NEWS RELEASE. New funding to improve access to surgeries and MRI scans in British Columbia

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1 NEWS RELEASE New funding to improve access to surgeries and MRI scans in British Columbia VANCOUVER To provide better access to needed health services, Health Minister Terry Lake today announced an additional $25 million to increase surgical capacity in the next year. He also announced the provincial government will fund four new MRI machines. Despite significantly increasing the number of surgeries and MRIs being done each year, we are struggling to keep pace with the growing demand, Lake said. This extra funding will provide health authorities with additional support as they complete their plans for these procedures in the upcoming year, and while we work together to implement strategies that improve access over the longer-term. The $25 million in additional one-time funding supports B.C. s strategy for surgical services, which focuses on patient-centred quality care. The strategy aims to provide patients who need scheduled surgical services with seamless and timely access to information and care. While the total number of surgeries in B.C. has increased 40% over the last 14 years, health authorities are seeing unprecedented demand and increasing wait times. To help meet demand in the short-term, health authorities will use the additional funding to reduce the backlog of patients waiting for surgeries. All surgeries will be publicly funded, and will be performed in hospital operating rooms and at contracted private-sector surgical sites. The exact number of extra surgeries is still to be determined. As part of the provincial surgical strategy, health authorities are also working on longer-term measures that will improve co-ordination of care and communication with patients, and more timely access to the service they need. Work is already underway in health authorities at 11 early adopter hospital sites throughout the province to implement new systems and policies that will streamline and standardize the management of surgical waitlists. The experiences and lessons learned at these sites will guide system-wide improvements under the provincial strategy. Diagnostic imaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging, is an important part of the system of surgical care. Four new additional MRI machines will be installed in communities facing increased demand: Surrey s Jim Pattison Outpatient and Surgical Centre, Ridge Meadows Hospital in Maple Ridge, Vernon Jubilee Hospital, and Nanaimo Regional Hospital. The new machines are expected to be in place in These new additional machines will increase the number of MRI scans being done in B.C., in support of B.C. s MRI strategy released in 2015, which will see up to 65,000 more scans done annually by The full cost of the MRI machines will be determined through a procurement process. An MRI machine generally costs about $5 million.

2 The number of MRI scans done in B.C. has risen from 37,000 in 2001, to a projected 177,000 this fiscal year. Since , B.C. has acquired 16 new MRI scanners, bringing the total number to 25. Including the four announced today, a further 10 new additional MRI units will go into operation in the next two to three years. Approximately 572,000 surgical procedures were performed in B.C. in Health authorities completed more than 5,000 additional surgeries in through $25 million earmarked to improve access, particularly for people who had been waiting more than 40 weeks for their surgery. Two backgrounders follow. Media Contact:

3 BACKGROUNDER 1 Reducing wait times for surgeries Health authorities are working with the on short- and long-term plans to address unprecedented demand for surgeries. Short-term strategies have included an additional $25 million in funding to increase surgeries in for people who were waiting longer than 40 weeks, and the additional $25 million to address surgical backlogs in the coming year. Longer-term work is already underway at 11 hospital sites in the province, where health authorities are beginning to implement a number of new measures to improve surgical waitlist management, including: Providing better information to and more frequent communication with patients while they wait for surgery; Streamlining the management of surgical services both before, during and after surgery including standardizing how surgeries are prioritized, making more efficient use of operating room time and staff, using pooled referrals among surgeons, and using standardized care pathways for patients; Adding capacity in ORs to improve wait times; Working with surgeons to improve waitlist management and surgical bookings; Testing electronic solutions to enhance the flow of information for booking surgery; and; Ensuring the necessary health human resources are in place, including post-secondary training to meet future demand. These sites are also setting up systems to provide patients with clear information on the steps in the surgical journey, including a designated health authority point of contact for patients to have their questions answered while they wait for surgery, and to provide them with the information they need in a timely, proactive way. Lessons learned from the 11 early adopter sites will inform a provincial waitlist management policy, and implementation of changes to improve the delivery of surgical services throughout the province. Media Contact:

4 BACKGROUNDER 2 Reducing wait times for MRI scans Today s announcement supports B.C. s MRI strategy released in 2015 to help address increasing demand and existing waitlists. The strategy committed to ramping up the number of scans performed over four years, to reach 65,000 more procedures annually by Under the strategy, the and health authorities are also examining improvements to the governance, service delivery and funding models for MRI programs, to establish an accessible, sustainable medical imaging system. Ten hospitals will be getting new additional MRI machines in the next two to three years. Ridge Meadows Hospital and Vernon Jubilee Hospital will get their first MRI machines with today s announcement, and Nanaimo Regional Hospital will get its second scanner. This is the second MRI machine for the Jim Pattison Outpatient and Surgical Centre, bringing the total for the Surrey Memorial Hospital site to three. The following hospitals have already received approval for new MRI machines: Fort St. John Hospital, Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace, East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, Campbell River Hospital, Comox Valley Hospital, and Penticton Regional Hospital. This announcement follows the arrival of a mobile MRI machine at University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) in Prince George to support diagnostic imaging needs during its multimillion dollar MRI replacement project. The mobile MRI will be in use for approximately three to four months while a new MRI suite is constructed at UHNBC. Over the past decade, B.C. has acquired 16 new MRI machines for hospitals for a total of 25, a 178% increase. This has helped B.C. significantly increase the number of MRIs done in the public system from 67,030 in to over 151,000 in Health authorities will also provide more evidence-based guidance to physicians to help them order the best type of scan to meet each patient s specific medical needs. MRI scans are important diagnostic tools. However, different types of medical imaging can be used to diagnose certain conditions. In some cases, an x-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or positron emission tomography (PET) scan may be more appropriate. MRI is a safe and painless test that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed pictures of the body's organs and structures. MRIs are used to diagnose a number of medical conditions, including abnormalities of the brain, as well as tumours, cysts and soft-tissue injuries in other parts of the body.

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