Abstract: Introduction: Prolonged wait times for orthopedic services represent a substantial barrier to care for musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. Referrals to orthopedic surgery, for which conservative management is more appropriate, signifi cantly contribute to these wait times. To decrease the percentage of referrals to orthopedic surgery for which conserva tive management is more appropriate, a physiotherapy-led triage program that uses electronical medical record (EMR) screening was implemented in November 2019 within a military primary health care centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the program in referring patients for orthopedic inter vention, as compared with those patients directly referred by their primary health care provider. Methods: Using a time framed sampling methodology, the EMRs of 119 patients referred for orthopedic consult by their primary health care provider prior to program implementation and 102 patients referred post program implementation were retrospectively reviewed to compare differences in orthopedic intervention rate (OIR) and surgical conversion rate (SCR). Patient de mographics were compared for preprogram and program groups. Results: The OIR and SCR in the preprogram group were 47.9% and 30.3%, respectively, and the OIR and SCR for the program group were 63.7% and 43.1%, respectively. Discussion: Physiotherapy-led screening of EMRs has the potential to be an effective and efficient method for triaging orthopedic referrals and optimizing access to orthopedic services.