Schroeder Ambulatory Centre aims to reduce backlogs

RICHMOND HILL, ONT. – The Schroeder Ambulatory Centre (SAC), a charitable non-profit facility in Richmond Hill, just north of Toronto, has been outfitted with operating rooms, CT and MRI scanners, and a host of other equipment and capabilities. The $300 million facility has begun offering services while awaiting final approvals from Accreditation Canada for diagnostic imaging and hip and knee surgical programs.

Eventually, it hopes to do even more – functioning as a comprehensive, not-for-profit ambulatory health centre.

But as a private medical facility, the first question people ask is, ‘aren’t you going to be moving surgeons, radiologists, nurses and technologists away from resource-starved, traditional hospitals and into your clinic?’

In response, chief medical officer Dr. Fabio Varlese told Canadian Healthcare Technology that he and his colleagues have been sensitive to this issue for the four years the Schroeder Ambulatory Centre has been in the planning and construction stages. He said the key idea is to add capacity to the Ontario healthcare system, and not to diminish it.

“It was crucial for us to find a way to not simply shift capacity from the hospital system to facilities like ours,” he said.

So, when it comes to surgeries, he noted that most Ontario surgeons are only in the OR one or two days a week. SAC will enable them to do surgeries on other days, which will increase surgical capacity in the region. Dr. Varlese said they won’t be taking these surgeons away from their regular hospital duties but will give them the resources to do more operations – to the benefit of patients.

As he puts it, “physicians will continue to deliver most of their care from their home hospitals.”

In July 2025, the Ontario government announced it will invest $155 million over two years to add 57 new community surgical and diagnostic centres licensed to deliver MRI and CT scans, and gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy services across the province. The expansion will help 1.2 million people access publicly funded procedures faster, the Doug Ford government said.

For its part, the Schroeder Ambulatory Centre is receiving $14 million to provide MRI and CT scans, as well as GI endoscopy procedures to over 115,000 patients over two years, significantly reducing wait times in the region.

Adding private medical centres to the mix is a controversial issue, as it’s a modification of the public healthcare system that is sacrosanct to many people. Critics worry that private facilities will simply poach personnel from the public healthcare system.

As a result, centres like the SAC are under pressure to find solutions that don’t disrupt the existing healthcare system.

When it comes to the nurses that are needed, the centre is being creative. First, its recruitment strategy focuses on empowering healthcare professionals to extend their careers in a setting that prioritizes sustainable practice. By recruiting retirees, those seeking a more balanced pace, and practitioners looking for a fresh environment, SAC offers an alternative to traditional acute care.

This model provides a predictable schedule with defined hours and no overnight shifts, allowing professionals to work in the field on terms that work for their lives.

Secondly, it has struck up relationships with McMaster University and Toronto Metropolitan University to provide practical experience to their nursing students as part of their curriculum.

“We’re not doing the theory, we’re doing the practical part, and this has always been a big problem for academic institutions; they’re always looking for facilities that would deliver high-quality, practical training and teaching, and we are becoming that,” said Dr. Varlese. “So, the ultimate outcome of that is that we’re adding to the system.”

He said SAC is using a similar recruitment strategy for radiologists and technologists and is providing extra hours to working radiologists and technologists who wish to fill up their schedules.

Dr. Varlese noted that SAC will be working closely with facilities in its area – Mackenzie Health is the closest hospital, North York General and Southlake Regional Health Centre are also nearby.

He said the Centre recently came to the assistance of a large regional hospital that is currently upgrading its MRI suites and needed to shut down its machines. During that time, it shifted patients to SAC, which has two Siemens MRI scanners installed – a 1.5T and a 3.0T machine.

Using equipment, they’ve been able to image 2,000 patients.

He said a partnership like this could be ongoing, with the Schroeder centre assisting area hospitals when they need extra capacity.

Dr. Varlese stressed that SAC is investing across the board in top-flight technologies that will not only help patients but will also integrate with the existing healthcare system and keep all physicians and allied healthcare professionals in the loop.

For example, they have acquired a cloud-based MEDITECH Expanse electronic health record system that’s said to be the first of its kind in Canada. It is also acquiring a cloud-based Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) from Philips.

As Dr. Varlese noted, it’s important to give physicians and other healthcare professionals the tools they need track patient care and communicate with each other inside the organization.
These electronic solutions will also integrate with systems outside of SAC, ensuring that every clinician caring for a patient gets the feedback and information that they need.

“With high expectations of quality and outcomes, we knew we needed a hospital-grade electronic record system,” said Dr. Varlese. He said there were discussions about acquiring an EMR that’s more typically found in physician clinics, but the hospital systems have a higher capacity to connect and interoperate.

“We need full integration [with local hospital partners]. We’ve seen that disjointed care is a big problem. Even if the patient is receiving high-quality care, if it’s disjointed, it’s the biggest risk when it comes to patient care and outcomes,” he said.

That’s because unless all clinicians involved in a patient’s care are informed of tests and procedures, care for the patient can stall, and he or she may fall through the cracks. By using top-tier electronic records and communications, SAC intends to keep all allied professionals in the loop.

By deploying advanced systems, the Schroeder centre intends to give professionals the tools they need.

To support this, the centre is actively integrating artificial intelligence across its systems to enhance the efficiency and precision of patient care.

“We want to be incredibly focused on the ability to continuously improve after analyzing the high-quality data we produce,” said Dr. Varlese.

“There’s a genuine interest in really looking at quality of care, patient outcomes, patient satisfaction and full integration with the healthcare system – which is going to be the backbone of improved services and outcomes.”

It’s already at work on AI projects, focusing first on foundational efficiencies such as deploying and refining AI scribes. The centre is also exploring solutions to streamline administrative processes and optimize scheduling to reduce cancellations and no-shows.

While technology is important, connections among real people are paramount. On this note, SAC has been creating partnerships and pathways with regional hospitals to work out procedures like patient transfers and ensure continuity of care.

There are close relationships in the works with local hospitals, but SAC is also working with centres like Trillium Health Partners, in Mississauga, Ont., and St. Michael’s, a downtown Toronto acute-care hospital.

As Dr. Varlese noted, hospitals across the Greater Toronto Area are seeking solutions to the growing demand for services in a time of fiscal constraints.

“Our goal is to be a dedicated partner within the healthcare ecosystem, providing tangible solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our province.

“Ultimately, we are here to help Ontarians bypass long wait times and access the care they need to reclaim their mobility and quality of life.”