LAKELAND - In an effort to reduce wait times for non-urgent surgical procedures in the province, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has introduced a pilot program that will see automated calls delivered to patients in the North Zone, beginning this month.
The program was initially announced in 2021 and was first rolled out through the Edmonton Zone, which saw a reduction of 5.6 per cent in wait times in the area, according to AHS. Rolling out the service through other areas of the province this month, the goal is to reduce wait times, even more, said Shelly Willsey, AHS North Zone communications director.
“By validating provincial and zone surgical waitlists through surgical confirmation with patients, wait lists are expected to improve by up to 10 per cent across the province,” she explained.
The automated service is a part of the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI), a partnership between AHS and Alberta Health that is aiming to address long wait times in health care facilities across the province. The surgeries that are included in the automated calls are “patients listed for surgery with plastic, vascular, orthopedic, ear/nose/throat (ENT) and otolaryngology,” according to AHS.
Urgent surgeries will not be included in the program.
AHS staff are aiming to contact “up to 350 patients per day” by leaving voicemails in the log system for non-urgent surgeries. Through the program, patients are able to know when their surgeries are scheduled alongside improving health care needs and providing surgeries within “clinically-appropriate wait times,” said Willsey.
In the north zone, for example, wait times for 90 per cent of non-urgent tonsillectomy surgeries this July for four patients were completed within 33 weeks, while province-wide 99 surgeries were completed within 58 weeks. At the same time in 2021, two patients in the north zone requiring non-urgent surgery waited 54 weeks, while across the province 101 patients waited 53 weeks.
Automated calls
While the pandemic has brought on a challenge for surgeries, the automated call list is one feature that has streamlined services, according to AHS. The provincial health authority says patients can expect to only be asked to confirm their birthdate and health care number, said Willsey.
“As part of the process to confirm waitlist status, our team will ask for each patient’s birthdate to confirm their identity. AHS will never ask for financial information or for any personal information other than provincial personal health number or birthdate during these calls.”
Patients who miss calls or don’t contact The Surgery Waitlist Management Team operating the system, or those who wish to speak with a physician directly, will have support and options, she explained.
“The Surgery Waitlist Management team will attempt to call and speak with all of these patients about their waitlist status. If patients wish to be removed from the waitlist, they can also speak directly with their surgeon or referring physician. Patients who hang up will not see their position on the waitlist affected.”
All calls will follow a script that is available online for patients to confirm the validity of the phone call, she said.
Safety
While the initiative is aiming to support patients, there is an opportunity for patients to get taken advantage of by potential scams.
Considering the automated call service and the potential for outside sources to take advantage of patients in need, the service’s script information and the call-back option could be beneficial, according to Kellieka Formanek, St. Paul RCMP media relations officer.
With many telephone scams being reported on a regular basis, keeping private information safe is important.
“There is always the chance that [the script] could get in the wrong hands and someone else is using that script. But the idea behind [having a script] is a good protective measure,” acknowledged Formanek.
For individuals who have been waiting for surgeries and may be in a particularly vulnerable place, it’s vital to make sure they are not taken advantage of, she said.
“I think those people are in a little bit more of a vulnerable place because they're waiting on those surgeries, so they might be more willing to believe anything that’s coming in on their phone, whether it’s true or not.”
Always contacting AHS if a person has any suspicions about a phone call is the best practice.
“Never give out any personal information,” says Formanek. If a person is nervous about a phone call, they are encouraged to end the call and call back to verify it was in fact AHS calling them.
To access information on wait times for surgeries across the province visit the Alberta Wait Times Reporting Website.
