The TAC funds healthcare services that facilitate rehabilitation and recovery after a transport accident to help clients get their life back on track. Consistent with the TAC's strategic priorities, the TAC is offering innovation grants funding to encourage health service providers to make shifts towards value-based healthcare.

The grant program aims to incentivise health service providers to implement innovative projects that embrace the principles of value-based healthcare. We are looking for projects that address an area of priority for people with transport accident injuries and focus on known gaps in services, such as better integrating care following surgical procedures and solutions to support mental health.

Value-based healthcare is a patient-centric approach that seeks to support the delivery of health outcomes at a sustainable cost. There are four key principles underpinning value-based healthcare:

1. The outcomes that matter to the patient
2. The patient’s experience of care
3. The provider’s experience of care
4. The effectiveness and efficiency of care

Value-based healthcare gives patients more say in their treatment options and empowers them to identify and achieve the goals that matter most to them.

Providers communicate and work closely together in integrated multidisciplinary teams, with the patient at the centre. Patients who have similar needs, injuries or conditions are identified. The provider team then designs and delivers solutions to address those needs through the delivery of high value interventions and outcomes. They measure the health outcomes and costs for each patient and use that information to drive ongoing improvements.

As a result, the patient achieves the desired outcomes and has a better experience of care. This translates into a better experience for the provider as well – with higher levels of job fulfilment stemming from better-informed and more-satisfied patients.

With this focus on outcomes, collaboration and data sharing, a Value-based Healthcare approach ultimately delivers care more effectively and efficiently, with greater value for cost.

To inform your application the TAC strongly encourages viewing these resources for more information on value-based healthcare:

• TAC, Value-based healthcare
• Australian Centre for Value Based Healthcare
• World Economic Forum, The Moment of Truth for Healthcare Spending

This grant program offers grants of up to $150,000 (ex. GST).

To be eligible for funding you must be Victorian based, financially viable and one of the following health service related provider groups:

1. Hospitals – includes pre-hospital clinics and surgeons
2. Rehabilitation services – includes inpatient and outpatient services
3. Post-hospital services – includes early discharge and post-acute care type services
4. Primary health care services – includes General Practitioners, Primary Health Networks and community based Allied Health services
5. Pain management service providers
6. Disability service providers
7. Peak bodies*
8. Professional societies*

*Must be collaborating with a setting from 1 – 6.

Applicants must nominate a Chief Investigator who will be responsible for submitting the application, conducting the project, and reporting as required under the Funding Agreement.

The TAC will accept multiple applications from a single organisation, however each application must nominate a different Chief Investigator to lead each project and the projects must be inherently different.

Applicants out of Victoria will need to demonstrate they are collaborating with a Victorian partner.

The Chief Investigator being Victorian based is ‘preferred’ but not mandatory provided the project team includes Victorian health providers and the project is being delivered to the Victorian Community.

Funding will be prioritised for small-scale projects that align with helping TAC clients get their life back on track. You are invited to submit an application for projects that:

• Address at least two of the principles of value-based healthcare (highly desirable are projects targeting the effectiveness and efficiency of care)
• Demonstrate innovation in health care; the project creates a new or significantly changes an existing method, process or service
• Focus on known gaps in services such as better integrating care following surgical procedures and solutions to support mental health
• Use existing evidence, outcomes data sets, codesign and information technology platforms to improve care pathways and better integrate care
• Consider social determinants of health such as the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse populations, or people living in rural or remote areas

Applications to fund the project in part and in full will be accepted.

Successful applicants must comply with relevant legislation and professional standards to ensure the research is ethical, conducted with integrity and scientifically sound.

Applications are now closed. For information about the grant program and application process, you can access the:

• grant program guidelines
• grant program application questions

You can contact the TAC Research & Evaluation team at research@tac.vic.gov.au for any questions about the grant program.