General Surgery
Wait Time Benchmarks for General Surgery
| Emergent Cases* | Urgent Cases | Semi-Urgent Cases | Scheduled Cases | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Acceptable Wait Time for Treatment | N/A | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | 16 weeks |
| Example Procedures† | perforated viscus, ischemic bowel, acute perforated appendicitis | Unrelenting biliary colic, near obstructing colon cancer, lymph node biopsy for suspected lymphoma, incarcerated hernia reduced by another physician | Breast cancer, uncomplicated colon cancer, cancers treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy, colo-vesicular fistula, symptomatic herniae, refractory anal fissure | Dupuytren’s contracture, lipomas, minimally symptomatic herniae, stoma reversal, minimally symptomatic chololithiasis |
* Emergent cases (i.e. perforated viscus, ischemic bowel, acute perforated appendicitis) cannot wait and therefore are not part of a wait time discussion.
† The examples provided are not meant to be exhaustive, but are meant to be illustrative. Ultimately, it is up to the individual attending surgeon to determine the level of acuity on a case-by-case basis. The details of each individual case will dictate the level of urgency.