The wait times issue and the patient wait times guarantee : Temps d'attente et les garanties de délai d'attente pour les patients

The report acknowledges the progress that has been made across the country in reducing wait times in the five priority areas. [...] C. Federal Advisor on Wait Times In July 2005 the prime minister appointed a Federal Advisor on Wait Times, reporting to the prime minister and the federal health minister, whose mandate was to work with federal, provincial and territorial governments in order to fulfil the commitments made by first ministers. [...] D. Wait Time Alliance In the fall of 2004, the Wait Time Alliance (WTA) was formed as the response of physicians’ associations to concerns about Canadians’ access to health care. [...] The WTA comprises representation from the Canadian Medical Association and specialty associations relevant to the wait times issue, including the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine, the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists, the Canadian Association of Radiologists, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Canadian Ophthalmological Society and the Canadian Orthopaedic Association. [...] The percentage of cases to be handled within the benchmark time frame is referred to as the “target”; the higher the target, the more meaningful the benchmark.