Nearly 10% of Vitalité surgery patients wait more than a year, 'multiple reasons' cited
Cataract, hip and knee surgeries among the longest wait times, data shows
Nearly 10 per cent of surgery patients within the Vitalité Health Network are waiting more than a year for their procedures, data for the second quarter shows.
Dr. Natalie Banville, senior vice-president of client programs, intrahospital services and medical affairs, could not immediately say how many patients that represents.
But Vitalité's target is to have no one wait more than a year, based on best practices.
The percentage of "long-waiters" has nearly doubled from 4.9 per cent in 2023-24, and is also up from 6.6 per cent the previous fiscal year. Emergency surgeries are not included.
Banville attributes the increase largely to a growing number of surgical requests, which she said correlates with the rising population in Vitalité's service areas.
"It's multiple reasons," she said. "Sometimes it's equipment availability, patient availability, beds availability, patient condition. … We cannot pinpoint one reason."
Patients waiting the longest include cataract surgeries, hip and knee replacements, and dental surgeries, according to Banville. They might get bumped back by more acute surgeries, such as for cancer, she said.
"So it's all a calculation to give the [operating room] time accordingly to the patient that needs it the most."
Best access in Campbellton region
Those in the Edmundston region, Zone 4, are faring the worst, with 19 per cent waiting longer than a year, the second quarter data shows.
In the Bathurst region, Zone 6, it's 6.5 per cent, followed by the Moncton region, Zone 1, at six per cent, and the Campbellton region, Zone 5, at 1.6 per cent.
Regional performance varies due to several factors, including the number of surgeons available, the volume of surgical requests and the number of staffed OR rooms, said Banville.
The Campbellton region "has fewer surgeons, which allows for more operating room time per surgeon, resulting in better access to surgical procedures," she said.
Meanwhile, more than half of those waiting longest are in the Edmundston region, according to Banville, and most of them are cataract patients.
A partnership struck last summer with a private ophthalmology clinic is helping to whittle down that backlog, she said.
"Right now we're more at six per cent. And it's going to continue to decrease," she said.
Hip and knee surgery waits improved, but still over target
Vitalité is also off-target for hip and knee surgeries, the online dashboard shows.
Only 68.4 per cent of hip surgeries and 63.4 per cent of knee surgeries were performed within 182 days.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information recommends 85 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively.
Banville said some patients are waiting as long as 400 days, but noted the situation have improved since last fiscal when only 54 per cent of hip surgeries and 49 per cent of knee surgeries were completed "on time."
"What I can tell you [is] right now in Vitalité, at today's date, we only have 24 patients that are … waiting for more than a year for hip and knee. At the same time last year, we had 40."
Vitalité has several initiatives in the works, she said, including a central intake.
"We're going to try to … distribute the patient where the wait is the shortest, if the patient's willing to travel."
For example there are no patients waiting long for hip and knee surgeries in the Edmundston and Campbellton areas right now, Banville said. "So if the patient wants to pass faster, he can."
Surgeons may also travel to the areas with the greatest need, she said.
Access managers have also made a "significant difference," by prioritizing patients waiting longer than the target times and improving scheduling, said Banville.
Other efforts to shorten waits
In addition, Vitalité will soon launch a centralized and automated management system for orthopedic referrals for hip and knee osteoarthritis, she said.
This will streamline patient care by ensuring patients undergo a comprehensive preparation program, including physiotherapy and consultations with a care co-ordinator, before being referred for surgery, ensuring only those who are ready are placed on the surgical list.
"This approach aims to improve patient outcomes by accelerating recovery times, reducing hospital stays, and optimizing the referral process to specialists," said Banville.
"It will also standardize patient management across the system, ensuring an equitable distribution of cases among surgeons and enhancing overall care delivery."
