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Legislation was introduced this week and, if it passes, it would require the provincial government to report wait times for specialty consultations, sometimes called the ​“wait before the wait” or ​“T1”. We are interested to know what you think about this.

WHY IT MATTERS: Wait time reporting helps referring physicians navigate the system with vital information to inform their referral path. For consulting specialists, wait time reporting helps to draw attention to areas in need of more support or resources, such as clinic time or staff, team-based care, or physician recruitment. 

• Currently, wait time reporting in Manitoba is limited to diagnostics and a few ​“priority” surgical procedures such as cataracts or hip/​knee replacements. 
• The wait that is reported only measures the time from when a patient is accepted for a test or procedure to when that test or procedure is completed. The wait from time of referral to time of consultation is not reported publicly.

WHAT’S PROPOSED: The proposed legislation, introduced by the opposition PC health critic, would require wait time reporting twice per year by specialty area, including the number of patients waiting and the average wait time. If passed, proposed law would be called The Specialist Wait Time Reporting Act. However, opposition legislation is rarely adopted by the government. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Based on our initial review, Doctors Manitoba is inclined to support this legislation provided it does not create any new administrative burdens for physicians. We believe more reporting on wait times will help with referrals and with shining a spotlight on areas that need more resources. However, we want to hear your views before we respond publicly to this, as a consulting specialist or as a referring physician. Please email us at practiceadvice@​doctorsmanitoba.​ca with your views or concerns.

We know that this is just part of the broader problem. The referral process for testing or specialty consultation is challenging for both sending and receiving physicians. Antiquated systems that can’t share information mean the 500,000 requests for consultation and 600,000+ imaging requisitions are commonly sent by fax or mail, with no tracking or feedback available. Often patient information is incomplete. From an administrative burden perspective, our research found: 

• Each referring physician spends an estimated 30 hours annually navigating a complex landscape that requires constant follow-ups due to slow or missing responses, misdirected referrals, and requests for unnecessary information.
• Each receiving physician contends with incomplete or inappropriate referrals or requisitions, dedicating over 40 hours annually to managing these issues.

We are aware of these broader issues and we are raising them with system leaders to work on solutions. This follows recommendations on care coordination from our Joint Task Force to Reduce Administrative Burdens.