| Ontario Health - Cancer Care Ontario's Data Book - 2021-2022 |
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Updated in December 2018
Introduction
CCO was appointed to lead the development and deployment of Ontario’s Wait Time Information System (WTIS) to standardize wait time tracking and to provide information to support wait time reporting and management. Access to Care (ATC), within CCO, is the service delivery agent for the Wait Time and ER/ALC Information Strategies on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Since 2006, ATC has been a recognized provincial leader in transforming Ontario’s healthcare landscape through the design, implementation and management of provincial IM/IT initiatives that support the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Wait Time Strategy and ER/ALC Strategy. ATC provides leadership, technology development, information system deployment and informatics services to create information and knowledge that informs Ontario health system policy makers, administrators and providers across priority areas including:
Surgery Wait Times and Efficiencies
ATC measures, manages, and reports on 58 surgical wait time data elements for over 5.3 million procedures since 2005 from over 3,200 surgeons at 91 facilities and 122 sites across the province. In near real time, the WTIS currently captures and reports on wait times for surgical procedures (both Wait 1 and Wait 2). Wait 1 is defined as the amount of time that the patient waits for a first consultation with a clinician. It is measured from the time the referral is received to the date the first consultation with a clinician occurs. Wait 2, is defined as the amount of time that the patient waits for surgical procedures. For surgical procedures, Wait 2 is measured from the Decision to Treat Date to the date the procedure is performed. The collection of surgical data builds a comprehensive picture of performance at the provincial, regional, hospital, and surgeon-level is available in near real-time. Reports are generated for multiple stakeholders, including monthly public reporting of provincial and hospital level performance.
*Please note though ATC collects Surgical Efficiencies Target Program data, it is not part of the WTIS data set.
Diagnostic Imaging (DI) Wait Times and Efficiencies
ATC captures, manages, and reports on DI wait times and efficiencies from 84 healthcare facilities to better understand how the system is performing and contributing to improved access to care for patients. Interactive monthly wait times performance reports are generated for multiple stakeholders with DI Wait Times data being publically reported. Performance Dashboard reports include the following key performance metric categories: Wait Time, Performance and Demand, Utilization Efficiency and Complexity. The WTIS currently captures and reports on wait times for diagnostic imaging procedures for Wait 2. Wait 2, is defined as the amount of time that the patient waits for diagnostic imaging procedures. For diagnostic imaging scans, Wait 2 is measured from the Order Received Date and Time to the Actual Service Date and Time (when the scan is performed).
Alternate Level of Care (ALC)
ATC measures, manages, and reports on 192 ALC data elements from 186 healthcare sites, including acute and post-acute facilities. ALC is the designation given by a physician to a patient who is occupying a bed in a hospital while not requiring the intensity of resources or services provided in that particular care setting. ALC patients are often not discharged because the appropriate level of care they require is not available when needed.
The WTIS captures Wait 3 and Wait 4 ALC wait times. Wait 3 is defined as the date and time a patient has been designated as ALC in an acute care hospital bed to the date and time of discharge. Wait 4 is defined as the date and time a patient has been designated as ALC in a post-acute care hospital bed to the date and time of discharge. The availability of ALC wait time information provides, the ministry, LHINs, CCAC and hospitals with more robust data that can be used to enable evidence-based decision-making across the continuum of care.