toh

March 14, 2013 — The Ottawa Hospital is committed to providing the highest level of complex care for residents of the Champlain health region. As such, it will continue in the years to come to fulfil its mandate as a regional provider of cataract surgeries and endoscopic procedures.

By the end of the current fiscal year (2012-13), which ends March 31, The Ottawa Hospital will have completed approximately 11,400 cataract surgeries.

Over the 2013-14 fiscal year, which starts April 1, the volume of cataract surgeries performed at TOH is being reduced by approximately 15 per cent, bringing the total volume of procedures performed to 9,800.

The reduction in cataract-surgery volumes should not impact patient wait times.

In addition, The Ottawa Hospital is expected to perform approximately 13,000 endoscopic procedures over 2013-14.

The hospital currently performs approximately 17,000 endoscopies a year. Some of the more routine endoscopic procedures do not require the support of a tertiary-care hospital and can be performed more quickly and at a lower cost in community clinics and other hospitals in the Champlain health region.

In continuing to be a regional provider of cataract surgeries as well as diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies, The Ottawa Hospital intends to focus on providing the best care possible to patients who require the highest levels of specialized services.

Media Contact:
Hazel Harding
Communications Advisor
The Ottawa Hospital
Email: hharding@toh.on.ca
Tel.: 613-737-8460