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Ontario Wait Times

Wait Times Targets

Ontario has set target dates to reach wait time benchmarks announced by Provincial and Territorial health ministers in December 2005.

Service Area	Wait Time Targets	Target Date
Cataract surgery	Within 26 weeks	Achieved 90% within Target
Cardiac Bypass Surgery	Within 26 weeks	Achieved
Radiation Therapy	Within four weeks of patient being ready to treat	90% within target by March 2009
Hip Fracture	Within 48 hours	90% within target by March 2009
Hip and Knee Replacements	Within 26 weeks	Achieved 90% within target

Ontario is working with Cancer Care Ontario to develop an integrated screening strategy for breast and cervical cancer screening. The strategy will include screening targets and dates to reach the benchmarks for breast cancer screening and cervical cancer screening.

Ontario has developed wait time targets for the optimal length of time within which a patient should be treated. These wait time targets were developed with the help of clinical experts and serve as a method of accountability and provide a goal to achieve. These targets include urgency classifications and are incorporated in the provincial Wait Times Information System.

The data published on this website represent all non-emergency patients who received these services. Clinicians assess each patient and determine how urgent their need for treatment is, and as a result the wait times may be very different for a patient who requires surgery but is medically stable and able to wait at home and a patient who is classified as urgent and requires surgery as soon as possible to prevent their condition from worsening.

Service Area	Pan-Canadian Benchmarks - Announced Dec 12, 2005	Ontario's targets (in weeks)
Cataract Surgery	16 weeks for patients at risk (which correlates with Ontario's PIII priority rating)	Priority I: Immediate Priority II: 6 weeks Priority III: 12 weeks Priority IV: 26 weeks
Hip/Knee Replacement	26 weeks	PI: Immediate PII: 6 weeks PIII: 12 weeks PIV: 26 weeks
Cardiac-Bypass Surgery	No benchmarks Level 1: 2 weeks Level 2: 6 weeks Level 3: 26 weeks	PI: Immediate PII: 2 weeks PIII: 6 weeks PIV: 26 weeks
MRI/CT Scans	No benchmarks	PI: Immediate PII: 48 hours PIII: 2 - 10 days PIV: 4 weeks
Cancer Surgery	No benchmarks	PI: Immediate PII: 2 weeks PIII: 4 weeks PIV: 12 weeks

Ontario has established the wait time access targets for general, orthopaedic and ophthalmic surgeries.

GENERAL SURGERY TARGETS

Priority Level	General Surgery Priority Descriptions	Access Target
1	Immediate – emergency surgery required	Within 24 hours
2	Constant, frequent or severe pain/symptoms (biological, psychological); Significantly impacts ability to perform usual activities; High probability of disease progression with morbidity that might affect function or life expectancy; Recurring unscheduled visits i.e. ED/primary care physician/surgeon	Within 4 weeks
3	Mild or occasional pain/symptoms (biological, psychological); Minimally or moderately impacts ability to perform usual activities; Low probability of disease progression with morbidity that might affect function or life expectancy; Minimal unscheduled visits i.e. ED/primary care physician/surgeon	Within 12 weeks
4	Elective indication for surgery; Minimal risk of morbidity incurred by waiting	Within 26 weeks

ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY TARGETS

Priority Level	General Surgery Priority Descriptions	Access Target
1	Surgery is urgently required i.e. fractures, tendon/ligament injury, significant joint derangement	Within 1 week
2	Severe pain that actively affects role and independence; High probability of disease progression and morbidity affecting function	Within 6 weeks
3	Moderate pain; Disability is a threat to role and independence; Disease progression is moderate	Within 12 weeks
4	Minimal pain; disability does not threaten role and independence; Disease progression is minimal	Within 26 weeks

OPHTHALMIC SURGERY TARGETS

Priority Level	General Surgery Priority Descriptions	Access Target
1	Immediate surgery required to preserve sight or prevent secondary damage	Within 24 hours
2	Significantly impacts ability to perform usual activities; High probability of disease progression that might affect ocular function or result in compromised surgical outcome; Constant, frequent or severe pain/symptoms (biological, psychological)	Within 6 weeks
3	Moderately impacts ability to perform usual activities; Moderate probability of disease progression that might affect ocular function or result in compromised surgical outcome; Moderate or occasional pain/symptoms (biological, psychological)	Within 12 weeks
4	Elective indication for surgery; Minimally impacts ability to perform usual activities; Minimal risk of morbidity incurred by waiting	Within 26 weeks

Other Ophthalmic Surgery Targets

Priority Level	Cataract	Corneal Transplant	Glaucoma	Vitrectomy
1	Within 24 hours	Within 24 hours	Within 24 hours	Within 24 hours
2	Within 6 weeks	Within 4 weeks	Within 2 weeks	Within 1 week
3	Within 12 weeks	Within 12 weeks	Within 6 weeks	Within 6 weeks
4	Within 26 weeks	Within 26 weeks	Within 16 weeks	Within 12 weeks

Clinical Targets :

Clinical targets were developed in conjunction with surgeons, clinicians and administrators across Ontario to help hospitals work towards managing, prioritizing and improving the delivery of care for all surgical services.