Dr. Peter W. Vaughan, CM, CD, MA, MD, MPH, ICD.D

The 2015 merger of health authorities in Nova Scotia was aggressive in pursuit of greater value. The goal was to create an integrated, accountable care network across the entire province. Years of pent-up frustration, death by a thousand cuts, declining service and growing expectations merged into a slow, insidious bleeding of support for change. The lessons learned from Nova Scotia are vital to achieving a value-based health system. The article describes some of the barriers to progress and the steps needed to achieve the goal of a value-based healthcare system for Canadians.