Health News For Elgin

Ontario is once again a national leader in reducing wait times for five priority health services, according to a new report card issued by the Wait Time Alliance (WTA).

For the fourth consecutive year, the WTA gave Ontario straight A's for meeting performance targets in reducing wait times in five areas: hip replacements, knee replacements, cataract surgery, radiation oncology and cardiac services. Ontario was the only province to receive A's in all five areas.

The report also recognized Ontario as the leader in reporting on emergency department and paediatric wait times. Ontario also gets the top mark for its wait times reporting web site.

This is the sixth annual report card from the WTA, which is comprised of several national medical specialty societies, including the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the Canadian Association of Radiologists, whose members are directly involved in providing care to patients.

Quote:

"This report card shows that we are on the right path to reducing wait times and ensuring access to health care for all Ontarians. I'm very proud of our wait times record and we will continue to build on that success."

– Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

Quick Facts:

• Since 2005, Ontario has achieved significant wait time reductions in the following areas: Cancer surgery - 31 per cent or 25 days; Cataract surgery - 61 per cent or 188 days; Hip replacement - 48 per cent or 167 days; Knee replacement - 51 per cent or 223 days; CT scans - 62 per cent or 50 days
• Ontario currently reports on wait times for over 190 different procedures and diagnostic exams