The Central Intake and Rapid Access Clinics (RACs) for Hip and Knee Joint Arthritis is a Ministry of Health mandated program that aims to improve access to timely, high-quality assessments for patients with moderate to severe hip and/or knee arthritis. Collaborative care with patients, the program’s advanced practice clinicians, primary-care providers and surgeons, helps decrease the symptoms associated with hip and knee arthritis and reduce unnecessary diagnostic imaging and specialist referrals.
Location
The Central Intake office and programs regional coordinator are located in Kingston at Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Hotel Dieu Hospital site, 166 Brock St.
Four RACs for hip and knee arthritis are located in the southeast region: Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Quinte Health (Belleville), Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital, and Brockville General Hospital.
Contact Information
An advanced practice physiotherapist and the regional coordinator for the program can be reached by calling 613-544-3400 extension 23013. Messages left, should be addressed within 1-2 business days.
Central Intake Hours of Operation
Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Phones are answered 9:00 – 11:00 AM and 13:00 to 15:00 hours daily.
Referrals
Primary-care providers with adult patients who have moderate to severe arthritis and are considering hip or knee replacement surgery or, are looking for appropriate conservative management options, should complete the Regional Arthritis Hip and Knee Replacement referral form. The referral form outlines all the required information that Central Intake needs for acceptance of the referral including: the referral form, a copy of the patient’s cumulative patient profile, a list of the patient’s current medications, and an X-ray report done within the last 6 months (recommended x-rays views are on the referral form or listed on the OCEAN eReferral platform) of the affected joint(s). The referral package can still be sent via fax to 613 549 8382, or by the preferred method using Ocean eReferral (search SE Ontario Central Intake Hip and Knee on the healthmap).
Please note: The only time a MRI is warranted is if an X-ray shows no or mild arthritis. These cases should be referred directly to a knee or hip sport medicine surgeon. The only time ultrasound imaging is warranted is if there is suspicion of an extra-articular soft-tissue mass, or an extensor mechanism disruption at the knee or abductor mechanism disruption at the hip.
What patients can expect
The goal of a RAC is to ensure patients are assessed and diagnosed in a timely manner (within 4 weeks of receipt of referral), and provided with surgical and non-surgical management options. The RAC will contact patients with a time and date for their appointment. PCPs/NPs that use OCEAN will be automatically notified of the patient’s appointment.
At the RACs, patients will be seen by an advanced practice physiotherapist who has been specifically trained by local orthopedic surgeons. A detailed assessment will be completed to confirm if an orthopedic surgeon consult is needed. The physiotherapist has the ability to refer a patient to any orthopedic surgeon within (and outside of) our region.
If patients are deemed to be surgical candidates, they will be provided with appropriate surgeon-specific wait-time information and will have the option of choosing a surgeon based on their specific needs.
If patients are deemed to be non-surgical candidates, they will be provided with appropriate conservative management options and education regarding their condition. Patients have the option to self-refer back to their RAC at any time within 12 months of their last appointment.
