Greetings from the team at PhysioNorth!
You have been sent this letter as we have still not been able to book you in for your treatment. You are still on our waiting list. To try to manage our waitlist we are reaching out to patients to confirm they still need to be treated for their referral. You may also have questions in regard to waitlist times and we have included commonly asked questions.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON WAIT TIMES
What is a wait time?
A wait time is the amount of time a patient has to wait for their first appointment with a physiotherapist to start their treatment.
What is a waitlist?
A wait list is a list of people who are waiting for treatment. They are waiting because the number of people who need the treatment is greater than the number of appointments or physiotherapists available to provide that treatment in their area.
A wait list helps prioritize patient care. A patient whose condition is considered critical will be treated before patients with less severe injuries, for example, surgical patients will be treated as quickly as possible.
Who goes on a waitlist?
Except in the case of an emergency, anyone who needs treatment for which many other patients are also waiting is placed on a waitlist. Emergency patients are treated as quickly as possible.
How long will I wait?
How long you wait depends on:
How serious your condition is? Pre/post-surgical, injured at the workplace or motor vehicle accident.
If you are publicly funded or privately funded. The ministry of health limits each clinic to 322 episodes of care. This artificially creates a waitlist to ensure we have enough public funding for patients throughout the year.
If I have a long wait time, what can I do?
You can go to another facility, where you might be treated sooner.
You can make yourself available for treatment on short notice if an opening becomes available.
You can discuss these options with your physiotherapist. If your condition changes while you are waiting for treatment, let your physiotherapist know. Your physiotherapist can re-assess your condition and decide if waiting for treatment will affect your health.