BC trying to shorten MRI wait times
Posted November 18, 2015 5:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – The wait time for an MRI in BC is the longest in the country, but that could change if a new strategy from the BC government works as it should. The province is providing new funding it says should increase the number of tests done each year by 45 per cent.
Premier Christy Clark and Health Minister Terry Lake made the announcement at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria this afternoon.
Minister Lake says they recognize access to MRIs has been a problem. “This strategy will make sure we better meet the health care needs of British Columbians now and into the future. By improving how we manage MRI diagnostics, we can provide families with peace of mind that comes with faster diagnosis and treatment.”
It’s so bad in BC now that it can take almost a year to get an MRI if your condition isn’t as serious. People already admitted in the hospital or with life-threatening conditions get priority.
Dr. Stuart Silver, who is in charge of imaging for Island Health, knows this will lead to faster, better care. “If we can get that MRI quickly, they can get back to their doctor, their healthcare can be assessed and appropriate therapy can be given and it makes a big difference in your life.”
It’s a two-part strategy. Part one is new funding that will increase the number of MRIs performed by 45 per cent in four years from now. By 2019, the health ministry aims to add 65,000 scans each year with $20-million in annual funding by year four.
One way to get more patients through will be running MRI machines more hours of the day. Dr. Bruce Forster, Regional Head for Vancouver Coast Health’s and Providence Health’s Medical Imaging Department says they might start running MRI machines 24/7. “Currently none of them are working 24 hours a day… In Toronto, for example, they’ve been doing 24/7 MRI for 15 years. Patients, when they’re really needing a scan like this, they will come at three in the morning and their data shows that patients don’t cancel any more at three in the morning than they do at 3:00pm.”
The Health Ministry also plans to contract scans out to private facilities. Each health authority will decide how it can best manage the backlog.
The second step will be reviewing current service delivery and funding models to look for money and time-saving measures.
The Health Ministry says patients will start seeing a difference before the end of the year.
