CIHI reports on wait times for priority procedures

In the 2004 10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, first ministers identified wait times reduction as a top priority for the Canadian health system. 

This week, CIHI released a report outlining progress on wait times in five out of eight priority procedures, namely:

• Radiation therapy for cancer 
• Cardiac bypass surgery 
• Hip and knee replacements 
• Hip fracture repair 
• Cataract surgery 

The report offers both good news and bad. For example, more joint replacement procedures are being performed, but the proportion of Canadians receiving surgery within the recommended timeframes has not improved. Patients waiting for knee replacement are least likely to have their surgery within the benchmarked time.

Wait times for Priority Procedures in Canada, 2013, CIHI

We report on wait times, most recently in our Progress Report 2011; this Spring, we’ll update you through Progress Report 2013. In the summer we’ll have more, as we release a video series on wait times challenges and innovative practices in Canada through our Health Innovation Portal and online.