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Frequently Asked QuestionsThe following are some commonly asked questions about wait lists and wait times.
A wait list is how doctors and hospitals track and schedule people who need specialized medical care, such as heart surgery, MRIs, and hip and knee joint replacements.
There is no single wait list for all British Columbians scheduled for surgery. People may be placed on a provincial list (e.g. Transplant Services), a regional list (e.g. Open Heart Surgery), a hospital list (e.g. for a CT Scan), or an individual doctor's list (e.g. for Hip Joint Replacement Surgery), depending on the kind of surgical or medical service required.
A wait time is how long an individual waits for a surgery or other procedure. It is calculated from the time the procedure is booked in the hospital until it is completed or medical issue resolved.
Wait times depend on the type of procedure and the circumstances of the individual. A patient's surgical priority is determined by a patient's medical status as assessed by the surgeon and other physicians involved in their care. By providing treatment based on clinical assessment, medical practitioners ensure those patients requiring immediate or urgent treatment receive it.
An individual who needs emergency surgery does not go on a wait list and is treated without delay.
For example, about half of all heart or cardiac surgeries in B.C. are done on an emergency basis, with no time spent on a wait list.
If you need surgery or treatment that is not an emergency, you will be placed on a wait list.
Wait times vary for procedures and hospitals. In addition to the circumstances of the individual patient, wait times can also depend on factors such as:
To find out how wait times are measured, please refer to the
Wait times methodology page.
Responsibility for wait times is shared among the Ministry of Health Services, health authorities, health care providers, and individual patients.
The Ministry of Health Services provides health funding to B.C.'s health authorities. The ministry also establishes provincial policy, legislation and guidelines for the health system.
Health authorities are responsible for the planning and delivery of health services in the regions and communities.
In the health system, hospitals coordinate operating room time and bed availability for each service and procedure. Physicians assess individual's needs and the urgency of the surgery or treatment. If you need further information on care options, treatments and tests, see Questions to ask your doctor.
There is not one provincial wait list for all patients. Depending on the type of surgery or procedure, regions, hospitals and doctors will have their own wait lists. Wait times vary for patients depending on the hospital or the doctor performing the procedure. These also depend on a patient’s urgency and need for care. Patients who need emergency surgery are not put on a wait list. The surgery is performed immediately. Patients who need non-emergency care are assessed by their specialist. The doctor determines the urgency and need for care, severity of the illness and the potential harm to the patient if treatment is delayed for a period of time. Patients are then scheduled on a wait list based on the urgency and their medical need.
More funding alone will not result in shorter waits times. Long-term changes, such as the development of clearly defined standards for treatment, will help ensure patients get the most appropriate and timely care. The Ministry of Health Services is working in partnership with physicians to develop targets for safe and acceptable wait times for a range of hospital-based surgeries and procedures. Wait time targets are already in place for key priority surgical areas such as cardiac surgery, cataract surgery, hip and knee joint replacement surgery, hip fracture fixation surgery and cancer treatment.
All surgeons are evaluated for training, skills and competence, both when they are licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. and when they are granted privileges to practice at a hospital. Some surgeons may have longer wait times because they receive more referrals from family doctors or share operating time in a hospital with a greater demand for operating room resources. In addition, some surgeons may perform fewer procedures or choose to work fewer hours in a period of time.
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