Column 1: Hospitals - These are all the hospitals in Ontario that provide adult cardiac catheterization. They are grouped by geographic region (N=North, E=East, C=Central (Toronto and surrounding area), W=West, and S=South). Click on the name of any hospital to see more information about that hospital.

Column 2: Number (of Patient Cases Completed) - This is the average number of patients who had cardiac catheterization each month over a three-month period.

Columns 3-5: Analysis of Patient Cases Completed - These columns tell about the waiting periods of patients who had cardiac catheterization in the three-month period. Waiting times are measured from the date a patient was accepted for cath.

When patients are accepted for cath, an Urgency Rating Score (URS) can be calculated based on their medical condition. Using this uniform scoring system, patients can be grouped according to the seriousness of their medical condition (urgent, semi-urgent, or elective). Patients whose need for cath is greatest should have the procedure first.

Columns 3: Median Wait (Days) - This column represents the wait time (in days) in which half of the patients waited less and half waited longer than this time. Waiting times may vary by cardiologist within a cathing hospital. Such variations are subject to frequent change and are best discussed at the time of referral. Regional Cardiac Care Coordinators in each centre can also provide information to help referring physicians access cardiac care; however, Regional Coordinators cannot arrange patient admissions or make office appointments with cardiac doctors.

Columns 4: Cath Within RMWT (Recommended Maximum Waiting Time) - This column tells how often patients have cath within a recommended time period, which is estimated based on the seriousness of their medical condition. For example, a statistic of 75% would mean that three out of every four patients in that group had cath within the recommended maximum waiting time for each of them. Recommended maximum waiting times are grouped into the following ranges:

• Emergency Patients - Cath without delay
• Urgent Patients - Cath within 7 days
• Semi-Urgent Patients - Cath within 28 days
• Elective Patients - Cath within 84 days

Patients' recommended maximum waiting times may fall anywhere within the applicable time range. For example, one elective patient may be assigned a recommended maximum waiting time of 30 days, while another may be assigned a recommended maximum waiting time of 40 days.

Columns 5: 90th Percentile (Days) - This represents the wait time (in days) in which 90% of patients waited less than this time and 10% of patients waited longer than this time while on the wait list for their procedure.

Column 6: Patients Waiting - This is the average number of patients at the end of each month (over a three-month period) who have been accepted for cath but have not had the procedure yet. Hospitals with more cathing cardiologists may have more patients waiting, but that does not tell whether those patients wait longer for cath.

Special Note: Ontario's computerized patient registry for advanced cardiac services is carefully monitored and analyzed. The patient registry is an important tool in maintaining and improving the high quality of care in the province.

*Calculation of provincial median wait times and percent in each urgency category is based on patients form hospital reporting full data on time.