Wait times stable at 6 months, for non-emergency MRIs in Yukon

Wait times for an MRI scan at the Whitehorse General Hospital have stabilized at around six months, for non-urgent cases. Patients needing a follow-up are now being booked for May — nine months away.

Yukon's only MRI machine has been operating since last year. Physicians immediately began taking advantage of it, to diagnose their patients. 

"We've been able to improve access to care with the MRI, and we've been able to reduce wait times from what was previously seen by patients having to be sent down south," said Jason Bilsky, CEO of the Yukon Hospital Corporation.

"Previous to having the MRI here closer to home, wait times were probably in the neighbourhood of 12 months to 18 months for non-urgent scans."

Bilsky believes the wait times in Yukon are acceptable, noting that other Canadians often wait longer for an MRI. 

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Before the territory had its own machine, Yukoners underwent about 700 scans a year, Bilsky said. They now undergo about 2,100 scans per year, in Whitehorse.

What accounts for the jump in MRI scans? Bilsky says there could be a couple of factors. 

"Before, we may have been using a different diagnostic tool here like a CT, possibly. [An MRI] is a more appropriate tool in certain circumstances where you don't want to use any radiation or anything like that," he said.

The other factor may be more straightforward — it's now available closer to home.