ACCESS offers a practical opportunity for the Government of Ontario to follow the rest of Canada and improve patient access to cataract care, reduce wait times and increase hospital capacity across the province
TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2025 /CNW/ - Across Canada, partnerships between hospitals and accredited Community Surgical Facilities (CSFs) are helping patients requiring cataract surgery access faster care, while reducing surgical backlogs and strengthening the capacity of the healthcare system.
But Ontario has fallen behind the rest of Canada, and the government can move now to improve patient care and wait times while also increasing hospital capacity for other, more invasive surgeries.
As the Government of Ontario looks for ways to improve access and efficiency, expanding the role of CSFs presents a practical opportunity to collaborate on a proven solution that works.
With wait times for publicly funded cataract surgeries growing in Ontario, many patients are choosing to pay higher fees, out-of-pocket, to access care more quickly. By expanding partnerships with local CSFs, Ontario can ensure these procedures remain publicly funded and help people province-wide receive timely care without the financial burden. Moreover, by partnering with CSFs, hospitals can manage budget pressures more effectively, increase surgical capacity, and ensure patients receive timely access to high-quality care.
"In Quebec and New Brunswick, hospitals and local community surgical facilities are working hand-in-hand to deliver publicly funded cataract surgeries safely, efficiently, and most importantly, at no additional cost to patients," said Dr. Mark Cohen, practicing ophthalmologist and Co-Founder of ACCESS. "We believe Ontario has the same opportunity to build on these proven models to reduce wait times and improve patient care."
This approach aligns with the launch of ACCESS (Association of Canadian Centres of Eye Surgery and Standards), a new national network of community surgical facilities advocating for improved access, greater efficiency, and collaborative solutions to strengthen Canada's healthcare system.
ACCESS is encouraging the Government of Ontario and its healthcare partners to explore the following steps to enhance capacity and access:
- Expand licensing for community surgical facilities across the province;
- Prioritize eye surgery capacity in future infrastructure investments; and
- Ensure full transparency in wait-time reporting at the municipal and surgeon levels.
"At a time when hospitals are being asked to find creative solutions and efficiencies, community surgical facilities represent a practical, cost-effective way to increase capacity and free up time in hospital operating rooms," said Dr. Cohen. "With the right oversight, credentialing, and continuity of care, these facilities can reduce surgical backlogs, restore capacity, and deliver faster, equitable access for patients in regions where hospitals are overextended."
BACKGROUNDER
Cataract surgeries performed in hospitals can cost up to twice as much as those done in outpatient centres. Redirecting 100,000 cases to CSFs can save Ontario up to $50 million annually, while freeing up approximately 7,000 days of hospital operating room time and resources for more urgent or invasive procedures. Shifting cataract surgeries to CSFs would also ease pressure on hospital teams, including nurses, anesthesiologists, and other specialists who are already in short supply.
Currently, only six CSFs in Ontario are licensed to perform publicly funded cataract surgeries in partnership with hospitals, despite the more than 40 accredited, fully operational, and staffed CSFs across the province. These facilities are operational and equipped to perform up to 200,000 procedures annually.
In Kitchener-Waterloo, a partnership between the Waterloo Regional Health Network and a local CSF has enabled patients requiring cataract surgery to access timely, safe care. According to Sarah Farwell, Vice President of Strategy, Communications, and Public Affairs with the Waterloo Regional Health Network, "Over the past four years, this collaboration has expanded capacity and shortened wait times, ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality, and equitable care, while preserving hospital beds and staff for more complex cases. This partnership model promotes barrier-free access to safe, high-quality cataract surgery for every patient in our community."
"Our healthcare system works best when we work together," said Dr. Rich Weinstein, practicing ophthalmologist at St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario. "By expanding partnership and leveraging existing community capacity, we can deliver care faster and more efficiently – for the benefit of patients, providers, and the system as a whole."
Dr. Davin Johnson, Assistant Professor at Queen's University and practicing ophthalmologist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, highlighted how similar hospital-CSF partnerships have strengthened care in the region. "At our centre of Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), COVID-related OR disruptions led to a massive increase in surgical waitlists. Starting in 2020, KHSC entered into a partnership with a CSF in Kingston, in which funding was transferred to the CSF with hospital oversight. This program has continued since, with over 2,000 cases completed annually."
About Community Surgical Facilities (CSFs)
Community Surgical Facilities (CSFs) are community-based, purpose-built, fully accredited operating spaces that are generally owned and operated by physicians. They offer a proven, safe, and efficient model for delivering surgical procedures, including cataract surgery. CSFs train their own staff, freeing up hospital personnel to focus on more complex surgeries, such as cardiac and orthopedic procedures. Importantly, they must follow the same accreditation and regulatory, and quality frameworks as hospitals.
About ACCESS
ACCESS (Accesseye.org) is a national network of eye surgical facilities across Canada, owned and operated by eye surgeons (also known as community surgical facilities – or CSFs). The organization is dedicated to advancing excellence, accessibility, and innovation in surgical eye care. ACCESS advocates for evidence-based standards, enhanced patient outcomes, and system-wide collaboration to strengthen Canada's healthcare system.
FAST FACTS ON CATARACT SURGERY IN ONTARIO & CSFs
- About one in six patients choose to pay out of pocket because wait times for surgical eye care in Ontario are just too long.
- 180,000 cataract surgeries are performed in Ontario, about 150,000 of which are fully funded, including the operating room. This leaves a shortfall of 30,000 procedures that do not have operating room funding.
- Ontario has approximately 40 accredited, purpose-built eye surgery facilities where OHIP-funded cataract surgery could take place today.
- Currently, only six of these facilities are licensed facilities in Ontario to perform publicly funded cataract surgeries in partnership with hospitals.
- If Ontario were to license all 40 facilities today, the facilities could open up to 200,000 procedures. If only half that number moved to CSFs, it would free up 7,000 operating room days annually, and release three nurses per procedure.
- For example, each hospital operating room can be used for about 14 cataract surgeries per day. If 100,000 of these surgeries were to be moved to communities, that would free up 7,000 full days in hospital operating rooms.
- Alleviating this burden on hospital infrastructure would also free up staff capacity, as two nurses and an anesthesiologist are required for hospital-based procedures, as well as one nurse in post-operative recovery.
- Comparatively, hospitals conduct an average of four hip and knee replacement surgeries per day, so an additional 7,000 hospital operating room days would add 28,000 knee or hip replacement procedures per year without more medical support staff needed.
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