One of the best things about being a journalist is that everything—including what happens in our personal lives—is fodder for a story.
Recently, I have been using the medical system more often than in past years. (I am fine.)
I got a CT scan in Whistler, and I’ve been using the province’s Health Gateway app.
Both experiences raised questions that readers might also have.
So, I put my queries to the Ministry of Health. Here’s what I found out.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Q: What is the average wait time for a CT scan at Whistler Health Care Centre and Lions Gate Hospital?
A: Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) prioritizes CT scan referrals based on provincial guidelines.
[Provincial guidelines say, depending on the situation, CT scans should be scheduled from immediately to within 60 days.]
To support safe, quality care, the wait times for patients requiring CT scans in the Sea to Sky region may vary depending on priority and level of care required.
Q: Can you tell me about the staffing of CT techs at the Whistler Health Care Centre and Lions Gate Hospital? In other words, are they both fully staffed, short staffed and/or looking for staff?
A: A combination of patient volumes and a national shortage of health care workers has created staffing challenges for medical imaging in the region. VCH continues to explore and implement a wide range of measures to help address current staffing challenges, including targeted recruitment strategies and the redesign of staffing models, where appropriate. Currently, at Squamish General Hospital, we are training our existing radiology technologists to operate the [upcoming] CT device.
Q: The provincial government is trying to increase the number of CT techs in B.C. Can you tell us a few ways this is being done?
A: As part of the province’s Health Human Resource Strategy implementation, we aim to increase the supply of medical imaging technologists through training, recruitment, and retention strategies. Adding additional training seats at post-secondary institutions, supporting training through bursaries, and streamlining access to training from various entry points are all being explored and/or are already being implemented.
Also, to increase capacity in the Sea to Sky Corridor, the province is installing a new CT scanner at Squamish General Hospital, as announced on Feb. 12. The new scanner is projected to perform 7,000 CT scans per year, or about 20 per day and be operational in 2025.
Q: How many people have downloaded the Health Gateway app?
A: More than 1.54 million registered users.
Q: What is the process for getting information onto the app?
A: CT/diagnostic imaging reports (not images) are securely uploaded about 10 to 14 days after a procedure to provide doctors an opportunity to review and discuss the results with their patients.
Other tests, such as blood test results, can take up to two days to be added to Health Gateway, while pathology tests, such as cervical screening, can take a few weeks or months.
Not all report types are available from all health authorities.
Diagnostic imaging reports from private clinics are not yet available.
A guide about how to use Health Gateway is available at: Access your health records with Health Gateway – Province of British Columbia.
If users require help using the system, they can visit the Health Gateway support guide or contact [email protected].
