Non-Hospital Cataract Surgery

The Department of Health had a goal to reduce the volume of seniors waiting for cataract surgery and decrease the wait time for cataract surgery. This project aimed to meet this goal by performing cataract surgeries in a surgi-centre type setting, i.e., outside of a hospital. The project tested the capability of a non-hospital ophthalmology surgery centre to improve access to cataract surgeries and evaluated the impact this approach had on reducing wait times for hospital-based surgeries.

• This pilot project opened the door to an innovative strategy to reduce stress on the health care system, while at the same time improving seniors’ health and their quality of life.
• The findings indicate that seniors in the Acadie-Bathurst area now have quicker access to cataract surgery. In addition, these surgeries, which are not performed in a hospital, have not increased the number of subsequent hospitalizations due to complications.
• The deployment of the hybrid public/private care model for cataract surgery is possible, effective and sustainable in New Brunswick.

• Wait lists and patient prioritization must continue to be managed by the public system to safeguard health care-related equity for members of the public.
• Clinics should belong to and be operated by doctors to avoid business models such as those that use out-of-province companies whose focus is on profit to the detriment of quality care.

To learn more read the complete project findings (PDF 129 KB)