Centralized surgery queues cut patient wait times but surgeons slow to get on board, doctors say – CBC

Consolidated referral programs matching patients with 1st available specialist still limited in Canada

Apr 06, 2023

Centralized lists that match waiting patients with the next available surgeon are showing promise at reducing wait times, but doctors say there are still some hurdles to overcome before they become commonplace.

Though patients waiting months for surgery might assume they’ve been placed in a central queue that will give them access to the next available spot, that’s usually not the case.

“What we really have is hundreds or thousands of surgeons operating their own private businesses, managing their own wait list of patients,” Dr. David Urbach, head of surgery at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, told CBC.

“Patients don’t know who has the shortest wait list. Referring doctors don’t know who has the shortest wait list.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/centralized-surgery-wait-lists-1.6802550