clinics
The Advanced Access model is built around five pillars that can help improve access to care and optimize the roles of all healthcare professionals within a clinic. Clinics that have implemented this proven solution have reported:
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Wait times reduced by an average of seven days within six months.
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More appointments available within 48 hours.
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Better provider experience and higher job satisfaction.
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Reduced workloads and fewer administrative tasks.
Insights and successes from cohort 1
There are already 24 teams leading the shift toward improved access across Canada. As part of the next cohort, you will build on their momentum and join a network of teams dedicated to the same goal.
The experience of teams like Cowichan Collaborative Health shows the value of this work firsthand.
Cohort 1 teams
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Haven Medical Centre Inc. (Edmonton, Alberta)
Indigenous Wellness Clinic - Primary Care Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta)
Cowichan Collaborative Health (Duncan, British Columbia)
Centre de santé Saint-Boniface Inc. - Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
Nova Scotia Health - Dalhousie Family Medicine-Mumford (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia Health - Dalhousie Family Medicine-Spryfield (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia Health - Digby Area Health Services Centre (Digby, Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia Health - Inverness Family Health Collaborative (Inverness, Nova Scotia)
Health For All Family Health Team (Markham, Ontario)
Queen’s Quay Medical Center (Toronto, Ontario)
Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital Academic Family Health Team - Sumac Creek (Toronto, Ontario)
Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital Academic Family Health Team - 61 Queen (Toronto, Ontario)
Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's Hospital Academic Family Health Team - St. Lawrence Health Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
St. Michael’s Hospital – Wellesley – St. James Town Health Centre – 95 Homewood (Toronto, Ontario)
Women's College Hospital (Toronto, Ontario)
CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal - Centre médical Hochelaga (Montréal, Québec)
Clinique Médicale 1851 (Montréal, Québec)
Clinique De Médecine Familiale Sorel-Tracy (Sorel-Tracy, QC)
GMF Jolibourg (Laval, Québec)
GMF Le Nordet - Clinique Médicale de Matane (Matane, Québec)
GMF Nouvelle-Beauce (Sainte-Marie, Québec)
GMF Richelieu (Sorel-Tracy, Québec)
GMF St-Étienne (Lévis, Québec)
Saskatoon Community Clinic (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
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Moving Care Forward
Care Forward, a pan-Canadian movement bringing people together to share knowledge and apply proven approaches to improve healthcare quality and safety for more people across Canada.
Today, nearly hundreds of health and social care teams are working together through Care Forward to improve access to safe, connected, high-quality care closer to home and community.
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