Measuring Wait Times for Orthopedic Surgeries

Priority levels and target wait times for orthopedic surgeries in Ontario are set by surgeons, specialists and health care administrators across the province, based on clinical evidence, to guide treatment decisions and to improve patient access and outcomes.

Wait times for orthopedic surgeries, including knee replacements and hip replacements, in Ontario are measured and reported for two periods. (Data excludes patients who did not have the surgery after their first appointment with a surgeon.)

Time to patient's first orthopedic surgical appointment: How long the patient waits from a surgeon or central intake office receiving the referral from the patient's doctor, to the patient's first orthopedic surgical appointment.

Time from decision to having orthopedic surgery: How long the patient waits from deciding with the surgeon to proceed with the surgery, to having the orthopedic surgery.

Priority level of the patient's condition	Clinical description	Target time* from patient’s first orthopedic appointment	Target time** from decision to having orthopedic surgery
Priority 1	Surgery is urgently required to address significant joint derangement	Not included in wait times data	Patient has surgery within 1 week of decision
Priority 2	High probability of disease/disability progression and morbidity affecting function	Patient sees surgeon within 30 days of referral received	Patient has surgery within 7 - 42 days of decision
Priority 3	The progress of the disability or disease is moderate	Patient sees surgeon within 90 days of referral received	Patient has surgery within 56 - 84 days of decision
Priority 4	Risk of disease progression impacting mobility/function	Patient sees surgeon within 182 days of referral received	Patient has surgery within 182 days of decision

*The target time within which 9 out of 10 patients are seen.

**The target time within which 9 out of 10 patients are treated.

See what this means for patients

Measurement Numbers for Orthopedic Surgery Wait Times

Data for the wait times for orthopedic surgeries in Ontario is reported using these measurement numbers:

The average number of days patients waited; a lower number is better.
The percentage of patients seen, or treated, within the target time; a higher percentage is better.