Saskatchewan's new system tracks surgical waits
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* Amy Jo Ehman

*   © 2004 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors

While other provinces juggle waiting lists and frustrated patients, Saskatchewan is implementing the country's first comprehensive system to rate and track all patients waiting for surgery. Target waiting times have also been set.

Established 2 years ago, the Saskatchewan Surgical Care Network will complete its province-wide list, which includes the name of the surgeon, the hospital, the type of surgery and how long the patient has been waiting, by the end of May. 

No matter where patients live or who their surgeon is, under the new system patients will be rated on a common scale between 1 and 6 depending on how quickly they should receive surgery. “We no longer talk about emergency. That's priority 1,” says Peter Glynn, chair of the network. Priority 1 patients receive surgery within 24 hours. Priority 2, urgent cases, should receive surgery within 3 weeks. Those with the lowest elective rating, priority 6, should receive surgery within 12 months.

The government says the new system is more equitable and will reduce waiting times. 

Initially, the network is concentrating on 2 patient categories: those waiting for cancer surgery and those who have been waiting the longest overall. The goal is to complete 95% of cancer surgeries within 3 weeks, and to complete all surgeries for patients who have been waiting longer than 18 months. 

Last year, a Fraser Institute survey indicated that Saskatchewan had the longest average waiting time for surgery in the country, at close to 30 weeks. 

“There are people who have been waiting much too long [for surgery],” says Glynn. “We are expecting the regional health authorities to become much more responsible for access to surgical care and to use this information to monitor performance.”

The wait for surgery can vary depending on the surgeon and the location. Now information about waiting times in each location is posted at [www.sasksurgery.ca](http://www.sasksurgery.ca), so physicians can choose where to refer their patients. “Physicians have been pleading for this information,” says Glynn. 

He says Saskatchewan's network operates much like similar projects in other provinces, including the cataract initiative in Manitoba. In March, Saskatchewan allocated $2.5 million to the initiative. — *Amy Jo Ehman*, Saskatoon