All new patient consults must come as a referral through your referring doctor. All joint replacement referrals for FWO surgeons are to be sent through the WRHA Common Intake. FWO will notify you of your appointment date once the referral is received and reviewed. Please don’t contact FWO to find out when your consult appointment will be scheduled. We will notify you as soon as we have the appointment scheduled.

1. The Referring Doctor’s contact information (i.e. phone number, fax number, address)
2. The patient’s presenting issue and current findings (Referrals for pain with no further investigation will be rejected)
3. Diagnostic results: X-Ray and/or MRI
4. Patient’s updated demographics, including a cell phone number and an email
   
   Patients who provide an active email and a cell phone number will receive their appointments sooner and will have access to online booking

• Only patients who have been given their consult date can be added on the Cancellation List
• If you feel that your case is urgent, your referring doctor will have to contact our surgeons directly to plead your case on why it should be seen sooner

Once the referral is received by our office, our surgeons pre-screen the referrals and prioritize how soon to schedule each referral. This process can take 6 to 8 weeks, please be patient with our surgeons.

• There is no guarantee that the referral will be accepted
• If the referral is rejected, the referring doctor will be notified by fax

When the referral is accepted, a letter will be faxed to your referring physician to state the Wait-Time of your appointment.

• Due to our high volume of phone calls , wait times will no longer be discussed over the phone. Please contact your referring physician for the wait times.
• All wait times are tentative and are subjected to change -- if there is a change in the wait time, a new wait-list letter will be faxed to the referring physician

If you feel that your case is urgent, your referring doctor will have to contact our surgeons directly to plead your case on why it should be seen sooner

Patients who provide an active email address and/or a cell phone number (that can receive text messages) will receive their appointments sooner

We encourage our patients to provide an active email and/or a cell phone number to receive their appointments

If possible, please ensure to have your referring doctor include the dates you will be away on the referral letter, and FWO staff will ensure you are able to attend either before your leave or after your return to Winnipeg

Our surgeons will give patients up to 1 year to contact the office to discuss surgery after the initial consultation appointment.

If you request to be seen after 1 year from the initial appointment, a new referral is needed with updated diagnostic results. Your referral will then be placed on the regular Wait-List. 

All new patients must bring their Manitoba Health Card and a list of their current medications.

For Hip and Knee issues, please bring a pair of shorts to change into.

Females who are being seen for shoulder issues, please bring a tank top to change into.

If you are under the age of 18, you must have a parent present with you to the appointment.

Patients 18 years old and older must give consent to the FWO staff to speak to your family members on your behalf.

You must arrive 30 minutes prior to your appointment time, when you check-in with the receptionist please have your Manitoba Health Card ready -- an x-ray requisition form and a paper questionnaire will be given to you. You will need to have x-rays done before you see the surgeon.

Any cancellations or rescheduling the appointment will require a minimum of 48 hours notice.

• If the appointment is cancelled the same day, or if you do not attend without notifying the office, a no-show fee of $150.00 will be applied. This fee must  be paid before rescheduling the consultation appointment

All non-operative management and pain management is done by your primary health care provider (PHCP). Please contact your PHCP.