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BC Provincial Wait Times Trends

| Home | Wait Times Data | Provincial Trends | Myths About Wait Times | Regional Co-ordinators |

• Cancer Services

• Cardiac Surgery

• Carotid Endarterectomy

• Cataract Surgery

• Corneal Transplants

• Dental Surgery

• Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery

• Eye Surgery

• Gall Bladder Surgery

• General Surgery

• Gynecological Surgery

• Hip Replacement Surgery

• Knee Replacement Surgery

• Neurosurgery

• Organ Transplants

• Orthopedic Surgery

• Plastic Surgery

• Urological Surgery

• Vascular Surgery

• What is a Wait List?

• Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor

Wait Times Data

The Ministries of Health are committed to protecting and improving health care for all British Columbians. Part of that commitment includes providing interested British Columbians with the most complete and up-to-date wait times information available.

This version of the Surgical Wait Times web site provides British Columbians with data on wait times by type of surgery, by hospital, and by physician.

Before you consider any changes to your treatment, it is important you discuss any information you get from this web site with your family doctor or specialist.

If you are scheduled for surgery or a special diagnostic test, and are interested in learning more about wait times, here are some Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor.

If you are interested in seeing wait times figures for a type of surgery or treatment, you may select from the categories listed below.

As of July 31, 2003, the total number of people waiting for surgical procedures in BC was 73,073.

Last Revised: August 29, 2003

http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/ (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:17:29 AM]

http://www.gov.bc.ca/healthservices/

http://www.gov.bc.ca/

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/index.html

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/provdata.html

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/myths.html

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/coordinators.html

BC Provincial Wait Times Trends

• Methodology

• Disclaimer

• Privacy Statement

http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/ (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:17:29 AM]

http://www.gov.bc.ca/com/copy/

http://www.gov.bc.ca/com/disc/

http://www.gov.bc.ca/com/priv/

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/feedbacksvc.cgi

Cancer Services

| Home | Wait Time Data | Provincial Trends | Myths About Wait Times | Regional Co-ordinators |



• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Cancer Services

The B.C. Cancer Agency provides radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment at four major clinics across the province, in Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria and Kelowna.

Radiotherapy

Nearly 65 per cent of British Columbians start radiotherapy within four weeks of referral by a radiation oncology specialist.

Patients Waiting as of Jul 31/03

Median Wait Time for3 months ending Jul 31/03

Treatments PerformedApril 1/02-May 31/03

251 7 days 1848

Chemotherapy

There is no significant wait for British Columbians who need chemotherapy, which accounts for half of all cancer care the agency provides. The standard for chemotherapy wait times is two weeks. This standard is met in chemotherapy in almost every case. In the rare cases where it is not met, there is a medical reason.

Outcomes

B.C. has better survival outcomes for cancer treatment than any other Canadian province, partly due the fact that these services are coordinated and delivered by a central agency. As a result, consistent treatments can be provided to cancer patients across the province, according to published protocols.

An excellent example of such treatment outcomes is the greatly reduced recurrence rate of early stage lymphoma (primary cancer of the lymph glands). The recurrence rate is about 22 per cent world wide, but in B.C.

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/cancer.html (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:17:34 AM]







http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/

Cancer Services

the recurrence rate is only one per cent.


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/cancer.html (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:17:34 AM]




http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi

Cardiac Surgery


• Where are you scheduled to have your surgery?

• Provincial Advisory Panel on Cardiac Care

• Recommendations and Standards



• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Cardiac Surgery

Half of all heart surgery in B.C. is done on an emergency basis. Median wait time refers to the time at which half the patients have had their surgery, and the other half are still waiting.


Median Wait Time for 6 months ending Jul 31/03

Surgeries Performed from WaitlistApril 1/03 - Jul 31/03

617 15 weeks 573

Cardiac surgery and coronary angioplasty are provided by four hospitals in the province - St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, which is the major heart centre for B.C.; Vancouver Hospital; Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster; and the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

British Columbia provides one of the highest rates of cardiac surgery and coronary angioplasty combined in Canada, and B.C. programs offer high-quality care with the latest technological advances in clinical-care delivery.

Where are you scheduled to have your surgery?

Royal Columbian Hospital Royal Jubilee Hospital St. Paul's Hospital Vancouver Hospital

Royal Columbian Hospital

Surgeon Patients Waiting as of Jul 31/03


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/cardiac.html (1 of 4) [9/3/2003 9:17:42 AM]







Cardiac Surgery

Dr. Robert Hayden

69 27.4

Dr. Shahzad Karim

79 27.9

Dr. Timothy Latham

59 22.9

RCH Total 207 N/A

Royal Jubilee Hospital



Dr. Richard Brownlee

7 6.6

Dr. James Dutton 8 8.6

Dr. Eric Fretz 1 N/A

Dr. John Ofiesh 7 8.6

Dr. Michael Perchinsky

11 7.6

RJH Total 34 N/A

St. Paul's Hospital



Dr. James Abel 33 28.4

Dr. Anson Cheung

60 26.0

Dr. Samuel Lichtenstein

24 21.4

Dr. Hilton Ling 102 30.1

Dr. Robert Miyagishima

33 9.1


Cardiac Surgery

SPH Totals 252 N/A

Vancouver Hospital



Dr. Kassem Ashe 0 7.4

Dr. Guy Fradet 30 18.9

Dr. Virginia Gudas

18 15.6

Dr. Michael Janusz

76 22.8

Dr. Shahzad Karim

0 3.4

Dr. David Skarsgard

0 0.6

VGH Totals 124 N/A

Provincial Advisory Panel on Cardiac Care

In 1989, the Provincial Advisory Panel on Cardiac Care was formed to advise the Ministry of Health and the government on the needs for cardiac services in B.C. Panel members include cardiologists and cardiac surgeons from the major centres throughout the province, health care administrators, and an ethicist. Data systems and statistical expertise support the panel to assist in the collection and analysis of data for the Cardiac Registry.

Recommendations and Standards

The panel uses information contained in the Cardiac Registry, along with other data, to develop recommendations for cardiac services in B.C. In addition, the panel has developed priority criteria for patients in need of cardiac surgery. These criteria are used to measure how the programs deliver services, to ensure patients with more urgent needs receive their surgery first. The priority classification is based on the seriousness of the patient's disease and the risks of waiting for treatment.


http://www.vanhosp.bc.ca/

Cardiac Surgery







Surgical Wait Times


• Cancer Services • Cardiac Surgery • Carotid Endarterectomy • Cataract Surgery • Corneal Transplants • Dental Surgery • Ear, Nose and Throat

Surgery

• Eye Surgery • Gall Bladder Surgery • General Surgery • Gynecological Surgery • Hip Replacement Surgery • Knee Replacement Surgery • Neurosurgery • Organ Transplants • Orthopedic Surgery • Plastic Surgery • Urological Surgery • Vascular Surgery

• What is a Wait List

Carotid Endarterectomy

Carotid endarterectomy is a surgery to remove blockages in the carotid arteries of the neck, to improve blood flow to the brain.

Median Wait Time refers to the time at which half the patients have had their surgery, and the other half are still waiting.

Patients Waitingas of July 31, 2003

Median Wait Time (In Weeks)as of July 31, 2003

Surgeries PerformedApril 1, 2003 - July 31, 2003

119 6.2 205


Hospital Effective DateBurnaby Hospital July 31, 2003

Greater Victoria July 30, 2003

Kelowna General July 31, 2003

Prince George March 31, 2003

Richmond General July 31, 2003

Royal Columbian (New Westminster) July 31, 2003

Royal Inland (Kamloops) July 31, 2003

St. Paul's (Vancouver) July 31, 2003

U.B.C. (Vancouver) July 31, 2003

http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=50.12 (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:17:49 AM]

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/index.html

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/

http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/index.htm





http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=50.12









Surgical Wait Times

• Questions You ShouldAsk Your Doctor

• Methodology • Disclaimer • Privacy Statement

Vancouver General July 31, 2003







Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery involves the removal of a clouded lens from the eye and its replacement with an implanted, human-made lens.





15204 10.1 9861



Chilliwack General July 31, 2003

Cowichan District (Duncan) July 31, 2003

Cranbrook July 31, 2003

Delta July 10, 2003

Fort St. John July 31, 2003



Langley Memorial July 31, 2003

http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=27 (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:17:55 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=27









Surgical Wait Times



Lions Gate (North Vancouver) July 31, 2003

Mills Memorial (Terrace) July 31, 2003

Nanaimo Regional July 31, 2003

Peace Arch (White Rock) July 31, 2003

Pleasant Valley (Armstrong) July 31, 2003

Powell River July 31, 2003



Ridge Meadows (Maple Ridge) July 31, 2003


Saanich Peninsula July 31, 2003

Saint Mary's (New Westminster) July 31, 2003

St. Joseph's (Comox) July 31, 2003


St. Vincent's (Vancouver) July 31, 2003

Surrey Memorial January 12, 2002

Trail Regional June 30, 2003


West Coast General (Port Alberni) July 31, 2003

























Corneal Transplant Surgery




• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Corneal Transplant Surgery

Wait times for corneal transplants depend entirely on the availability of tissue. Median wait time refers to the time at which half the patients have had their surgery, and the other half are still waiting.



Surgeries Performed from WaitlistApril 1/03 - Jul 31/03

614 4.4 months 139


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/corneal.html [9/3/2003 9:17:58 AM]











Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Dental Surgery

Dental surgery involves surgery of the teeth, gums and jaw.





1715 7.0 1492


Hospital Effective DateCampbell River July 31, 2003




Dawson Creek July 31, 2003

Delta July 10, 2003

Eagle Ridge (Port Moody) July 31, 2003


G.R. Baker (Quesnel) May 13, 2003


http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=DS (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:18:06 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=508&IEvent=DS










Surgical Wait Times




Kitimat General July 31, 2003

Ladysmith July 31, 2003



Mission/Abbotsford July 31, 2003

Mount Saint Joseph (Vancouver) July 31, 2003





Prince Rupert July 31, 2003

Queen Victoria (Revelstoke) July 31, 2003






Shuswap Lake (Salmon Arm) July 31, 2003






Vernon Jubilee July 31, 2003


http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=DS (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:18:06 AM]































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery

Ear, nose and throat surgery involves surgery for diseases relating to these organs.





4924 6.0 3974



Campbell River July 31, 2003




Delta July 10, 2003




http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=EN (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:18:10 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=EN









Surgical Wait Times













Penticton Regional July 31, 2003












http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=EN (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:18:10 AM]



























Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Ophthalmological (Eye) Surgery

Ophthalmological surgery includes all surgery performed on the eyes, including cataract surgery.





16879 9.0 11651






Delta July 10, 2003





http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=OP (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:18:16 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=OP









Surgical Wait Times









Pleasant Valley (Armstrong) July 31, 2003
















http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=OP (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:18:16 AM]



























Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Gall Bladder Surgery

Gall bladder surgery involves the surgical removal of the gall bladder.





1704 4.9 1428








Delta July 10, 2003






















Surgical Wait Times




































































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



General Surgery

General surgery includes surgical procedures of the abdomen and other parts of the body not included within one of the other specialized surgical categories on the Wait List Registry. Examples include surgery of the thyroid gland, bowel or liver.





12104 3.1 11913




Cariboo Memorial (Williams Lake) July 31, 2003





Delta July 10, 2003

http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=GS (1 of 3) [9/3/2003 9:22:40 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=GS








Surgical Wait Times








































































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Gynecological Surgery

Gynecological surgery involves disorders of the female reproductive organs and system.





6016 3.9 7564




Cariboo Memorial (Williams Lake) July 31, 2003




Delta July 10, 2003



http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=GY (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:22:43 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=GY









Surgical Wait Times

































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Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Hip Replacement Surgery

Hip replacement is the replacement of a damaged hip joint by removing it and implanting an artificial, or prosthetic, joint.





2511 18.4 914




























Surgical Wait Times












































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Knee Replacement Surgery

Knee replacement involves the surgical replacement of the knee joint with an artificial joint.





4364 29.3 986




























Surgical Wait Times














































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Neurosurgery

Neurosurgery involves surgery of the brain, spinal cord or nerves.





1195 3.6 1350


Hospital Effective DateEagle Ridge (Port Moody) July 31, 2003








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=NE (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:22:53 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=136&IEvent=NE








Surgical Wait Times



http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=NE (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:22:53 AM]





Organ and Tissue Transplant Surgery


• Organ Transplant

• Organ Donor Registry and the Human Tissue Gift Act

• Corneal Transplantation

• Bone Marrow Transplant Services



• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Organ and Tissue Transplants

Wait times for organ and tissue transplants depend entirely on organ donation and the availability of organs for transplant. Solid organ transplant services are coordinated through the British Columbia Transplant Society.

The B.C. Transplant Society develops standards for these services in B.C. The society contracts with Vancouver Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital and Children's and Women's Health Centre of B.C. for the transplant surgery. The majority of transplants are for end-stage kidney diseases - for those patients on kidney dialysis.

Wait lists for solid organ transplants are calculated by number of patients, not by median wait time. Wait lists for tissue transplants are calculated by median wait time. Median Wait Time refers to the time at which half the patients have had their surgery and the other half are still waiting.

Organ Transplant

Organ Transplant Patients Waiting as of Jul 31/03

Surgeries PerformedApril 1/03 -Jul 31/03

Kidney 348 43

Pancreas/Kidney 18 1

Pancreas Islet 9 3

Liver 27 11

Heart 9 3

Single Lung 12 0

Double Lung 2 1

Heart-Lung 0 0

Total 425 62

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/transplant.html (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:22:57 AM]







http://www.transplant.bc.ca/


http://www.cw.bc.ca/

Organ and Tissue Transplant Surgery

Organ Donor Registry and the Human Tissue Gift Act

The B.C. Transplant Society is a model for transplant services in Canada, including recent development of Canada's first Organ Donor Registry. The government recently amended the Human Tissue Gift Act, in an effort to improve organ donation rates. Similar legislation in the United States has improved organ transplantation rates by about 30 to 50 per cent within three years.

Corneal Transplantation

The Eye Bank of British Columbia coordinates corneal transplant services in B.C.

Bone Marrow Transplant Services

Vancouver Hospital, the B.C. Cancer Agency and Children's and Women's Health Centre of B.C. provide these services.


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/transplant.html (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:22:57 AM]

http://www.transplant.bc.ca/


http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/







Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedic surgery involves surgery of the bones, joints, tendons and muscles. This category includes hip and knee replacement surgery.





17358 7.1 8785








Delta July 10, 2003



http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=OR (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:11 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=OR









Surgical Wait Times






























http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=OR (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:11 AM]
































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgery is surgery to restore impaired function due to injury or illness or to restore appearance.





4063 5.0 3227





Delta July 10, 2003






http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=PL (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:18 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=PL









Surgical Wait Times





















http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=PL (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:18 AM]























Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Urological Surgery

Urological surgery is surgery of the urinary system and organs such as the kidney, ureter, bladder, urethra and prostate.





5664 3.6 7529







Delta July 10, 2003




http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=UR (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:22 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=UR









Surgical Wait Times
































http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=UR (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:22 AM]


































Surgical Wait Times



Surgery



Vascular Surgery

Vascular surgery is the surgical treatment of diseases of the arteries and veins.





1248 3.0 1069











http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=VA (1 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:27 AM]








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetWaitListBySurgSpec?IHospital=130&IEvent=VA









Surgical Wait Times








http://www.swl.hlth.gov.bc.ca/swl/db/swl.WaitlistPkg.GetHospitalListBySurgSpec?IEvent=VA (2 of 2) [9/3/2003 9:23:27 AM]










What is a Wait List?


• What is a wait list?

• What is a wait time?

• What is a reasonable wait time?

• Who goes on a wait list?

• What influences my wait time?

• How are wait times measured?

• How are wait lists managed?



• Methodology

• Disclaimer



A wait list is how doctors and hospitals keep track of people who need specialized medical care, such as heart surgery, MRIs, and hip and knee replacements. There is no single wait list for all British Columbians scheduled for surgery. Patients may wait on a provincial list, a regional list, a hospital list, or an individual doctor's list.

What is a wait time?

A wait time is how long you must wait for a given procedure. It is calculated from the time the procedure is formally booked in the hospital, until it is actually carried out.

What is a reasonable wait time?

Wait times depend on the type of procedure and the circumstances of the individual patient. Standards have been set for a few services, such as pediatric surgery, but at this time little evidence exists to show what a reasonable wait time should be for most surgeries.

Who goes on a wait list?

A patient who needs emergency surgery does not go on a wait list. If you require emergency surgery or treatment, you will receive it without delay. For example, about half of all heart operations in B.C. are done on an emergency basis, with no time spent on a wait list. If you need surgery or treatment that is not an emergency, you will be placed on a wait list.

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/faq.html (1 of 3) [9/3/2003 9:23:46 AM]








What influences my wait time?

Wait times vary from one procedure to another, one specialist to another, and one hospital to another. They can also be affected by factors such as:

● Which specialists your general practitioner feels comfortable referring you to;

● Changes in the capacity of particular hospitals or regions to carry out the procedure;

● How fast your community and region are growing; and ● How popular certain specialists are in your community - some are

backed up for months, while others have shorter wait times.

How are wait times measured?

The Ministry of Health Services maintains the Surgical Wait List Registry to track wait times for a wide variety of surgical procedures at B.C. hospitals. Cancer services and heart surgery are monitored in separate registries.

The Wait List Registry currently covers about 1,100 doctors at 44 of B.C.'s largest hospitals, including larger community hospitals, major referral hospitals and the large teaching hospitals.

Calculating a median wait time in weeks is the standard way to measure a wait time. The median is the point at which one half of the patients have had their surgery, and the other half are still waiting. For example, if a median wait time is four weeks, that means half the patients had their surgery before four weeks, and half the patients will have had their surgery after four weeks.

How are wait times managed?

Responsibility for wait times is shared among the Ministry of Health Services, health authorities, health care providers, and patients.

The B.C. government, through the Ministry of Health Planning and the Ministry of Health Services, sets the overall level of health funding in the province and decides how it will be allocated among health authorities. The Ministries also sets general policy for the health care system in the province and respond where necessary to specific stresses in the system.

Health authorities control the system at the local level by setting budgets



for individual hospitals and health care programs. They decide which resources go to each local health service, and they set priorities aimed at achieving the best possible improvement in health care delivery for local people.

Hospitals decide operating room time and bed availability for each service they provide. These decisions have a big impact on how much surgery can be performed.

Individual physicians determine the urgency of the surgery or treatment needed for each patient.

Patients need good information about their treatments and tests - and the options available to them. For more information, please visit Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor.

Last Revised: September 09, 2002






Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor




• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Questions You Should Ask Your Doctor

Across British Columbia, there are significant variations in the types of medical treatments available and in the rates at which hospitals and doctors perform them.

Medical tests or treatments that require some form of surgery all have varying degrees of risk. These procedures also have varying outcomes in terms of health and quality of life.

So when it comes to your health, it is important to discuss all treatment options with your doctor.

If you are scheduled for surgery or a diagnostic test, you can and should ask your family doctor or your specialist the following questions:

● How necessary and how urgent is this treatment or test?

● When can I expect to have my treatment? Is there any evidence my condition may change while I wait?

● What are the relative risks of the recommended treatment?

● If the specialist or hospital you have referred me to has a lengthy wait times, is there another specialist who can perform my surgery or treatment sooner with the same quality of care?

● If my wait for surgery is likely to be long, could you check the Ministry of Health Services' Surgical Times web site for another surgeon or hospital?


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/options.html [9/3/2003 9:23:52 AM]











Wait List Methodology




• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Wait Times Methodology

The Ministry of Health Services tracks wait times for a variety of surgical procedures at B.C. hospitals. Cancer services and heart surgery are monitored separately through other registries.

The Wait List Registry includes data from about 1,100 doctors at 44 of B.C.'s largest hospitals, including community hospitals, major referral hospitals and the teaching hospitals. The registry includes data for 95 per cent of all of scheduled surgery in the province.

Calculating a median wait time in weeks is the standard way to measure a wait list. The median is the point at which one half of the patients have had their surgery, and the other half are still waiting. For example, if a median wait time is four weeks, that means half the patients have their surgery before four weeks, and half the patients will have their surgery after four weeks.

The provincial median wait times and the wait times listed for individual hospitals and surgeons on this Web site are calculated from the wait times for surgeries and procedures performed over the past three months.

The Ministry of Health Services is working with the British Columbia Medical Association to develop a way of measuring this wait period.


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/methodology.html [9/3/2003 9:23:55 AM]











Disclaimer - Wait List Registry




• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Disclaimer

Information in the Surgical Wait List Registry comes directly from participating hospitals. The accuracy and currency of the registry is entirely dependent on the data hospitals submit. The Ministry of Health Services assumes no liability for the hospital information.

Some hospitals are in the midst of changing their computer systems, resulting in a lag in their wait times reporting. As those hospitals complete their computer upgrades and more hospitals participate in the Surgical Wait List Registry, the database will be expanded.

For some hospitals, the dates for median wait time and the patients waiting differ. This is because those hospitals were unable to submit their data for this full reporting period. The median wait time is always calculated based on the previous three months from the end of the reporting period.


http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/disclaimer.html [9/3/2003 9:23:57 AM]











Privacy Impact Statement - Wait List Registry


• System Overview

• Purpose for Establishing System

• Collection of Data

• Accuracy of Information

• Corrections

• Use

• Disclosure of Information

• Security

• Privacy Impact

• Sign Off

• Appendix A



• Methodology

• Disclaimer


Privacy Impact Statement

System Overview

The Ministry of Health has initiated a project to create a single comprehensive source for wait time data that will be available to physicians and to the public on the Internet. The web site is designed to provide patients and the public with education about wait lists and to ensure patients are reasonably informed about their options.

The Internet site will be accessed through the Ministry of Health public web site. The address will be http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/. The web site allows patients to get data on wait times by surgical category, by hospital, and by surgeon. To complement this information, the ministry will also provide a 1-800 number that patients can call to find out how best to put this information to use. A provincial wait list co-ordinator, and a number of regional co-ordinators have been appointed to oversee this project. The web site will be monitored by the regional co-ordinators, and by ministry staff who will be available to answer patients' questions, and advise them of specialists or hospitals where more timely care might be available.

The original design of the project was to have the information made available to patients and physicians. This information sharing was discussed with the hospitals involved, and the surgeons associated with these hospitals. They expressed no objection at that time. However, when the project was first initiated, in the mid-1990s, the level of information technology did not exist for electronic publication of the information - i.e. a format enabling iterative inquiries. Now that Internet usage has become so widespread, use of this technology is practical.

Purpose for Establishing System

Timely access to surgical procedures is at the core of any health care system. One of the best ways to address the management of wait lists is to provide patients and physicians with access to the information required to manage resources. While it is essential for the ministry to collect this information to fulfil its role of monitoring, evaluating and managing the overall health care system, it is the public and, more particularly,

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physicians who actually manage and influence wait lists and wait times.

No physician in B.C. had, until now, a single, reliable source to check the wait lists of specialists in their region before referring patients for specialized surgery or treatment. Most patients had no way of knowing they had options beyond the name of the single surgeon they were referred to. Patients will now be able to access information which could show them that there may be qualified surgeons who can provide the care they need in a more timely way. The web site will provide patients with the information they require to make informed choices so that they are not being delayed for services unnecessarily.

By providing the public and physicians access to wait times by surgeon, they can assess together the option of being referred to a surgeon who has a shorter wait time, for example, of nine weeks versus a surgeon who has a wait time of 15 weeks. Some individuals may choose to go to a surgeon out of their local area in order to have their surgery sooner. Only the ministry can collect the information province wide and provide it to the public and physicians on a province-wide basis.

Collection of Data

Wait list data has been collected since 1994, from hospitals performing more than 1,000 in-patient and day-care surgeries each year. A complete list of the date elements reported by health authorities is appended to this document. Currently, the ministry collects information from 33 hospitals, and plans to increase this number to approximately 50 hospitals in the next year.

Purpose for Collection

The purpose for collection is to monitor and potentially manage health care services - specifically wait lists and wait times.

Authority for Collection

The Ministry of Health has the authority to collect any personal information contained in wait list data from health authorities under s.26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The information relates directly to and is necessary for an operating program or activity of the ministry.

The Minister of Health derives the mandate to take account of the interests of health and life among the people of British Columbia from the Health Act, and the ministry's wait list registry project is an integral component of



health care management within the province. Wait list management is part of the public accountability process. The need to monitor and manage wait times is a reality in any jurisdiction with a public funded health care system.

How Information is Collected

The Ministry of Health arranges with health authorities to obtain wait list data from their hospitals. The ministry records and aggregates the reported information into the Wait List Registry. Any personal information about third parties that the ministry collects from hospitals is done pursuant to section 27 (1)(b) of the Act, which allows the ministry to collect information that may be released to it by another public body. Hospitals have the authority to release this data to the Ministry of Health for a consistent purpose under section 33 of the Act.

A Provincial Advisory Committee on Access to Care considers and approves the data elements that are collected for the purpose of the Wait List Registry. Members of the committee include physicians, BCMA representatives, health authority representatives, an ethicist, a health economist, Ministry of Health representatives and a member of the public. This group has been advised of the establishment of the new Internet site.

Accuracy of Information

The information collected from health authorities is in electronic format, and is downloaded directly into the Surgical Wait List Registry. There is no modification of the data, so its integrity is maintained. Any errors identified by the ministry are reported back to the hospital, and corrected by the hospital. The ministry receives updated data monthly. The data obtained from health authorities is captured directly from hospitals where it is input by trained hospital staff.

Under the Medical Staff Bylaws of the Hospital Act, it is the individual surgeon who is granted admitting and treatment privileges with particular hospitals. In accordance with these privileges, the surgeons provide hospitals with surgery scheduling information directly (a patient must be registered with a hospital before admission for scheduling of planned, non-emergent surgery). Therefore, there is an unbroken chain of information flow from surgeon to Ministry of Health.

Corrections



The web site contains a statement requesting that any person identifying errors or omissions on the web site inform the ministry. The web site also provides a form which the public and physicians can use to submit requests for correction, or comments. This will provide the ministry with feedback on how to improve the accuracy and usefulness of information on the site.

Use

The ministry uses wait list information supplied by health authorities for the purpose of improving management of health service delivery. Management strategy for wait lists involves utilization analysis to make decisions on funding, re-allocation of resources, physician recruitment, and other practices.

Disclosure of Information

The information to be published on the ministry's Internet site is only a subset of the full data set on which the Wait List Registry is based, and will contain:

● Surgeon names; ● Type of surgery (some specific procedures and some broad

categories); ● Number of patients waiting; and ● Median wait times.

The web site will provide the names of surgeons who work across the province, covering 18 categories of specialized surgeries and treatments, such as cancer services, cardiac surgery, and hip replacements. Each surgeon's wait time for a particular procedure will also be released.

The personal information is to be released by the ministry without specific consent, under section 33(c) of the Act, for a consistent purpose. Section 34 defines consistent purpose as "having a reasonable and direct connection" to the purpose for which the information was originally collected, and "necessary for … operating a legally authorized program of the public body that uses or discloses the information."

Reasonable and Direct Connection

This disclosure is consistent with the purpose for which the information was



collected by the ministry - i.e. the broad management of the health care system, and more specifically the monitoring and management of wait lists and wait times.

Necessity for Operating Program

The release of surgical wait list information is necessary in order to provide patients with information they can use to assess their options. They can then make informed choices to ensure they are not being delayed for services unnecessarily.

Security

The information available on the ministry web site is a discrete subset of the full Wait List Registry. Only the specific information in this subset is downloaded onto the web site server. As there is no link from the downloaded information to additional information, the web site cannot be "hacked into" to mine for more information. This downloading procedure will not change in the future.

Privacy Impact

The web site does not contain any patient identifiers, and its publication should not have any privacy impact on individual patients.

The Central Vancouver Island Health Region has, for some months, released provincial wait list information on the Internet. It is too early to judge whether the expected positive results have been achieved. However, there have been no complaints about invasion of privacy related to their Internet site.

Physician names, and their areas of specialization, are already publicly available through the Ministry of Health or the College of Physicians and Surgeons. In essence, the wait list number associated with each surgeon is the only "new" information that has not previously been made public. There is no anticipated harm to individual surgeons through the release of this information. The invasion of privacy is minimal, and in the public interest.

In assessing the invasion of privacy, it is helpful to look to section 22 of the Act. The release of wait list information can be said not to constitute an unreasonable invasion of privacy on grounds analogous to section 22(4)(e) of the Act, which states that it is not an unreasonable invasion of personal



privacy, if the information released is "about the third party's position, functions, or remuneration as an officer, employee or member of the public body". Surgeons operate in publicly funded hospitals, and thus can be said to play a role comparable to a "member of a public body."

Sign Off

I have reviewed and approve the Privacy Impact Assessment.

David Kelly Deputy Minister

Appendix A

Data Elements Downloaded from Hospitals

Patient Demographics

Name Address Date of Birth Gender Place of residence (by postal code) Personal Health Number

Physician Demographics

Name Medical Services Plan number (for identifying specialty) Specialty under which hospital privileges have been granted

Procedure

Procedure code (taken from list of 88 procedure codes from Canadian Classification of Diagnostic, Therapeutic and Surgical Procedures published by Statistics Canada) Specialty of surgeon Specialty of procedure Date procedure booked with hospital



Date procedure added to wait list Date procedure removed from wait list Reason procedure removed from wait list Specific information from general comment field (most often contains details of surgery such as "right or left side of body") Level of care required (whether procedure is in-patient or day-care)

Last Revised: July 29, 2002






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