A deal between Canada's Manitoba province and Sanford Health Fargo (N.D.) to treat Canadian spine patients on a wait list has ramped up since February, the Winnipeg Free Press reported Sept. 12.
About 40 patients received spine surgery at Sanford Health Fargo, the report said. The agreement was originally inked to help the province relieve a backlog formed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first month of the program, nine patients were treated.
Additional partnerships were inked with Sanford Health Fargo, Cleveland Clinic and Big Thunder Orthopedic Associates in Canada's Ontario province for joint replacement patients.
Some Manitobans have been critical of the province for not disclosing the cost of the programs, the Free Press reported. A spokesperson for Sanford Health Fargo told the Free Press the hospital doesn't comment on specific contract terms, because doing so would put it at a competitive disadvantage.