This time represents the percentage of patients whose appointment was completed within the access target for the surgical service area being reported.  In this case, the higher the percentage completed, the better.

Priority levels and access targets are the recommended maximum wait times for wait time to see a surgeon and wait time to surgery.

Priority levels and access targets were created by a Provincial Clinical Expert Panel (Physicians, Clinicians and Healthcare Administrators) based on clinical evidence and are designed to help guide decision making; and, prioritize, manage and improve patient access to services. 

The percentage of patients who had their appointment with the surgeon within the provincial target time represents the ability of the health system to provide patients with the care they need in a timely way. 

Public reporting

Timely

Process

1. This indicator is only collected for patients who have completed their surgery. That is, for patients who do not proceed to surgery or for those who have not yet completed their surgery, this indicator is not available. 2. This indicator is reported not at the surgeon level but rather at the level of the facility where the procedure took place. 3. Ninety among 114 surgical facilities in Ontario report surgical wait times to the WTIS; the remaining 24 facilities do not receive wait time funding for reporting and so do not report wait times. 4. Hospitals with small volumes will be more severely impacted by extreme waits. For example, an unusually long or short wait time for a single patient in a reporting period for hospitals that do not treat a lot of patients (e.g., a small hospital performing cataract surgery) will have a greater impact on the percentage of patients who were seen within target time. 5. Since Wait Time data is reported at the hospital corporation or facility level, facilities with multiple sites will be reported together even though data is collected at each site. Wait Times may also vary by surgeon which will not be apparent in this data as it is reported at the institution level rather than individual surgeon. 6. There are other factors that affect wait times for a surgical procedure or diagnostic exam that do not relate to a hospital’s efficiency, to a particular doctor or the availability of resources. They include: a. Patient Choice – a patient with a non-life-threatening condition may choose a non-surgical treatment or may decide to delay treatment for personal or family reasons to a more convenient time. b. Patient Condition – a patient’s condition may need to improve before the surgery or exam takes place. c. Follow-up Care – a patient who has an existing condition may be pre-booked for a follow-up treatment or exam a long time in advance. d. Treatment Complexity – a patient with special requirements may need specific equipment or a certain kind of facility and there is a delay until these can be scheduled.

If patient unavailable dates fall outside the referral date up until the date of the appointment, the patient unavailable dates are not deducted from the patient's wait days. These are considered data entry errors.

20/11/2018 15:37:00