More private clinics to offer scans and surgeries in Ontario

The Ontario government plans to increase the number of private clinics licensed for imagining scans and surgeries as a way to reduce wait times.

Beginning in spring 2024, more centres will offer MRI/CT scans, GI endoscopies and orthopedic surgeries, said Sylvia Jones, deputy premier and minister of health, during a press conference at GNMI Medical imaging in Mississauga today (Jan. 17).

The services will be covered under OHIP, Jones said.

Jones didn’t specify where or how many new centres might open.

“Our focus in the first expansion will be on hips and knees and 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-focused on making sure that we get the services in the communities that have the highest wait time and have the highest need,” she said.

When asked how the government is dealing with lengthening wait times and other issues in hospital emergency departments, Jones indicated adding services outside of hospitals will reduce stressors.

“We’re making sure that we have more robust community services available so that they don’t automatically and only have to go to an ED,” Jones said. “…our government is expanding community surgical and diagnostic centres so we can reduce wait times by doing more surgeries in state-of-the-art, convenient and safe facilities, always paid for by your OHIP card never your credit card.”

Jones also announced that Accreditation Canada will be the inspection body responsible for the oversight of the more than 900 community surgical and diagnostic centres in Ontario plus all future centres, effective April 1, 2024.

Accreditation Canada is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization that is currently the accreditation body for hospitals.

The Ontario government chose Accreditation Canada rather than the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario because accrediting heath centres is more comprehensive than the physician oversight the college does, said Leslee J. Thompson, CEO, Health Standards Organization and Accreditation Canada.

“As the largest, most comprehensive, not-for-profit provider of independent assessments to public and private health care organizations in Canada, we bring over 65 years of experience in setting health care standards and conducting independent, third-party assessments focused on quality and safety of patient care,” Thompson said.

For more on Ontario’s changes to healthcare, see the webpage here.

Photo: Charlss GonzHu