The Neuro-CareAxis Partnership aims to reduce surgical wait time and relive spinal pain for patients all across Quebec. Instead of going through diagnostic tests and making appointments with surgeons, patients are directed to physiotherapists, who can identify whether the patients require surgery.
- About CareAxis
- How It Works
- Booking an Appointment
- The Neuro-CareAxis Spine Program for Seniors
- Funding and Donations
About CareAxis
CareAxis is a non-profit organization formed to address the problem of long wait-times for surgical assessments. It aims to refocus patient care by treating patient conditions more efficiently. It was co-founded by Dr. Santaguida, CareAxis’s Chief Medical Director, and Paul Santaguida , its CEO. Since incorporating in 2015, CareAxis has linked with six clinics around Montreal, and in spring 2019 it expanded its network to thirteen clinics, including sites in Val d’Or and Gatineau.
How It Works
Top physiotherapists from independent clinics across the province are recruited to form an affiliate network. These physiotherapists then receive advanced training and accreditation by The Neuro’s surgeons and are given access to a shared technology platform managed by CareAxis, enabling them to provide surgical assessments consistently across the network. Physiotherapists can identify appropriate candidates for surgery with a high degree of accuracy – and without imaging examinations. By doing so, patients can flow through the system more quickly.
- The patient will be provided with an assessment by their physiotherapist to identify which individual would benefit from spinal surgery
- All patients receive a treatment plan consisting of exercises and stretches to do at home.
- Surgical patients will get an expedited referral to a surgeon at The Neuro.
CareAxis and The Neuro have developed performance measurements to track the initiative’s impact on health outcomes, patient satisfaction, wait times, and treatment costs.
Booking an Appointment
Patients of all ages can access CareAxis services without a referral for a fee by requesting an assessment. This can be done online, or by calling (1-844-675-2947)
The Neuro-CareAxis Spine Program for Seniors
The Neuro-CareAxis Spine Program for Seniors, aims to improve surgical assessment wait-times for patients 65 years or older. Eligible patients receive access to CareAxis services at no cost, including an assessment by a local physiotherapist and expedited referral to a surgeon at The Neuro for surgical candidates.
To be an eligible patient, you must:
1) be of 65 years of age or older
2) Have a refferal from a physician in the McGill University's Réseau Universitaire Intégré de Santé (RUIS)
CareAxis will contact referred patients and schedule an appointment.
Funding and Donations
The support of donors helps to transform how spine patients are cared for within the health care system.
CareAxis has been able to grow its scope thanks to the generosity of donors, specifically the Mirella and Lino Saputo Foundation. A recent commitment from the foundation allowed the network to expand the number of clinics served throughout the province, and therefore the number of patients reached.
