Findings From the Lean Review of our Drug Reimbursement Review Program

Last year, CADTH communicated several improvements to our drug reimbursement review program, including a Lean review to identify process enhancements. We undertook this work as part of our commitment to continuous improvement and to advance our strategic ambitions to anticipate, innovate, and transform.  

The Lean review was conducted by Deloitte over 2 months and the findings and recommendations have been reviewed by our Executive Leadership team. Following the approval of our Executive Leadership team, we will work to implement select activities over the coming months and across our business units.  

Key Findings

In its evaluation, Deloitte reiterated several strengths to our process, including consistent and predictable delivery of products. Our diverse stakeholder groups expressed no concern with our 180-day timeline to deliver a draft recommendation after a drug file is accepted for review. We are seen as a reliable partner that is receptive to process-oriented feedback and committed to finding efficiencies that will enhance our program. Importantly, Deloitte highlighted that “CADTH fosters a mission-driven culture, where employees are motivated by a shared sense of purpose to serve people in Canada.”  

The Lean review also identified areas of improvement and opportunities for efficiencies in our program, including refining the steps in our process. Deloitte’s analysis offered improvement opportunities in several areas, including:

• refining internal review processes
• leveraging digital solutions for intake and communications  
• modifying the requirements and/or components of a drug review
• examining expert meeting schedules and timing
• optimizing project management, reporting, and pipeline information.

The Lean review allowed our organization to think collectively about how we work and collaborate on efficiencies across business units. As we look to the future, this work will serve to strengthen our role in the drug reimbursement ecosystem and our ability to support improved access to drugs for people across Canada.