A non-profit MRI clinic in Kingston, Ont., is trying to capitalize on long wait times here to attract patients but the chief of medical imaging at Ottawa Hospital is not encouraging the practice.

Kingston MRI, which is covered by Ontario's health insurance, requires a health card and doctor requisition.

That fact is appealing for many in need of a scan. The other factor that might attract patients to make the two-hour plus drive from Ottawa to Kingston is that the average wait time is less than three weeks.

"We noticed the long waits Ottawa residents were facing ... so we felt it was necessary to reach out to those patients in Ottawa to let them know there's an alternative where they don't have to pay," said Chris Williamson, Kingston MRI's business manager.

Roadblock to referrals

When it comes to referring patients to the Kingston MRI clinic, Dr. Mark Schweitzer said Ottawa should provide as much care inside the local health network as possible.

He also said Ottawa doctors should not transfer patients between networks.

"I don't recommend that," said Schweitzer, chief of medical imaging at The Ottawa Hospital, "But I have no problem if a patient chooses to go there."

Schweitzer added if patients do go to Kingston, doctors and patients need to make sure there's continuity of care and the images are kept in the patient's permanent medical record.

But Schweitzer noted, "It does emphasize the maldistribution of resources from one LHIN to another LHIN, that even our shortest wait time in any MRI in this LHIN is many times that of three weeks."

Ottawa patients wait an average of 236 days, more than six months, for an MRI at the Ottawa Hospital or one of its satellite clinics, such as the Montfort Hospital's clinic in Orleans.

Four other communities have not-for-profit MRI clinics in Ontario, three in the greater Toronto area and one in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

Health officials in Ottawa requested one of those clinics about a decade ago, but the ministry turned the city down. That desire for a non-profit clinic remains, said Schweitzer.

"We remain eager to do this," said Schweitzer. "It's intrinsically the right thing."

The Ministry of Health confirmed there are no plans for a stand-alone clinic to ease wait times in Ottawa.