North York General Hospital recognized as top performing hospital for cancer wait times

colorectal surgery

North York General Hospital (NYGH) has received, for the sixth year in a row, the Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) award for Top Performing Hospital for Wait Times (decision to treat to treatment) and for the third year in a row, the CCO award for meeting all targets for time from referral to consult.

At NYGH, patients can expect to have their first appointment with a specialist, on average, within 10 days of their family physician making the referral and on average, receive their surgery within 21 days once their physician has decided with them the best plan of care.

“Knowing that the health of patients is deeply impacted by lengthy wait times we are committed to sustaining the work we have done to ensure they receive timely care,” says Linda Jussaume, Director of the NYGH Surgery Program. “As a hospital, we’ve looked carefully at all of the steps involved with how patients are referred for care and address any bottlenecks in the system in order to ensure timely access to having their pre-operative tests and surgery”.

CCO also recognized North York General as a Top Performer for Systemic Treatment Wait Times (Time from consult to treatment). In addition to surgery, patients typically require treatment such as chemotherapy. Ensuring patients receive treatment as quickly as possible is an essential aspect of providing excellent care.

NYGH’s Integrated Collaborative Care (ICC) model for the Breast Cancer Care and Colorectal Cancer Program supports our wait times strategy by transitioning patients seamlessly through the hospital from blood work and diagnostic tests, to surgical appointments and treatment. The ICC brings together the entire care team to better facilitate communication about each patient and their individual care needs. Part of this unique model is the patient navigator – a nurse who supports patients and their families throughout their entire care journey at NYGH. From booking appointments to providing patient education, there is always someone to support and answer questions.

“When patients learn that, in most cases, they will get their cancer treatment started in three weeks, it really helps give them back a sense of control during a very difficult time,” said Dr. Peter Stotland, Colorectal Cancer Surgeon. “Wait times can cause a lot of anxiety for health care professionals as well – we know how much is at stake for patients, which is why we, at North York General, are so committed to getting patients seen and treated as quickly as possible.”

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