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Saskatchewan patient guide
Private orthopedic surgery for Saskatchewan patients
Saskatchewan patients can begin with Pathway virtually and compare a separate private-pay option with the province's current public pathway. The former provincial out-of-province initiative is closed to intake, while the pooled referral program continues.
Separate pathways
Pathway is a private-pay option arranged independently from Saskatchewan's public surgical programs. The written quote, surgical facility, travel requirements, and recovery plan are confirmed before a patient decides.
Timing
Pathway consultations are typically available within 1–4 business days. If surgery is recommended, scheduling is typically 2–4 weeks after consultation and quote approval, subject to medical clearance and availability.
Start from Saskatchewan
Build the clinical plan before travel
Records and imaging come first. The specialist determines whether surgery is appropriate and which facility fits the case.
Meet the appropriate specialist
Begin virtually or use an in-person consultation in Calgary or Toronto. The specialist reviews options, risks, recovery, and any further testing.
Review the plan and quote
If surgery is recommended, Pathway confirms the procedure, surgeon, Toronto or Montreal facility, scheduling, inclusions, exclusions, and written quote.
Coordinate surgery and recovery
The care team organizes pre-operative requirements, scheduling, travel planning, discharge instructions, and follow-up around the surgeon's plan.
Provincial context
Program scope
Pooled referral
2024–25 results
The former out-of-province initiative is closed
Saskatchewan introduced an Out-of-Province Hip and Knee Surgical Initiative in 2023. Intake has closed.
Up to 120 patients were expected
The province projected that up to 120 long-waiting patients would have surgery at a Calgary private surgical centre by September 30, 2024. This was an expected total, and the official page does not provide a final patient count.
The provincial program continues
The province directs patients waiting for joint replacement into its pooled referral program. It reports that the number waiting longer than 12 months fell from 3,171 in June 2022 to 715 in June 2024.
The province reports improving waits
Saskatchewan reported 100,406 surgeries and procedures in 2024–25, with about 92% completed within eight months. The 12-month-plus list fell 24% year over year, and the 2025–26 target is six months.
Pathway context: Pathway is separate from these provincial programs. Choosing a Pathway quote does not reopen or extend the closed Saskatchewan initiative.
Coverage outside Saskatchewan
Public facilities
Private clinics
Prior approval
Confirm facility, approval, and reimbursement
Reciprocal billing usually applies
Saskatchewan coverage in other provinces applies to publicly funded facilities and normally uses reciprocal billing.
A specific exclusion applies
Saskatchewan says surgery at a private clinic in another province is excluded from coverage when that service is available in the public system anywhere in Canada.
A Saskatchewan specialist must request it
Requests must come from a Saskatchewan specialist in the same or a similar field. Approval is not guaranteed. If an eligible service is paid up front, reimbursement is based on Saskatchewan rates and may leave part of the bill unpaid.
Before booking: get any expected provincial coverage in writing. A Pathway private-pay quote remains a separate payment arrangement.
Current public-system context
Saskatchewan hip
Saskatchewan knee
Regina Zone knee
Saskatoon Zone knee
Saskatchewan hip and knee replacement waits
CIHI's 2026 release reports 2025 results. Its hip and knee benchmark is surgery within 26 weeks, or 182 days, after the patient is ready to treat.
176-day median
CIHI reports a 450-day 90th-percentile wait, with 51.8% meeting the benchmark across 983 cases.
210-day median
CIHI reports a 449-day 90th-percentile wait, with 42.8% meeting the benchmark across 1,560 cases.
280-day median
CIHI reports that 30.7% of Regina Zone knee replacement cases met the benchmark.
174-day median
CIHI reports that 55.5% of Saskatoon Zone knee replacement cases met the benchmark.
How to use these figures: they describe completed public-system cases and do not predict an individual wait or Pathway scheduling. Compare options using the same procedure, surgeon, facility, total price, and follow-up plan.
Travel and costs
Review the complete private-pay pathway
Toronto or Montreal facility
Pathway surgery takes place in Toronto or Montreal. The proposed facility depends on the procedure, surgeon, and scheduling.
Hip replacement costs
Review common private hip replacement cost categories and use the written case-specific quote for the decision.
Knee replacement costs
Review professional, facility, implant, and recovery cost factors for private knee replacement.
Explore Pathway's orthopedic services and care process. Confirm local physiotherapy, wound care, prescriptions, follow-up, and urgent support before travel.
Other provinces
Compare other patient guides
Manitoba
Review Manitoba approval rules and separate Winnipeg and provincial wait-time reporting.
Nova Scotia
Review Nova Scotia pre-approval rules, Halifax-area wait data, and Atlantic travel planning.
Questions
Saskatchewan patients ask
Is Saskatchewan's Out-of-Province Surgical Initiative still open?
Intake for Saskatchewan's Out-of-Province Hip and Knee Surgical Initiative has closed. The province says patients waiting for joint replacement are directed into its pooled referral program.
Will Saskatchewan cover private-clinic surgery in another province?
Saskatchewan says private-clinic surgery in another province is excluded from coverage when the service is available in the public system anywhere in Canada. A Saskatchewan specialist in the same or a similar field must submit requests for services requiring prior approval, and approval is not guaranteed.
What happens if a Saskatchewan patient pays up front?
Saskatchewan states that reimbursement for eligible care paid up front is based on Saskatchewan rates and may leave part of the bill unpaid. Pathway is a separate private-pay option, so patients should confirm any expected coverage before treatment.
What are the latest Saskatchewan hip and knee replacement wait times?
CIHI's 2026 release reports Saskatchewan's 2025 median wait at 176 days for hip replacement and 210 days for knee replacement. The 90th-percentile waits were 450 and 449 days, and 51.8% of hip cases and 42.8% of knee cases met the benchmark.
Where does Pathway surgery happen for Saskatchewan patients?
Pathway surgery takes place in Toronto or Montreal. Patients can begin virtually or use an in-person consultation in Calgary or Toronto before the proposed facility is confirmed.
Official references and method: Saskatchewan's coverage outside Saskatchewan guidance explains reciprocal billing, private-clinic exclusions, prior approval, and reimbursement rates. The province's Out-of-Province Hip and Knee Surgical Initiative page confirms that intake closed and describes the pooled referral context. Its June 11, 2025 surgical update reports 2024–25 results and the 2025–26 target. CIHI's Wait times in Canada, 2026 release provides the 2025 wait figures. CIHI's standard reporting period is April through September and is intended to represent the year. Information reviewed July 20, 2026. This is general information, not legal, insurance, or medical advice. See Pathway's medical disclaimer.
Next step
Start your care journey.
Share your case, records, and imaging. Pathway will explain the consultation options, proposed Toronto or Montreal facility, written quote, and travel plan if surgery is recommended.