Wait time from primary to specialty care: a trend analysis from Edmonton, Canada

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Healthcare Management
• Medical Informatics

Background:

• Medical wait time is a significant health policy concern in Canada.
• Limited reliable data exists on referral wait times from primary to specialty care, with existing data often self-reported by specialists.
• The Edmonton North Primary Care Network (PCN) established a centralized referral program in 2008.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in referral wait times from 2009 to 2011.
• To assess the effectiveness of a centralized referral program in managing wait times.
• To identify specific areas for improving referral efficiency.

Main Methods:

• A trend analysis was conducted on referral wait times using data from a centralized referral program database.
• The database included 33,281 referrals made between 2009 and 2011.
• Wait time was defined as the period from a family physician's referral to a specialist appointment date.

Main Results:

• Overall referral wait times decreased year over year from 2009 to 2011.
• The proportion of referrals accepted on the first attempt improved during the study period.
• The study provided comprehensive wait time data for 22 different specialties.

Conclusions:

• The centralized referral program demonstrated a positive impact on reducing medical wait times.
• Improvements were observed in both the duration of wait times and referral acceptance rates.
• Further opportunities for optimizing referral wait times were identified, suggesting ongoing system enhancements are possible.