This page is a practical guide for patients and caretakers researching private knee surgical care connected in Vancouver, BC (and nearby cities). Browse between 6 accredited providers.
Important for BC residents: If you're enrolled in MSP you cannot pay privately for medically necessary surgery within BC—unless the surgeon has formally opted out of MSP. In practice, that means some BC patients seeking private knee surgery choose to travel out-of-province to: 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.
Dual fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon practicing in Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary & Edmonton. Arthroscopic shoulder, knee and elbow surgery for sports injuries.
It depends on the surgeon's status. For medically necessary knee surgeries—such as knee replacement, partial replacement, arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, or revision—BC residents cannot pay privately to a surgeon enrolled in the Medical Services Plan (MSP).
That is why some British Columbians seeking timely private knee care choose to go out-of-province (typically to Alberta or Québec).
The exception within BC is when a knee surgeon has formally opted out of MSP. In that specific case, they are permitted to bill patients directly, though you must pay the full cost out-of-pocket and cannot claim reimbursement from the government.
If you are from another province, then you are free to pay out of pocket for private surgical services.
Curious about aftercare when travelling? Read our guide on aftercare when travelling for surgery.
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 guidance.
MSP does not cover procedures at private clinics.
Standard extended health benefits (e.g. Sun Life, Manulife, Pacific Blue Cross) typically do not cover the cost of the surgery itself. However, they often cover related costs such as:
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.
You may be able to get some financial relief at tax time.
Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC): You can generally claim eligible private surgery fees as a medical expense on your federal tax return. Learn more about the METC here.
BC Medical Expense Tax Credit (Non-Refundable): BC has a parallel medical expense tax credit that can further reduce your provincial tax liability. You claim eligible expenses minus the lesser of 3% of your net income or a flat threshold ($2,748 for 2026).
Travel costs: Mileage, parking, and accommodation may also be claimable if you travel more than 40 km (for travel expenses) or 80 km (for accommodation and meals) to receive medical services not available near your home.
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.
There's no single price—cost depends on the surgeon, facility, implant, and the specifics of your case. Price ranges in British Columbia are higher than Québec, but tend to be slightly lower than Alberta and Ontario.
On the low end, a diagnostic arthroscopy might cost $4,000 to $6,000. And on the higher end, a knee replacement could cost $24,000 to $36,000. Costs change depending on whether its one or both knees, the surgeon's fee, anaesthesia, and facility fees.
Pre-op imaging, medications, and physiotherapy may or may not be bundled in, so it's best to ask each clinic for a written, itemized quote.
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
Knee surgeons are orthopedic surgeons who specialize in conditions affecting the knee joint—including the bones, cartilage, ligaments, menisci, and tendons. The most common reasons people seek knee-specific care include:
You want a second opinion on whether surgery is the right next step
Please consult your physician for more guidance.
More than 373,000 surgeries are performed in British Columbia each year, including thousands of knee replacements, ACL reconstructions, and arthroscopies. Most knee surgeries are delivered through the publicly funded Medical Services Plan (MSP).
Private knee 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 knee surgery from BC residents. The exception applies when a surgeon has "opted-out" of MSP, in which case they may see any Canadian patient, including BC residents, within the province.
Private pay for purely elective lower limb surgeries (e.g. limb lengthening, knee contouring) is allowed under current regulations. However, most knee surgeries are considered medically necessary.
The reality is that most BC patients seeking timely knee surgical care may consider travelling out of province, unless they can access one of the opted-out surgeons working in Greater Vancouver (Vancouver and Burnaby).
Current regulations: Unlike some provinces, BC does allow opted-out surgeons to treat local residents privately.
In BC, there ~26,000 people waiting for orthopedic surgery, ~9,400 are for 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 some jurisdictions, the wait is over 80 weeks).
For ACL repair, 50% of cases are seen within 9 weeks, 90% are completed within 31 weeks.
For arthroscopy, 50% of cases are completed within 6 weeks, 90% are completed within 21 weeks.
For meniscectomy, 50% of cases are completed within 10 weeks, 90% are completed within 35 weeks.
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.
