This page is a practical guide for individuals exploring private orthopedic surgical care in Vancouver, British Columbia. You'll find an overview of public wait times, regulatory considerations, and a list of accredited surgeons practicing in BC.
Note: in general, BC residents cannot pay privately for surgery within BC (unless the surgeon is opted-out of MSP). For more orthopedic options, view Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB; Toronto, ON, Montréal, QC.
Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon—16 years of experience—specializing in sports medicine and joint preservation, with expertise in knee & shoulder reconstruction.
Dual board-certified, dual fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstruction (hip and knee arthroplasty) and orthopaedic trauma, with 14 years of experience.
FRCSC-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in complex hip and knee conditions, using both traditional and advanced techniques, including robotic-assisted joint replacements.
Triple-fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon dedicated to getting active patients back on their feet. Specializing in foot and ankle reconstruction, sports injuries, and minimally invasive surgical techniques.
Orthopedic surgeon with 14 years of experience, specializing in arthroscopic and open surgeries for shoulder, knee, elbow, sports-associated conditions.
Board-certified foot and ankle surgeon specializing in minimally invasive forefoot reconstruction and diabetic limb salvage–trained reconstructive foot and ankle surgery, with 8 years of experience.
It depends on the procedure and setting. For purely elective, non-essential surgeries (such as cosmetic and ophthalmology), BC residents can pay out of pocket for surgery within BC.
But for essential surgeries (e.g. hip replacements, knee arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, etc.), the answer is generally no. That is why most British Columbians who seek private surgery go out-of-province.
The exception is when a surgeon is opted out of MSP.
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 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:
More than 373,000 surgeries are performed in British Columbia each year, including thousands of hip and knee replacements. Most orthopedic surgeries are delivered through the publicly funded Medical Services Plan (MSP).
Private surgical options do exist in BC—more so than in many other Canadian provinces. But Canadian regulations restrict private BC surgeons from accepting payment for medically necessary surgeries from BC residents. The exception to this rule applies when a surgeon has 'opted-out' of MSP, in which case, they may see any Canadian from any province.
Private pay for purely elective surgeries (e.g. cosmetic, LASIK) are allowed under current regulations.
The reality is that most BC patients seeking timely surgical care, will need to travel out of province.
Current regulations: Unlike some provinces, BC does allow opted-out surgeons to treat local residents privately. However, the regulatory landscape around private surgery in BC has been subject to ongoing legal and political debate, most notably through the Cambie Surgery Centre constitutional challenge.
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:
Note: 'Wait 1' wait times are not always reflected in publicly available records. The numbers below do not because BC does not have a centralized database to track the Wait 1 stage. There are approximately 1.2 million BC residents currently in Wait 1.
In BC, there ~26,000 people waiting for orthopedic surgery, ~15,000 are for hip and knee replacements alone.
For knee replacements, 50% of cases are completed within 22 weeks, and 90% are completed within 57 weeks. But depending on where you live, you may be waiting much longer (in Nanaimo, the 90th percentile is 85 weeks).
For hip replacements, 50% of cases are completed within 19 weeks, 90% of cases are completed within 52 weeks. The 90th percentile in Burnaby is 74 weeks.
