What is the Medical Advisory Secretariat and how is it related to OHTAC?
The Medical Advisory Secretariat (MAS) is a unit within the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). The mandate of MAS is to provide evidence to inform policy on the uptake of health services and new health technologies in Ontario to the MOHLTC and other government agencies. The aim is to ensure that residents of Ontario have access to the best available new health technologies that will improve patient outcomes. The MAS conducts systematic reviews of scientific evidence and consults with experts in the health care services community to produce up-to-date evidence-based health technology analyses. These analyses are also used by the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee (OHTAC) when it develops its recommendations on health care technologies in Ontario.
