Ontario expanding number of private clinics that can perform OHIP surgeries

The Ontario government will allow even more private clinics to perform surgical and diagnostic procedures in an effort to reduce wait times.

The announcement, made Wednesday by Health Minister Sylvia Jones, expands on legislation passed in May that allows for-profit and not-for –profit clinics to conduct surgeries covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). The procedures covered include cataract surgeries, MRI and CT scans, minimally invasive gynecological surgeries, and knee and hip replacements.

Jones said that more than 900 community surgical and diagnostic centres are operating in Ontario to date.

Beginning in spring 2024, the government will give more centres the green light to conduct these surgeries. Jones said this will allow for additional MRI and CT scans, GI endoscopies and orthopedic surgeries to be completed.

Jones did not say how many more clinics will be licenced to perform these surgeries.

"We will continue to monitor where the highest wait times for diagnostic or surgery is to make sure that as we plan out the expansion, we are,very laser focussed on making sure that we get the services in the communities that have the highest wait times and have the highest need," she told reporters.

The minister also named Accreditation Canada as the inspecting body responsible for ensuring quality and safety standards.

Previously the government had said the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and the College of Midwives of Ontario would act as inspecting bodies for the program.

Leslee Thompson, CEO of Accreditation Canada, the province has requested these clinics are upheld to the same standards as hospital, and that requires “a full team effort” rather than specific physician oversight.

Consultations with health-care partners on the new oversight program will begin over the next few weeks, the province said.

Accreditation Canada will begin their mandate on April 1.

1 IN 10 PATIENTS WAIT 40 HOURS FOR HOSPITAL BEDS: REPORT

Jones’ announcement comes as Ontario hospitals warn of higher-than-usual patient numbers and longer wait times in emergency rooms.

An internal Ontario Health report obtained by CTV News shows that about 10 per cent of patients waited more than 40 hours to get a bed once admitted in the ER.

“In short, this data reflects the Premier and Minister’s inability to create positive change in our healthcare system. It shows that we can only trust them to worsen it,” Ontario Liberal Health Critic Adil Shamji said in a statement.

“What worries me is that hospital and healthcare pressures are peaking later in the year, and so this data from November will only look worse as it catches up to the realities patients are facing in emergency departments right now.”

Ontario saw a peak of influenza and COVID-19 over the holiday season in December. In early January, the province’s test positivity rate is just over 19 per cent for the coronavirus, whereas influenza has a test positivity of under 10 per cent.

A “high” positivity rate for COVID-19 has been classified as being between 17 and 25 per cent.

The patient wait time data within the internal report paints a more startling picture compared to public information published by Health Quality Ontario—however even those numbers show slowly increasing wait times.

Health Quality Ontario says patients on average waited just over 22 hours in an emergency room for a bed once admitted.

Just 23 per cent of patients were admitted to hospital from emergency within the target time of eight hours, the November data shows. Wait times haven’t been this high since November 2022.

This was the concern some experts had about putting the onus on private clinics to reduce wait times. A report by the left-leaning think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives suggests an expansion in this sector will worsen staffing shortages within the public sector.

“Ontario does not lack the physical space and equipment to improve wait times for surgeries and medical imaging; what is missing is the health-care workforce necessary to do the work,” the report notes. “When surgeries and diagnostics are outsourced, the public and for-profit sectors compete for a limited pool of specialized health-care professionals.”

When asked about the lengthy wait times, Jones admitted it was unacceptable while citing investments that would provide hospitals with the resources they need.

“Some of the wait times absolutely are concerning, but some are because they are waiting for a hospital bed to become available within the facility,” Jones said, referencing a program that would see seniors moved to long-term care homes not of their choosing in an effort to free up beds for hospital patients.

“All of these programs are as a result of conversations and input from our hospital partners, and we'll continue to do that. The work is not done.”