Willoughby Medical Clinic

Policies

Appointments

Appointments can be booked in person or over the phone. If you are requesting a complete physical or pap smear, please ensure the receptionist is aware of this as these services require a longer a booking period. If you are unable to make your appointment please give the staff 24 hours cancellation notice. There will be a no show charge for all missed appointments. This must be paid prior to seeing the same or another doctor at Willoughby Medical Centre.

Test Results

All patients are expected to return for follow up on all test results with the ordering physician. We do not adopt the policy of "no news is good news".

We do not give out test results over the phone, nor inform you if test results have arrived at the clinic. Please find out before leaving the clinic how long it will take for the results to come in.

Referrals

If a referral to a specialist is being made for you by our office, either our office or the specialist office will contact you with an appointment time. We will make every attempt to make referrals within 48 hours of your visit to our clinic, however due to wait lists at the specialist office, you may not be contacted right away.

Forms

In general, MSP does not pay for forms to be completed. Therefore, it is the patient's responsibility to pay for any form that needs to be filled out by the doctor. Please inform the receptionist of any forms needing to be filled out prior to seeing the doctor..

Behaviour in the Office

Our front staff are trained to help patients and we make every effort to make your visit pleasant and comfortable. We are completely supportive of our staff and neither the doctor nor management will tolerate any rude or aggressive behaviour. If you have any problems associated with your visit, please contact our manager in writing.

Personal Information

Please ensure that your file is kept up to date with a current phone number, cell phone number, address, and emergency contact information. Please inform the receptionist of any changes to your personal information upon arrival at the clinic.

Consultations and Test Results

In keeping with the rules set out by the College of Physicians of BC, we recommend you discuss the copying of your consultation and test results to your Family Doctor at every visit.

Patient Conduct & Policies at the Willoughby Medical Centre

Please familiarize yourself with the policies which have been formulated due to a series of unhappy situations that have arisen over the past few years. You will be requested to sign the agreement to abide by the policies outlined below prior to visiting a physician. A parent or caregiver is bound by and is responsible for signing this agreement on behalf of a MINOR.

Narcotic prescriptions

We do not provide any new or refill NARCOTIC prescriptions; unless you are a regular patient
Not all doctors have a triplicate prescription

Abuse of Front Desk Staff and Physician Abuse - ZERO TOLERANCE

ANY FORM OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR, whether verbal or physical would result in our staff calling in the RCMP.
In the event of such behavior you will be asked to leave the clinic
You will be banned from future medical care at this facility unless you have a life-threatening condition.

Wait Times

Wait times given to you at the front desk are only ESTIMATED.
Accurate wait times are impossible at any clinic
Do not become aggressive or upset if you have waited longer than the estimated time
We operate strictly on a FIRST COME FIRST SEEN BASIS AT THIS FACILITY

One Medical condition per visit

THE MEDICAL SERVICES PLAN ONLY PAYS A PHYSICIAN FOR ONE MEDICAL PROBLEM PER VISIT

Forms and Sick notes and copies of Test results

There is a charge for ALL forms brought in by a patient
Sick Notes are charged for
A minimum charge of $10 is applied for copies of tests from your chart
Occasionally the charge quoted by the staff may differ from the actual amount you have to pay
WE DO NOT PRICE MATCH OTHER CLINICS FOR FORM CHARGES.

Prescriptions

NO fax or telephone prescriptions requests for any patient unless by prior arrangement.
ALL fax prescription requests received from pharmacies will be shredded.
Maximum duration of any prescription is usually 3 months.

Medical are in general

Patients themselves have to be present at clinic for every visit; IT'S THE LAW, NO EXCEPTIONS
We are an independent medical facility with independent physicians.
The phrase "my doctor always gives me such prescriptions" or "my doctor always does certain treatments for me" does NOT apply here.
Medical patient management practices differ from doctor to doctor.
DO NOT BE AGGRESSIVE IF THE DOCTOR'S TREATMENT DIFFERS FROM YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR

Our medical responsibility to Walk-In patients

Our responsibility as a walk-in clinic is to bridge the gap in your care with your family doctor.
We are responsible for addressing your medical problem at hand; your family doctor is responsible for YOUR regular medical care as he/she always should.
All non-urgent referrals and tests should be done by your family doctor.
If necessary please request to send a copy of your visit details to your family doctor.