What is an Advanced Practice Provider?

The Holland Centre team approach to patient care expands the role of specially-trained health professionals. Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) are physiotherapists and occupational therapists with post-professional Master's or PhD Degrees and additional orthopaedic training. Advanced Practice isn’t just about clinical expertise, it is a leadership role with additional domains that include Research, Scholarship, Professional Development, Organizational Leadership and Education. At the Holland Centre, our candidate selection criteria included a Research Master’s degree, a strong background in orthopaedics, complex decision-making skills, professional leadership, evidence of innovation, experience in program development and outcome evaluation. Our APPs work closely with the orthopaedic surgeons and other members of the outpatient care team.

Our Advanced Practice Provider (APP) role includes:

• Centralized referral management
• Comprehensive patient assessment, and
• Patient education on community resources and treatment options
• Student education and research

Central intake and assessment

APPs triage and prioritize all referrals to the Holland Centre and are the first point of contact for patients referred with hip, knee, shoulder pain. The APP’s refer patients on to a surgeon based on specific criteria that includes urgency. Patients with hip and knee arthritis are given a choice of accepting the first-available appointment or waiting for a specific surgeon. Patients who don't need or want surgery receive education about other treatment options.

Post-operative routine follow-up

After surgery, you may see an Advanced Practice Provider for your routine follow-up appointments The APPs have the expertise to meet patients' needs for education on recovery and participation in activity after surgery.

Our history of success

Our model of care was developed in 2006 as part of the solution to meet the growing demand for joint surgeries that continues today. In 2007, the Holland Centre's Model of Care, including Advanced Practice Providers, was leveraged to fulfill the vision of the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network's (LHIN) Joint Wellness and Disease.

Management Program in a key area of need. In 2018, we provided leadership to Ontario Health in the provincial roll-out of this model of care. The concepts of this model can serve as a template for other practice areas beyond hip and knee arthritis.

See what patients say about the model of care here.

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