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This page is a practical guide for individuals exploring private orthopedic surgical care in Montréal, Québec. You'll find an overview of public wait times, regulatory considerations, and a list of accredited surgeons practicing in Québec.
Note: in general, Québec residents cannot pay privately for surgery within Québec (unless the surgeon is opted-out of RAMQ). For more orthopedic options, view Vancouver, BC; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto, ON.
A Harvard-trained orthopedic surgeon, specializing in pediatric/adult sports medicine & ankle surgery. She is a lead researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine and a McGill professor.
Experienced orthopedic surgeon known for a patient-centred approach and technical versatility, ranging from soft tissue repair (sports medicine) to total joint replacements (knee, shoulder, hip).
Triple-fellowship orthopedic surgeon specializing in elbow and shoulder procedures who treats professional athletes and active individuals looking to return to sport safely and quickly.
Triple fellowship certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip & knee surgery, combining minimally invasive techniques and advanced robotic-assisted tech to help patients return to activity faster.
A globally recognized expert in complex orthopedics, specializing in limb lengthening and deformity correction, with extensive experience lower extremity orthopedics & pediatrics.
Senior orthopedic surgeon specializing in complex hip and knee reconstruction with 12,000 surgeries completed in 25 years. Top 5 rated orthopedic surgeons in Québec on RateMDs.
It depends on the procedure and setting. For purely elective, non-essential surgeries (such as cosmetic and ophthalmology), Québec residents can pay out of pocket for surgery within Québec.
But for essential surgeries (e.g. hip replacements, knee arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, etc.), the answer is generally no. That is why many Québecois seek private surgery go out-of-province.
The only exception to this is private surgeons who are 'opted out' of RAMQ may see Québecois within Québec.
Yes and no—you can reach out to any of the private surgeons listed on Surgency without a referral. Their intake teams are happy to answer questions, explain what they treat, share pricing ranges, and walk you through next steps.
However, to book a formal consultation with the surgeon, you'll typically need a referral from your family doctor or nurse practitioner. Don't have one? Many of the clinics can help coordinate a virtual GP appointment to get the referral paperwork sorted. All surgeons listed on Surgency offer virtual initial consultations, so you don't need to travel until you and the surgeon have agreed on a plan.
Before your consultation, expect the clinic to request relevant medical records and recent diagnostic imaging (X-ray, MRI, CT, ultrasound, lab work, etc.). Having these ready speeds up the process and lets the surgeon give you specific guidance on your very first call.
This is general information, please seek professional tax guidance.
Generally, private surgeries performed in Canada are paid for out-of-pocket or via private insurance/ employer benefits.
Provincial plans (like RAMQ, OHIP, MSP, or AHCIP) typically do not cover procedures at private clinics, though some exceptions exist for WCB (Workers' Compensation) claims or specific inter-provincial programs.
Private insurance
Standard extended health benefits (e.g. Sun Life, Manulife) typically do not cover the cost of the surgery itself. However, they often cover related costs such as:
Health spending account
If your employer provides a Health Spending Account (HSA) or "flex account," you can often use these funds to pay for the surgery. Unlike standard benefits, HSAs are usually flexible enough to cover CRA-eligible medical expenses, including private facility fees.
Tax Credits (Federal & Provincial)
You may be able to get some financial relief at tax time.
Please consult a tax professional before claiming any private surgery fees on your taxes.
Surgency is free for patients, funded by surgeons/surgical providers.
Surgeons and providers—who meet our listing criteria—pay a flat fee to list on the Surgency platform. To maintain objectivity, there are no commissions, referral fees, nor any ranking or recommending one surgeon over another.
Surgency is patient-first. Our goal is to make the process of finding a private surgeon as simple as possible. You choose who to contact. Learn more in our Advertising Policy.
The costs for orthopedic surgery are substantial.
They vary considerably depending on the procedure, your underlying health conditions, the experience of the surgeon, type of anesthesia, etc., and can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000+.
For an overview on private surgery costs, see our Resources on Private Surgery Costs.
Private surgeons typically charge a consultation fee because a surgical consult involves clinical work before, during, and after the appointment.
Most consultation costs range between $200 - $400, however they can be up to 10% of the overall surgery costs. In many cases this fee will get rolled into the total cost of the surgery itself—ask the surgeon.
A surgical consultation isn’t a “meet and greet.” It’s a formal medical assessment where the surgeon may:
Private clinics also cover operating costs that public hospitals don’t fund in the same way, including:
The consultation fee helps support these resources and the infrastructure required to provide timely, organized care outside publicly funded hospital operations.
As a family doctor in the public system, I believe transparency is a form of care. I created Surgency to help my patients struggling on long waitlists who wanted to understand all their options for timely medical attention.
Surgency is a free resource designed to empower and educate—helping you understand private pathways and find accredited surgeons within Canada. I hope Surgency brings you clarity.
Dr. Sean Haffey
Orthopedic surgeons specialize in conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system—bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Common concerns that bring patients to an orthopedic specialist include:
It may be time to see an orthopedic surgeon if:
An estimated 424,384 surgeries are performed in Québec each year. Some 75,000 to 100,000 are for orthopedic surgeries.
Most medically necessary orthopedic surgeries are delivered through the publicly funded Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). However, unlike Ontario, Quebec does permit surgeons to "opt out" of RAMQ—allowing them to provide private services directly to Quebec residents within the province.
Many of the surgeons listed below are opted-out. Look for "Accepting patients from all provinces."
Québec has the most established private surgical landscape in Canada, making it a popular option for Ontario residents. Opted-out surgeons and private clinics operate in Montréal and other major city centres, offering privately funded orthopedic procedures to Québec residents seeking faster access to care.
Current regulations: Quebec's regulatory environment is more permissive than Ontario's. Surgeons who opt out of RAMQ may charge patients directly for services, including some medically necessary procedures. This has allowed a parallel private system to develop alongside the public system. However, regulations continue to evolve, and not all procedures or surgeons are available privately.
What this means for you: Québec residents generally have more in-province private orthopedic options than patients in most other Canadian provinces. Depending on your procedure and location, you may be able to access private surgical care without travelling out of province.
Wait times depend on urgency, imaging, and OR capacity.
If you’re over 60 with degenerative arthritis, you may be triaged differently than a younger patient with a locked knee or acute ligament injury. The fastest path usually comes from: clear diagnosis + complete imaging + documented failed conservative care.
In the Canadian medical system, wait times are divided into two distinct stages:
In Quebec, surgical wait times are managed through a centralized provincial system designed to ensure the most urgent cases are treated first. Surgeons assign patients a priority level (1–5) based on clinical criteria, which determines the target wait time for each procedure.
The province uses a tracking system called SGAS (Système de gestion de l'accès aux services) to manage surgical wait lists. As of the 2025/2026 reforms, this system operates under the oversight of Santé Québec.
Surgical priority is not determined on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, surgeons use Diagnosis Prioritization Codes to assess each patient's clinical situation. When adding you to the wait list, your surgeon enters specific data into the SGAS (Système de gestion de l'accès aux services) system, including:
To address surgical backlogs, Quebec has introduced new measures:
Even after a priority level is assigned, your surgery date may shift due to:
There are currently over 170,000 people on wait lists in Québec. 42,000 of whom are waiting on orthopedic surgeries—mostly hip and knee replacements.
Unfortunately, only 49% of hip replacements and 38% of knee replacements are completed within established benchmark time frames for timely care.
For hip replacements, 50% of patients are treated within 27 weeks, and 90% are seen within 61 weeks.
For knee replacements, 50% of patients are seen within 36 weeks, and 90% are seen within 69 weeks.
