Wait Times for Hip Replacement (Percentage Meeting Benchmark)
This indicator is calculated based on provincial and national wait time data for the first two quarters of the fiscal year (April–September), and includes all procedures that are publicly funded under the provincial health plan.
Percentage within the benchmark is calculated by dividing the number of cases who received care within the benchmark by all cases, multiplied by 100.
Unit of Analysis: Episode of care
Calculation of all-Canada estimates:
All-Canada Percentage Meeting Benchmark
The national percentage meeting benchmark estimate was calculated as follows:
National percentage meeting benchmark = Total patients meeting benchmark for each province ÷ Total procedures performed × 100
Number of adults who received a planned total hip replacement
Number of adults who received a planned total hip replacement within 182 days (26 weeks) from the date they were ready to be treated
Methodology
Name
Wait Times for Hip Replacement (Percentage Meeting Benchmark)
Short/Other Names
Not applicable
Description
Percentage of patients within a province who received planned total hip replacements within 26 weeks (182 days) from the date they were ready to be treated
Rationale
In 2004, Canada's first ministers agreed to work toward reducing wait times for five priority areas: cancer treatment, cardiac care, diagnostic imaging, joint replacement and sight restoration. CIHI was mandated to collect wait time information and monitor provincial progress in meeting benchmarks.
Many factors affect wait times, for example, availability of resources, efficiency of a particular facility, seasonal effects, volumes, patient choice, patient condition, follow-up care and/or treatment complexity.
This indicator can be used to help understand access to care and to know how provinces are performing in providing access to services.
HSP Framework Dimension
Health system outputs: Access to comprehensive, high-quality health services
Areas of Need
Getting Better
Targets/Benchmarks
Within 26 weeks (182 days)
Available Data Years
to (fiscal years)
Geographic Coverage
- All provinces
Reporting Level/Disaggregation
- National
- Province/Territory
- Region
Indicator Results
Update Frequency
Every year
Latest Results Update Date
Updates
There may be some provincial exceptions to the standard methodology each year. For details, please see the Trend tab of CIHI’s wait times visualization.
Description
This indicator is calculated based on provincial and national wait time data for the first two quarters of the fiscal year (April–September), and includes all procedures that are publicly funded under the provincial health plan.
Percentage within the benchmark is calculated by dividing the number of cases who received care within the benchmark by all cases, multiplied by 100.
Unit of Analysis: Episode of care
Calculation of all-Canada estimates:
All-Canada Percentage Meeting Benchmark
The national percentage meeting benchmark estimate was calculated as follows:
National percentage meeting benchmark = Total patients meeting benchmark for each province ÷ Total procedures performed × 100
Type of Measurement
Percentage or proportion
Denominator
Description:
Number of adults who received a planned total hip replacement
Inclusions:
- Age 18 and older
- 1.VA.53.LA-PN-^ Implantation of internal device, hip joint, open approach (direct lateral, posterolateral, posterior, transgluteal), dual component prosthetic device (femoral with acetabular)
- 1.VA.53.LL-PN-^ Implantation of internal device, hip joint, open anterior (muscle sparing) approach (anterolateral, direct anterior), dual component prosthetic device (femoral with acetabular)
- All total hip replacements (primary and revision); bilateral joint replacements count as a single wait
- All priority levels
Exclusions:
- Emergency cases
- Cement spacers and elective partial hip replacements
- Abandoned procedures
- Days when patient was unavailable
Numerator
Description:
Number of adults who received a planned total hip replacement within 182 days (26 weeks) from the date they were ready to be treated
Inclusions:
- Age 18 and older
- All total hip replacements (primary and revision); bilateral joint replacements count as a single wait
- 1.VA.53.LA-PN-^ Implantation of internal device, hip joint, open approach (direct lateral, posterolateral, posterior, transgluteal), dual component prosthetic device (femoral with acetabular)
- 1.VA.53.LL-PN-^ Implantation of internal device, hip joint, open anterior (muscle sparing) approach (anterolateral, direct anterior), dual component prosthetic device (femoral with acetabular)
- All priority levels
Exclusions:
- Emergency cases
- Cement spacers and elective partial hip replacements
- Abandoned procedures
- Days when patient was unavailable
Method of Adjustment
Not applicable
Adjustment Applied
None
Geographic Assignment
Place of service
Data Sources
- Provincial Wait Times Registry
Data may come from various sources, depending on the province.
Caveats and Limitations
Some provinces may have some exceptions and their methodology may be slightly different than the standard methodology. For details, please see the Trend tab of CIHI’s wait times visualization.
Trending Issues
Since 2008, an increasing number of provinces have adapted to the standard methodology to increase the comparability of results. When comparing data for a particular province over time, attention should be given to the exceptions. For details, please see the Trend tab of CIHI’s wait times visualization.
References
Health Canada. A 10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care. Health Canada. Updated September 16, 2004. Accessed June 7, 2013.
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Wait Times for Hip Replacement (Percentage Meeting Benchmark). Accessed April 25, 2025.
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Comments
In 2023, Saskatchewan began reporting wait times based on a new set of health regions. Data for previous years (from the old health regions) has been mapped to the new health regions.