Kind of sad the doctors had to take matters into their own hands, but thank goodness they did. Now patients with back pain don’t have to wait years to see a surgeon. They can get referred to this new clinic, Caleo Health, and get the help they need faster – right from diagnosis to recovery.
Here’s the story.
Patricia Aben is doing physiotherapy.
She’s recovering from back surgery.
She was diagnosed with a herniated disc in 2007. She was told it would be 12 to 18 months before she saw a surgeon- and she was in the worst pain of her life.
“The waiting is quite difficult, the waiting list is quite long so I was extremely happy to get into Caleo here.”
Caleo Health opened in January 2008, and Aben had her doctor refer her. Within weeks, she saw the surgeon.
“They were kind enough to get me in very quickly , I saw the surgeon quickly, I had surgery within a matter of weeks so I was very relieved.”
Aben got in so fast because Caleo Health uses a triage process, where patients see a family doctor and physiotherapist first.
Mark Lewis, a chiropractor and Director of Operations for the clinic, says it helps patients get the care they need quicker.
“The people that need to get to the surgeons, get to the surgeons, the ones in the cue, tying up the cue, can be disemminated where they need to be such as a phyiotherapist or chiropractor.”
Or family doctor or kinesiologist. Getting triaged costs 100 dollars, but it’s good value, says Doctor Richard Hu – one of the surgeons who came up with the idea for the clinic.
“Most people don’t need surgery, and don’t want surgery so that’s why we wanted to bring a broader range of services and assessment for people with back and spine problems.”
With all the specialists under one roof they can communicate easily about each patient’s needs. And patients like Aben don’t feel lost in the shuffle.
“I wish, I wish Caleo had been open when I was first diagnosed. It would have saved a lot of time, a lot of difficulty.”
For more information, visit the website,
Also – if you’re looking for a family doctor – there are 3 at Caleo Health accepting new patients!!
Thanks Leah….I have a degenerative disc that gives me problems and whether or not I’ll ever need the services of Caleo;it’s good to know they are available and there isn’t a two to three year wait.I would be interested to know if Alberta Health Care picks up any or a portion of the tab.You are providing a very valuable service in locating these service and bringing them to the attention of the public……………thanks again.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:42 pmDon.
I am confused by this blog entry. I watched the BT program for Caleo but was surprised at the outcome of Ms. Aben.
May 15th, 2009 at 9:46 amI am being seen at Caleo for degenerative Spinal Stenosis but waited 8 months for an appointment to be triaged and will still wait 9-12 months to see the surgeon with another 9-12 months before surgery would be booked. This diagnosis can only be corrected by spinal surgery, though physio and chiro will help you deal with it longer. My family doctor felt after viewing my CT scan last spring, that this diagnosis was urgent with the risk of paralysis should I fall or slip and that the heavy painkillers I am taking should not be taken for long periods. Though I am in my late 50’s, I had a good lifestyle before this diagnosis. Now I am limited to my work and my home life.
I do not feel that I am “tying up the cue” while waiting for back surgery. While this is considered elective surgery until the spinal cord is severed, this is very real and very painful to me. It affects my workday and it is also difficult for my family to watch.
My experience with the Caleo Spine Clinic – they are operating an inefficient medical delivery model designed to get the most money out of the patient and Alberta Health. I was referred to them in February and since then nothing has been done for my spinal stenois. My visits to Caleo were a complete waste of time and money. I went to another specialist and I now have surgery scheduled for January. My advice – don’t use Caleo.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:15 pmGood article, thank you
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