Wait Times for Home Care Services

Identifying Attributes

Care Settings
Home Care
Country
Canada
Publishing Organisation
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI): Home care reporting system (HCRS)
Type of Quality Indicator
Process
IOM Quality Dimension
Timeliness
Domain
Wait Time / System Access

Defining Attributes

Definition

The median number of calendar days clients waited, from the date that the initial referral was received to the date when the first home care service was received.

Numerator

The median number of calendar days clients waited for first home care service. Start date is date initial referral is received. This includes the first of either home health services or home support services (Home health includes services provided by any health care professional (e.g., nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists) and home support is limited to personal care and homemaking.

Denominator

All referrals for home care service.

Exclusions

Other home support services, such as home maintenance/adaptation or respite services, are not included. Phone and email communications, home care services primarily funded by the government and arranged by the client.

Use of Risk Adjustment
No
Risk Adjustments

None

Stratifications

Data Attributes

Type of Data Collection
Administrative data
Data Collection Methods

Provincial and territorial data collection systems.

Frequency of Data Collection
90 days
Frequency of Data Collection in Days
90
Reporting Methods

HCRS based on 2 consecutive quarters (to ensure minimum number of assessments to apply risk adjustment procedures). CIHI is transitioning to the Integrated interRAI Reporting System (IRRS) for long-term care (LTC) and home care data. As a result, CIHI will decommission the previous reporting systems for home care (HCRS and HCRS-CA) by March 2025. Reported at National, Province/Territory level.

Reporting Frequency
90 days
Reporting Frequency in Days
90
Indicator Has Recommended Targets
No

Source and Reference Attributes

Evidence Source

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Home Care Reporting System — Contact Assessment: Output Specifications, 2021–2022. Ottawa, ON: CIHI; 2021.

Link to Measurement Tools
Quality Indicator Confirmed to be Part of a Program Used to Monitor Quality and Safety of Care Among Older People at a Population-Level between 2012-2022
Yes
Assessed by the Australian Consortium for Aged Care Collaborators as Generally Containing Good Properties (Importance and Scientific Acceptability)
Yes
Australian Consortium for Aged Care Endorsed
No
Identified by PHARMA-Care Project
No
Upload Date
12 March 2025