New Patients

Accessing the Clinic and Wait Times

How do I access the clinic?

You will require a referral from your Primary Care Clinician, Family Doctor or General Practitioner.

What happens after your referral has been received by the clinic?

Your referral will be reviewed by a member of our team.  If your referral is accepted, you will receive a package in the mail detailing next steps.  If your referral is not suitable for the clinic, your family doctor will be notified directly

If my referral is accepted, what will happen next?

You will receive a package in the mail detailing what to expect next, including a list of wait times. The clinic will contact you by phone when an appointment is available. Please note, this will likely be several months from the time you were referred.  You will then have an assessment at the clinic. The clinic will determine whether a non-surgical or surgical plan is required. If a non-surgical plan is required we will work with you to prepare an arthritis management care plan. If it has been determined that a surgical plan is required we will work with you to begin preparation for surgery.

Wait Times

The Alberta Hip & Knee Clinic works hard to provide accurate wait time estimates. There are a variety of factors that can affect future wait times. Once your referral is accepted, you will receive a letter with a wait time estimate based on current clinic, surgeon and operating room time and current referral volumes. The wait times provided are approximate and can fluctuate.

Past wait time data is available here: https://albertaboneandjoint.com/patients/wait-times/

Step by Step

Step

01

Get a Referral

Talk to your family doctor and get a referral to our clinic. If they are not sure what to do, they can get information on our for providers page.

Step

02

Once We Get The Referral

Your referral will be reviewed by a member of our team.

If your referral is accepted, you will receive a package in the mail detailing next steps.

If your referral is not suitable for the clinic, your family doctor will be notified directly.

Step

03

Your referral is accepted

You will receive a package in the mail detailing what to expect next, including an estimate of wait times.

The clinic will contact you by phone when an appointment is available.

Please note, this will likely be several months from the time you were referred.

Step

04

Get an assessment at the clinic.

An Orthopaedic Specialist will determine whether a surgical or non-surgical plan is required.

If a non-surgical plan is required, we will work with you to prepare a management care plan.

If it has been determined that a surgical plan is required, we will work with you to begin preparation for surgery.

Preparing for your visit

As you prepare to visit our clinic, here are a few things to keep in mind that will help ensure that you make the most of your appointment:

Preparing in Advance

Complete the Health History Form we mailed to you or download the form here and bring it with you to your appointment.

On the Day of your Appointment

Please allow up to three hours for your first consultation

Please bring the following with you to your first consultation:

  • If you are seeing a surgeon, please bring all your medications, vitamins and supplements in their original bottles
  • Your Alberta Health Care card
  • If your referral is for your knee, bring a pair of shorts
  • A translator, if required
  • Your completed health history form

There are many patients waiting for an appointment. If you are unable to attend your appointment please call us to cancel or reschedule as soon as possible so we can accommodate another patient. If you miss clinic appointments without notifing us, you may be asked to get a new referral from your family doctor.

Directions and Parking Information

Directions and parking information can be found on our contact page.

How we manage care



What can you expect when you visit the Alberta Hip and Knee Clinic?

The clinic has established a variety of services to meet high demand for specialist care. You may experience any of the below described services.

eConsult

A select number of referrals undergo a comprehensive review by an Orthopedic The goal of the eConsult to provide extremely timely advice to patients who are not currently candidates for total joint replacement surgery, however need specialist advice related to nonoperative management strategies.

MSK Screening

This visit may precede your first visit with a surgeon. The benefit of MSK Screening is two-fold: (1) Patients that are not surgical candidates are seen sooner and a non-surgical plan is provided (2) Surgical candidates are seen by an MSK specialist sooner and are able to begin surgical optimization without delay.

Consultation with Surgeon

This visit is to determine if you will be a candidate for surgery. If you are deemed surgical you will then see a rehabilitation team member for an assessment and fill out the necessary paperwork with a Nurse. This visit will be approximately three hours.

Internal Medicine Consult

Appropriate patients are seen by an IM Doctor. If the patient needs to see an Anesthetist prior to surgery, this is arranged by us but occurs at the hospital.

Optimization

The clinic is essential in ensuring patients are medically, socially and functionally optimized prior to surgery. We will work closely with you in the months leading up to your surgery to ensure you are fully prepared.

Healthy Living Class

All patients are offered the opportunity to attend one of our healthy living group classes. This class is held twice/month.

Teaching Visit

All surgical patients are required to come for a teaching class 2-4 weeks before surgery. This final preoperative visit ensures patients are fully prepared for their upcoming surgery and recovery.

Surgery Locations

We prepare patients for surgery at Rockyview General Hospital, Peter Lougheed Centre and Foothill Medical Centre. If you have a preference of where you will receive your surgery, it is important you notify us prior to seeing a surgeon.

2 Week Visit

Patients are seen by their case manager and a rehabilitation team member. Staples are removed and all postoperative concerns are addressed.

Postoperative Visits

Patients are seen by the Surgeon, Case Manager and/or the rehabilitation team 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks and annually as needed, following surgery. All postoperative questions and concerns are addressed.

Virtual Care

The Alberta Hip & Knee Clinic is embracing technological advancements in healthcare. We are now using a secure platform called ‘Medeo’ to communicate with you through your care journey. If needed to support your care, you will receive an invitation to join our secure online communication portal. We may use this platform to exchange messages about your appointments, send you forms and paperwork or even arrange video consultations. If you would like to use this medium to communication securely with your team at the clinic, please reach out to us.

Medeo Instructions