Innovative Patient Care at Victoria Hospital
Victoria Hospital is putting patients first with an innovative patient care program for orthopedic surgery. Recognizing that established protocols are no longer adequate, orthopedic specialists are sharing patient referrals. This means patients can choose to take the next available appointment, reducing their wait time for surgery.
The Department of Orthopedics at Victoria Hospital has four orthopedic specialists. The process, called ‘pooled referrals’, gives patients the option of seeing the first available specialist who is qualified to treat their condition.
Pooled referrals are part of the provincial government's commitment to improving access to surgical care through the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative (SkSI). This is a four-year plan to improve surgical patients' experiences and reduce wait times. Wait times to see a specialist have been identified as one of the “bottlenecks” in the surgical care system.
I commend these surgeons for working with the Ministry of Health to introduce this new option for patients in northern Saskatchewan. Clearly, their goal is to be patient-focused and to improve quality of care.
Residents of Prince Albert and area will soon benefit further when general surgeons in Prince Albert begin pooling referrals later this spring.
The SkSI is working to provide all patients with the opportunity to have surgery within three months by 2014. More information is available at www.health.gov.sk.ca/surgical-initiative.