Our Story, Our Art of Safety Strategy

Every business starts with a problem. In the mid-1980s, Ontario hospitals faced a crisis when their liability insurance premiums rose dramatically and one major commercial insurer refused to insure them. Two commissioned reports recommended the formation of an insurance reciprocal, to be known as HIRO (The Hospital Insurance Reciprocal of Ontario). Those early subscribers were tentative (this was completely new), yet excited about the prospect of working with an insurance exchange that was going to specialize in healthcare and was dedicated to helping them reduce and prevent losses.

What We Stand For

HIROC is a trusted healthcare safety advisor, committed to offering a full spectrum of insurance products and support throughout a claim. Combined with sage counsel and risk management solutions, HIROC works with its partners to increase safety. HIROC is a made in Canada solution.

Healthcare risk management and patient safety are the cornerstones of our work and something that sets us apart from commercial insurers. A diverse set of tools and resources is geared to helping healthcare organizations identify, assess, report and manage their key organizational risks.

The Reciprocal Advantage

Being somewhat of an outsider to the insurance industry is a badge we’ve always worn with pride. Especially since that means saved money for clients. Unlike our commercial competitors, we are a not-for-profit, therefore we do not pay commissions and income tax, and we have lower operating expenses. That translates into a lower cost of insurance for our subscribers.

HIROC is not just a not-for-profit, we are a reciprocal. This means we are governed by our subscribers – a group of over 700 diverse healthcare organizations across Canada.

Our subscribers share in each other’s losses, which is why we maintain a focus on safety. As your trusted advisor, we are here to provide sage counsel to help mitigate risk and reduce loss.

As a not-for-profit, HIROC returns surplus funds to healthcare organizations. Since 1987 HIROC has put over $260 million back into the system – proof of the benefits of participating in the reciprocal.

Our inaugural chairman George N. Speal summed it up when he said, “When you join HIROC, you buy more than an insurance policy, you buy into a philosophy.”

Over the past 38 years, we’ve learned how to work in an industry that has been in constant flux. Our firm connection with our subscribers and commitment to continuous innovation around insurance coverage and risk management products has made us leaders in reducing costs and creating a safer healthcare environment.

The healthcare landscape is always shifting and yet our core purpose and beliefs have not changed. We are still the ‘radical upstart’ reciprocal, built on a foundation of comprehensive insurance coverage, financial stability and professional expertise. That foundation is still our greatest strength and differentiator.

Learn more about HIROC.

In bringing HIROC’s latest Strategic Plan to life, our Board of Directors and Subscribers told us what matters most: Service, Safer Systems, as well as Stability and Sustainability. But there’s one more “S” that is essential in bringing the plan to life – Staff Support.

The Art of Safety

Subscribers will notice our new plan, The Art of Safety, pulls from both the art and healthcare worlds. This is our way of saying that each person in the Canadian healthcare system has unique skills and talents that are valued, but most importantly, each is a gifted professional who is there for their community.

What can we learn from the world of art?

Many have written about how art is central to understanding the human experience, how art can provide valuable insights into innovation, leadership, and strategy.

As our healthcare world evolves and solutions to complex safety concerns become more important than ever, we must look to the world around us. We need to see things differently.

Like an artist who experiments with different mediums, or who pulls from past traditions, healthcare teams are always learning, failing fast, and innovating for the health and safety of the Canadians they serve.

This is, as we see it, The Art of Safety.

Download our brochure to learn more about our 2026-2028 plan.
 

How We’ll Get There: Our Strategic Priorities

For HIROC and our staff, we are constantly keeping an eye on what’s happening all around us – in healthcare and beyond. We do this so we can help scale learning to create the safest healthcare system.

Through these priorities, HIROC is here to support healthcare organizations in navigating an ever-evolving system.

Service

• Hard-wiring deep listening to help HIROC anticipate the next value-add service or product
• Leveraging technology to elevate service to Subscribers and enhance the digital experience, including AI in addressing current and future needs
• Leaning into HIROC's tailored service model, one of tailored counsel and advice
• Reviewing Subscriber peer-group classification in relation to HIROC’s service model

Safer Systems

• Focusing on perinatal and neonatal risks, including fetal monitoring and induction/augmentation medications
• Mitigating cyber risks and reviewing related coverage
• Planning for property and environment risks and trends
• Leveraging HIROC’s Risk Assessment Checklists (RAC) program and other tools that support risk mitigation
• Supporting interconnectedness between digital and organic interactions

Stability and Sustainability

• Developing capacity and supporting improvements to underwriting and loss modeling. Exploring innovative insurance tools and structures that best support cost-efficiency, risk management and sustainability
• Leveraging policy management systems, processes and workflows to support service innovations
• Renewing and enhancing the value proposition of HIROC and the Reciprocal model

Staff Support

• Enhancing work-life balance for our teams
• Reviewing staffing models to address growth
• Creating space for flexibility
• Innovating around leadership development with a focus on psychological safety and empowerment

Thank you for all you do in bringing the art of safety to your daily work!

HIROC has been partnering with healthcare for 38 years and counting.

Our vision, partnering to create the safest healthcare system speaks to the impact we want to have, and we’re eager and ready to drive change forward with you!

Our work with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada and also Salus Global illustrates how how we partner to help the healthcare system share knowledge and work together to improve outcomes.

Funding Innovation – The Safety Grants Program

In 2018, we re-launched The HIROC Foundation and started the HIROC Safety Grants Program. Since its inception in 2018, the program has awarded more than 60 grants, totaling almost $1 million – all with the aim of improving outcomes. 

Working Together to Improve the Safety of Obstetrical and Perinatal Care

HIROC also understands the complexities of labour and delivery, which is why we are proud to partner with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) and the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) as co-owners of Salus Global. Learn more about our collaboration with SOGC, CMPA, and Salus Global. 

Knowledge Sharing 

HIROC also partners and supports a number of healthcare-related organizations that look to advance patient safety and healthcare risk management. One example – in collaboration with ISMP Canada and other key healthcare partners, we developed the resource Oxytocin to Start or Advance Labour: 5 Questions to Ask. 

Educational Partners

We are also an educational partner, supporting healthcare events across the country. Because of HIROC's wealth of knowledge, we are proud to partner with organizations like the Canadian Association of Midwives, Healthcare Excellence Canada, Longwoods Publishing, and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA).