Recovering from a significant injury often means juggling multiple appointments, providers and pieces of advice, which can make an already difficult time feel more complicated than it needs to be. 

The Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) was designed to solve exactly this problem. It’s a fully funded ACC programme that brings your care team together around a single, coordinated plan, with you at the centre of it.

What is the Integrated Care Pathway?

ICP is a multidisciplinary treatment pathway, funded by ACC, aimed at getting New Zealanders with significant knee, shoulder or lumbar spine injuries back to what matters to them. 

It grew out of a successful four-year pilot ACC ran in partnership with the health sector, developed specifically to address a problem in the way rehabilitation had traditionally been delivered: care that was fragmented across providers, without much coordination between them.

Rather than treating each part of your recovery (physiotherapy, surgical input, vocational support) as separate and disconnected, ICP brings these elements together under one plan, built around evidence-based care and your individual needs. 

A coordinated team to support your recovery

At the centre of ICP is the idea that health providers should have the flexibility to design a genuinely integrated treatment plan, rather than delivering isolated services. 

In practice, this can include comprehensive pre- and post-operative physiotherapy management, surgeon assessment and guidance throughout your recovery, vocational support to help plan your return to work, and access to social work, psychology, dietetics or cultural services where these are needed.

Because the whole team – your GP, physiotherapist, surgeon and any specialists involved – has visibility of your clinical notes and takes part in regular case conferences, your care stays joined up even as different providers become involved at different stages.

How the pathway works, step by step

Referrals into ICP can come from a GP, physiotherapist, surgeon or other primary care provider. Once triaged, you are allocated a bundle of care and a tailored treatment plan is developed around your specific injury and goals. A client navigator supports you and your providers to coordinate the pathway, so you are not left working out the next step on your own.

Outcome measures are collected at the start of your treatment and reviewed throughout, allowing your care team to confirm that you are progressing as expected. Towards the end of the pathway, your progress is evaluated against your original goals to confirm they have been met.

Who is eligible for the Integrated Care Pathway?

To access ICP, you need to be covered by ACC for a significant injury to the knee, shoulder or lumbar spine that is likely to need specialist oversight or surgical review. If you think this might apply to you, the most straightforward first step is to speak with your GP or physiotherapist about a referral.

Active+ and Integrated Care Pathways

For anyone facing a significant knee, shoulder or spine injury, a coordinated pathway can make the difference between a recovery that feels disjointed and one that feels genuinely supported. 

Active+ delivers Integrated Care Pathways in partnership with ACC, bringing physiotherapy, surgical and vocational expertise together under one plan. Learn more about Active+ Integrated Care Pathways or speak with your GP or physiotherapist about a referral.