Cough It Up
While Queen’s Park and the feds dither over how to conquer wait times in the public health care system, private clinics are multiplying to meet the demand. Some surgical procedures require a trip to Buffalo or Quebec; others can be procured in Don Mills. Here, a sample of private providers and their more popular offerings By Paul Matthews
Hip Replacement (Arthoplasty)
The procedure: Damaged parts of the hip joint are removed and replaced with a prosthesis (usually made of ceramic or polyethylene). The Canadian Orthopaedic Association recommends that patients wait no longer than six months for an operation; any longer will reduce the likelihood of full recovery
Public wait: 162 days
Private wait: 14 days
Private provider: Timely Medical Alternatives (604-714-4999) in Vancouver arranges for second opinion, consultation and surgery at a clinic in Montreal
Price: $15,700–$18,500
Cataract Surgery
The procedure: A one-tenth-of-an-inch incision is made in the cornea. The protein-damaged lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one
Public wait: 141 days
Private wait: Seven to 14 days
Private provider: Montreal-based Cataract MD performs surgery at Lasik MD’s Mississauga office (5025 Orbitor Dr., Bldg. 2, 3rd flr., 416-362-8677). Plans to offer the procedure at Lasik’s down-town and east-end Toronto locations are in the works
Price: $1,400–$2,000 per eye
Ultrasound Treatment for Prostate Cancer
The procedure: Under spinal anaesthesia, a rectal probe fires focused ultrasound waves at your prostate, burning off cancerous tissue without damaging surrounding organs. The operation takes less than three hours—preferable to weeks of radiation or the risk of incontinence and impotence from a radical prostatectomy
Public wait: Not covered by OHIP despite Health Canada’s approval for use
Private wait: 14 days
Private provider: The Don Mills Surgical Unit (20 Wynford Dr., Ste. 208, 416-441-2111)
Price: $22,500
PET Scan
The procedure: A radioactive tracer isotope bound to a sugar molecule is injected into your body. As it decays, the isotope secretes a proton that collides with an electron to produce gamma rays that a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner then converts into a complex three-dimensional picture of diseased areas. While publicly provided MRI and CT scans reveal the physical structure of your body’s tissues, the PET identifies the spread of cancer or blood flow through the heart
Public wait: Not covered by OHIP; the province is currently running clinical trials
Private wait: Seven days
Private provider: CareImaging Inc. (246 Matheson Blvd. E., Mississauga, 905-712-9500) accepts patients that have been referred by their doctors
Price: $2,358
Stomach Stapling
The procedure: The stomach is reduced to a pouch with a capacity of 30 to 60 mL, thereby restricting the intake of food. The rate of caloric absorption is lessened by connecting the smaller stomach to a point lower down the small intestine, which speeds up the digestive process. While it is approved for the morbidly obese, few surgeons perform the procedure
Public wait: Three to five years
Private wait: 120 days
Private provider: Patients who choose to have the procedure performed at Buffalo General Hospital (716-859-3196) can apply to have it paid for by OHIP
Price: $31,260
Public wait: Not covered by OHIP; the province is currently running clinical trials
Private wait: Seven days
Private provider: CareImaging Inc. (246 Matheson Blvd. E., Mississauga, 905-712-9500) accepts patients that have been referred by their doctors
Price: $2,358
The procedure: Damaged parts of the hip joint are removed and replaced with a prosthesis (usually made of ceramic or polyethylene). The Canadian Orthopaedic Association recommends that patients wait no longer than six months for an operation; any longer will reduce the likelihood of full recovery
Public wait: 162 days
Private wait: 14 days
Private provider: Timely Medical Alternatives (604-714-4999) in Vancouver arranges for second opinion, consultation and surgery at a clinic in Montreal
Price: $15,700–$18,500
Cataract Surgery
The procedure: A one-tenth-of-an-inch incision is made in the cornea. The protein-damaged lens is removed and replaced with an artificial one
Public wait: 141 days
Private wait: Seven to 14 days
Private provider: Montreal-based Cataract MD performs surgery at Lasik MD’s Mississauga office (5025 Orbitor Dr., Bldg. 2, 3rd flr., 416-362-8677). Plans to offer the procedure at Lasik’s down-town and east-end Toronto locations are in the works
Price: $1,400–$2,000 per eye
Ultrasound Treatment for Prostate Cancer
The procedure: Under spinal anaesthesia, a rectal probe fires focused ultrasound waves at your prostate, burning off cancerous tissue without damaging surrounding organs. The operation takes less than three hours—preferable to weeks of radiation or the risk of incontinence and impotence from a radical prostatectomy
Public wait: Not covered by OHIP despite Health Canada’s approval for use
Private wait: 14 days
Private provider: The Don Mills Surgical Unit (20 Wynford Dr., Ste. 208, 416-441-2111)
Price: $22,500
PET Scan
The procedure: A radioactive tracer isotope bound to a sugar molecule is injected into your body. As it decays, the isotope secretes a proton that collides with an electron to produce gamma rays that a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner then converts into a complex three-dimensional picture of diseased areas. While publicly provided MRI and CT scans reveal the physical structure of your body’s tissues, the PET identifies the spread of cancer or blood flow through the heart
Public wait: Not covered by OHIP; the province is currently running clinical trials
Private wait: Seven days
Private provider: CareImaging Inc. (246 Matheson Blvd. E., Mississauga, 905-712-9500) accepts patients that have been referred by their doctors
Price: $2,358
Stomach Stapling
The procedure: The stomach is reduced to a pouch with a capacity of 30 to 60 mL, thereby restricting the intake of food. The rate of caloric absorption is lessened by connecting the smaller stomach to a point lower down the small intestine, which speeds up the digestive process. While it is approved for the morbidly obese, few surgeons perform the procedure
Public wait: Three to five years
Private wait: 120 days
Private provider: Patients who choose to have the procedure performed at Buffalo General Hospital (716-859-3196) can apply to have it paid for by OHIP
Price: $31,260
Public wait: Not covered by OHIP; the province is currently running clinical trials
Private wait: Seven days
Private provider: CareImaging Inc. (246 Matheson Blvd. E., Mississauga, 905-712-9500) accepts patients that have been referred by their doctors
Price: $2,358
TEST Originally published March 2006
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Cough It Up
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