By David Wiercigroch and Caberry Weiyang Yu aging, ALC, alternate level care, Canadian healthcare system, Elderly, elderly support, healthcare system, hospital beds, hospital wait times, long-term care, wait times
Solving long hospital wait times requires a fundamental shift in the way we care for the elderly Hospital overcrowding is not a new issue. Limited bed spaces have plagued Ontario hospitals for years and are increasingly straining our system. Not only are long wait times become a shameful expectation when patients arrive in the emergency […]
By David R. Urbach Canada healthcare, Canadian medicare, Health care costs, healthcare system, hospital wait times, medicare, surgical wait times, wait times
How to shorten hospital wait times in Canada Long wait times are the vulnerable soft underbelly of the Canadian health system. Canadians treasure our single-payer, publicly funded program of physician and hospital care, virtually as a defining part of our national identity. And yet, increasing legal and political pressure over quick access to elective surgeries […]
By Clare Liddy and Erin Keely Canadian healthcare, eConsult, patients, practice, referrals, research, surgical wait times, wait times, waiting for car
A version of this commentary appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, the Vancouver Province and the Hill Times It all started when the two of us sat down over a cup of coffee. As a family physician and endocrinologist, we stand on opposite sides of a large chasm called patient wait times, and we both started […]
By Yoni Freedhoff Canadian healthcare, eConsult, patients, practice, referrals, research, surgical wait times, wait times, waiting for car
There’s no denying that the food environment influences the diets of Canadian families, and that food industry marketing is part of that environment. Canadian children are now developing chronic diseases that were almost exclusively seen in adults when I went to medical school a few decades back. There has been a big shift in our […]
By Alan Katz and Jennifer Enns emergency care, Emergency department, emergency room, wait times, Waiting for care, x-rays
New study sheds light on an old problem A version of this commentary appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press and the Huffington Post Emergency departments in Canada are very busy places. Every year, Canadians make about 16 million visits to emergency rooms and more than one million Canadians are admitted to hospital through emergency departments. Given […]
The inconsistencies of Canadian healthcare
By Robert Brown hip replacement, seniors, seniors assistance, surgical wait times, wait times
Are wait times for hip replacements in Canada justified — or could they be shortened? I spent my life teaching actuarial science at a university. As a result, I calculated lots of numbers: averages, expected values, variances. But, they were only numbers. What I didn’t see was the individual human story behind each calculation. […]
By Nick Mohtadi Alberta, Alberta health minister, Alberta’s private MRI clinics, back pain, Choosing Wisely Canada, efficiency, Health care costs, Health care costs and spending, medial tests, MRI wait list, Stephen Mandel, unecessary tests, wait times
Value for money appears to be finally getting the attention it merits as Alberta’s new health minister, Stephen Mandel, takes the reins of the portfolio that is close to consuming 50% of the province’s operating budget.
By Neeta das McMurtry Canada, elective surgery, health data, hospital, Private health care, private insurance, Privatization, public health care, surgery, surgical wait times, wait times, Waiting for care, waiting list
Public opinion polls show many Canadians worry about surgical wait times. Anecdotal media reports and heated political debates encourage this worry. But the question remains: Are Canadians waiting too long for surgery?