Two weeks ago, the CTF leaked a memo from Fraser Health, ordering surgeons to bring in patients who had been waiting for surgery for 40 weeks for a superfluous “reassessment.” At the time, it appeared FHA was trying to circumvent provincial rules that fine hospitals when patients wait more than a year for surgery. FHA flatly denied such a suggestion, claiming these reassessments would somehow help patients, and remind surgeons that they have people waiting for surgery (as if a surgeon could forget).
Today, we received a letter, signed by 18 Burnaby Hospital surgeons, ripping the FHA for this policy. From the doctors: “This is particularly onerous on the patient’s part to make them return to the surgeon’s office just to have the patient say yes, not to mention the added cost to the medical system that is already finding it stressful to cope.” The surgeons note that FHA’s suggestion that some patients may have died, moved or found a different surgical option was plausible, but “probably few.”
“We cannot help but think that this is a carefully planned move to re-direct the surgeon’s time away from seeing new patients and thereby decreasing the influx of new bookings for surgery,” the Burnaby surgeons write in this new letter. “It appears you are putting the blame of the long wait list at Burnaby Hospital upon the surgeons but the fault is solely due to FHA.” The doctors note that FHA is funding only 6 of 10 operating rooms at Burnaby, causing wait times months longer than Surrey.
“FHA wants to manipulate the surgical waitlist to artificially decrease the numbers,” the surgeons write. “The surgeons of Burnaby Hospital have lost confidence with the management of FHA surgical services. We ask that FHA rescind this idea of reassessing patient’s bookings that have wait 40 weeks or more and instead provide adequate resources to Burnaby Hospital to reduce surgical wait times. Recalling the bookings is a meaningless make-work project for office staff and everyone concerned.”
The surgeons are right – FHA is trying to manipulate the waitlist. Instead of adding superfluous appointments that even doctors know are useless, they should be opening up more OR space at Burnaby.
Is Canada Off Track?
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