Reducing wait times through targeted investment and research Doctors Nova Scotia’s position: Nova Scotians must be able to access timely care, unfortunately many still wait too long for necessary services. This can be improved through investing in wait time measurement, monitoring and management. However, simply providing additional funding will not address wait times challenges. System changes are essential to ensure on‐going access. Why is it important? Wait Times for selected clinical services in Nova Scotia remain a challenge. This can include wait times to see a primary care physician, for a referral to a specialist, to treatment, to emergency department overcrowding. The contributing factors are complex and many, however long wait times remain one of the most significant challenges to the provision of high‐quality health care. Improving the province’s wait times would improve patient outcomes, reduce patient and physician stress, and improve the sustainability of the health‐care system through reducing costs. How does our province measure up? Accessing some services can be a frustrating process for Nova Scotians and physicians who want timely care for their patients. According to the 2013 Wait Time Alliance (WTA) report card, Nova Scotia gets a grade of D for hip replacement, an F for knee replacement, a C for cataract surgery, and an A and A‐plus, respectively, for radiation therapy and coronary artery bypass grafting. The grades refer to the number of patients receiving treatment within identified pan‐Canadian benchmarks. The WTA also grades provincial wait‐times websites based on timeliness, comprehensiveness, patient‐friendliness/accessibility, performance orientation and quality/reliability. Nova Scotia’s reporting website received a B. How can government help fix the problem? Invest in wait time reporting. Government should continue to invest in wait times reporting; the WTA report identifies this as key to system improvement. Nova Scotia has made significant progress in this area and continued investments should be made to improve the breadth, quality and utility of wait times reporting. Increase investment in addressing wait time challenges. Government should continue to provide specific, targeted funding to address wait times challenges; however this funding must come with specific accountabilities. Additional funding should come with structural improvements made in a very disciplined and intentioned way. Improve access to acute care. Government must make improving access to acute care beds a priority. An increased focus on alternative levels of care patients, and having the ability to move these patients to more appropriate care settings, can improve access to necessary services throughout the system, including in the Emergency Department. An intentioned strategy on ensuring that patients can be treated in their community, and not take up acute care beds would serve both patients and the system. Explore activity‐based funding. Government should analyse the effects on activity‐based funding on patient care and on wait times in jurisdictions, such as British Columbia, that have taken on initiatives. Government should continue to work on Pan Canadian solutions to wait times, leveraging the expertise of organizations such as the WTA and Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, and look across Canada and beyond to examine how other jurisdictions have successfully addressed wait times.