Wait Times

  • Mount Sinai Hospital continues to be committed to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Wait Time Strategy. This past year, we met and exceeded the surgical oncology and hip and knee replacement volumes allocated by the Ministry. In addition to increasing access, there was a decrease in wait times for surgical oncology procedures as well as hip and knee replacements.
  • Mount Sinai has proven to be a high performer in wait times, meeting and exceeding the Ministry targets in the majority of areas. Due to the program's high performance additional wait time funding has been received which allows us to maintain our level of access to patients requiring surgery. As well, Mount Sinai Hospital received and will continue to receive in 08/09 incremental funding for colorectal screening procedures. In the near future, wait time data will be publicly posted for these procedures as well.
  • All of these Surgery Oncology Programs were accepted at the upcoming Celebrating Innovation in Health Care Expo on April 22, 2008 which is sponsored by the Ministry of Health and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).

  1. Colonoscopy Screening Program - An Innovation in Health Promotion

    A new and innovative program that has potential to be adopted system-wide across the province.  The colonoscopy Screening Intake Unit (CSIU) is a unique collaboration between Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) and the University Health Network (UHN).  The CSIU reduces the time spent by patients and family practitioners navigating the health care system to schedule a screening colonoscopy. 
    This program provides a single point of contact for the patients via a registered endoscopy nurse who performs an assessment, provides health educational information, and addresses patient concerns prior to the procedure.  Since its inception in September 2007 there have been 327 referrals to the CSIU and follow-up procedures at both endoscopy units situated at the MSH and at the TWH (Toronto Western Hospital) site of UHN.  
    An evaluation patient survey was conducted which told us that the program has been great for patients and comments included: "All the services are perfect", "I received very good treatment by the staff and by the doctor", and "Wonderful service. Thank you!"
    This important cancer screening initiative was supported by funding from Cancer Care Ontario.

  2. Innovation of Care Processes for Patients with Hip Fractures

    Improving Quality and Patient Safety was the focus for an interprofessional team working with the Total Joint Network (TJN) to improve the care and safety for patients with hip fractures.  Formation of the MSH interprofessional team and a hip fracture steering committee is to plan specific intervention to improve care for these patients with key members from senior leadership in Nursing and the Surgeon group sponsoring this initiative. 
    Hip Fracture clinical pathways, order sets and patient education materials were developed and implemented by the team.  Consultation with anaesthesia with changing pre-operative fasting protocols, and consultation with geriatric psychiatry with respect to patient management of their medications post operatively were some of the key best practices that changed how patients experienced their surgical experience at MSH. 
    Overall outcomes reviewed show that there was a decrease in wait times to gain access to the Operating Room for surgery and that overall length of stay was diminished.  Patients described their satisfaction to the hospital by increasing their number of letters of recognitions which were sent to the team, and overall an increase of compliments from patients and families were very positive and appreciative of their hospital experience at MSH.

  3. The AstraZeneca Breast Health Programs:  A Leading Practice at the Marvelle Koffler Breast Centre.

    4. There were few programs in Canada that taught women about breast cancer risk factors, modifying risk and promoting breast cancer screening. Patients, family members and staff of the Breast Centre at Mount Sinai Hospital identified the need for an educational program, which would empower women with the knowledge and skills to make informed breast healthy choices. An academic/industry collaboration was established to provide funding. The program is a one-time 2.5-hour group session, which covers risk reduction strategies, best screening guidelines and how to become breast health aware. Participants of the program have been from women’s groups, churches and corporate events. This program was recognized as a Leading Practice. The program is entering its 10th year of success. Several innovative and sustainable partnerships have been made to reach all women in our diverse communities.

  4. Joy Luck Women’s Project

    5. Breast cancer survival is improving, most notably in age groups where screening is recommended. Toronto Community Health Profiles 2006 showed women living in South Riverdale (SR) area had mammogram rates far below the city average at 28 per cent. SR has one of the highest influxes of new immigrants and higher poverty rates. The SR Community Health Centre formed a partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital and other agencies to carry out educational “workshops” including screening accompaniment to improve navigation, breast health knowledge and to assess barriers. In Phase I, ethno-culturally tailored sessions were delivered to Chinese women. Research was conducted on participants at pre/post, nine, 18 and 27 months after sessions to assess long-term impact. In Phase II, community health champions were trained from other ethno-cultural groups so they could tailor and deliver sessions in their communities. Joy Luck Women’s Project: I and II demonstrated a positive impact on main research variables. This model could be adapted by other health agencies across Canada.

  5. Assessing the Screening Needs of Women with Mobility Disabilities

Women with disabilities have the same biological risks as other women for developing breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, yet these women receive suboptimal levels of screening. Objective: to elicit the views of women with disabilities and illuminate the constraints and facilitators to full access to cancer screening services. Design: this participatory qualitative needs assessment, employed diverse community outreach strategies to recruit women with mobility disabilities for five peer-facilitated focus groups. We recruited a diverse sample of 24 women. The discussions about access to cancer screening were recorded and professionally transcribed. Content analysis of the transcripts was team-based.