This page is a practical guide for individuals exploring private orthopedic surgical care in Toronto, Ontario. You'll find an overview of public wait times, regulatory considerations, and a list of accredited surgeons practicing in Ontario.
Note: Ontario residents cannot pay privately for surgery within Ontario. For more orthopedic options, view options in Montréal, QC; Vancouver, BC; Calgary, AB; Edmonton, AB.
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 600,000 surgeries are performed in Ontario each year, with over 250,000 Ontarians on wait lists. Tens of thousands of which are waiting on orthopedic surgeries.
All medically necessary orthopedic surgeries are delivered through the publicly funded Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), because private surgical options in Ontario are restricted. Ontario surgeons may not accept payment for medically necessary surgeries from Ontario residents.
Unlike most provinces, Ontario explicitly prohibits its surgeons from 'opting out' of OHIP, which would allow them to see Ontario residents within the province. Accordingly, anyone interested in private pay surgery must travel out-of-province for any medically necessary procedure.
Private pay for purely elective surgeries (e.g., cosmetic procedures, LASIK) is permitted under current regulations.
Current regulations: Ontario maintains some of the stricter regulations around private surgery in Canada. The Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act (CFMA) prohibits physicians from charging patients for OHIP-insured services, and enforcement has historically been rigorous. Unlike BC, QC, AB, Ontario has seen less legal challenge to these restrictions, and the private surgical landscape remains more constrained.
It depends on the procedure and setting. For purely elective, non-essential surgeries (such as cosmetic and ophthalmology), Ontario residents can pay out of pocket for surgery within Ontario.
But for essential surgeries (e.g. hip replacements, knee arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, etc.), the answer is no. That is why all Ontarians who seek private surgery go out-of-province.
Oui. Note : le chirurgien exigera probablement des informations médicales et des diagnostics (imagerie, analyses de laboratoire, etc.) avant la consultation.
En général, les chirurgies privées pratiquées au Canada sont payées de sa poche ou par l’assurance privée ou les avantages de l’employeur.
Les régimes provinciaux (comme OHIP, MSP ou AHCIP) ne couvrent généralement pas les procédures dans les cliniques privées, bien que certaines exceptions existent pour les demandes de WCB (Indemnisation des travailleurs) ou des programmes interprovinciaux spécifiques.
Assurance privée
Les prestations de santé étendues standard (par exemple Sun Life, Manulife) ne couvrent généralement pas le coût de la chirurgie elle-même. Cependant, ils couvrent souvent les coûts connexes tels que :
Compte des dépenses de santé
Si votre employeur offre un compte de dépenses santé (HSA) ou un « compte flexible », vous pouvez souvent utiliser ces fonds pour payer la chirurgie. Contrairement aux avantages sociaux standards, les HSA sont généralement assez flexibles pour couvrir les frais médicaux admissibles à l’ARC, y compris les frais d’établissement privé.
Crédits d’impôt (fédéraux et provinciaux)
Vous pourriez obtenir un certain soulagement financier à la période des impôts.
Veuillez consulter un professionnel de la fiscalité avant de réclamer des frais de chirurgie privée sur vos impôts.
Les coûts d’une chirurgie orthopédique sont élevés.
Elles varient considérablement selon la procédure, vos conditions de santé sous-jacentes, l’expérience du chirurgien, le type d’anesthésie, etc., et peuvent coûter entre 5 000 $ et 50 000 $+.
For an overview on private surgery costs, see our Resources on Private Surgery Costs.
Les chirurgiens privés facturent généralement des frais de consultation parce qu’une consultation chirurgicale implique un travail clinique avant, pendant et après le rendez-vous.
Une consultation chirurgicale n’est pas une « rencontre ». C’est une évaluation médicale formelle où le chirurgien peut :
In a private setting, the surgeon generally isn’t billing OHIP for that time, so the consultation fee compensates them for expert assessment and diagnostic decision-making.
Les cliniques privées couvrent aussi les coûts d’exploitation que les hôpitaux publics ne financent pas de la même façon, notamment :
Les frais de consultation contribuent à soutenir ces ressources et l’infrastructure nécessaire pour fournir des soins organisés et en temps opportun en dehors des opérations hospitalières financées par des fonds publics.
Wait times depend on urgency, imaging, and OR capacity.
Si vous avez plus de 60 ans avec de l’arthrite dégénérative, vous pourriez être trié différemment d’un patient plus jeune avec un genou blocé ou une blessure aiguë ligamentaire. Le chemin le plus rapide vient généralement de : diagnostic clair + imagerie complète + soins conservateurs documentés échoués.
In the Canadian medical system, wait times are divided into two distinct stages:
Ontario tracks b
In Ontario, surgical wait times are not determined on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, they are managed through a standardized provincial system called the Wait Time Information System (WTIS), overseen by Ontario Health.
When a surgeon recommends you for surgery, they assign a Priority Level (1–4) based on clinical criteria. This priority level determines your target wait time—the maximum recommended time between your decision to proceed with surgery and the procedure itself.
Priority levels are not assigned automatically—they are clinical decisions made by your surgeon. However, surgeons must follow Ontario's "Access to Care" guidelines, which consider three main factors:
1. Disease Progression
2. Severity of Symptoms
3. Adverse Risk of Delay
In Ontario, there are an estimated 40,000 people waiting for orthopedic surgeries. In general, Ontario is one of the faster provinces at processing surgical wait lists, but the wait is still long for many.
For hip replacements, 78% of patients treated within target time. Priority 4 patients are seen within 16 weeks; Priority 3 patients are seen within 12 weeks; Priority 2 patients are seen within 11 weeks.
For knee replacements, 79% of patients are treated within target time. Priority 4 patients are seen within 17 weeks; Priority 3 patients are seen within 12 weeks; Priority 2 patients are seen within 10 weeks.
Note: the above estimates do not include the Wait 1 period, which adds an additional 9-11 weeks for hip replacements and 5-14 weeks for knee replacements.