Patients' Rights and Responsibilities/Frequently Asked Questions
Our office encourages patients and their families to be aware of their rights and responsibilities:
1. The right to respectful care without discrimination.
2. The right to privacy of identifiable health information.
3. The responsibility of not being abusive to staff and not threatening staff and to follow office instructions, our clinic reserves the right to terminate services to patients who showed abusive behaviour.
4. The responsibility of notifying of cancellation with no less than two business days notice. Failure to notify of a cancellation or no show will be charged for late cancellation fee or no show fee to be paid. There is no appointment reminders service.
5. The responsibility of informing us immediately of a change in address or phone numbers or email address.
6. The responsibility of bringing a valid OHIP card, medicine bottles, and/or vaccine records if any, to each visit.
7. The responsibility of opening emails from the office especially when you are expecting answers after you phoned or your visit. Office will contact you if you have abnormal results. If you have not received results from our office FOUR weeks after your tests are completed, it is the patient’s responsibility to contact the office.
8. The responsibility of knowing that prescriptions for narcotic drugs are not provided on your first visit.
9. The responsibility of requesting immediate refills - if you have run out of your medication, contact your pharmacy to fax us 4162218784 for a immediate refill request. Fee for the immediate refill request is 30.00
10. The responsibility of paying for medical services that are not covered by OHIP. if you have visited a walk-in clinic, you may be asked to pay for a second visit to a different family doctor on the same day.
11. Patient is required to be physically in Ontario when receiving any forms of medical consultation. It is the responsibility of the patient to disclose to Doctor if patient is not in Ontario in the start of the consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to know as a new patient?
The purpose of the first visit is to get to know your past history and to establish each of our expectations in managing your health. Particular concerns may or may not be addressed at the first visit
o It is in your best interest to have ONE family doctor as important information regarding your medical history is often lost during multiple transfers.
o Please bring any medications that you are taking to this visit and translate the names to English. It is at the doctor’s discretion to renew, modify or discontinue the medications
o Appropriate and current evidence-based guidelines direct all medical investigations. It may or may not be different from what your previous family doctor always order
o For some elderly patients who appeared to be struggling with medication compliance or medical advice, a family member’s presence is mandatory for patient’s safety. The doctor may not be able to provide non-urgent care to this patient without accompanied by a family member
How are previous records transferred?
Please note that different clinics do NOT share information in order to protect your confidentiality. We do NOT see your record. Therefore, file transfer from your previous family doctor is required at the doctor’s discretion, depending on the complexity of your past medical history. It is pertinent to the long-term follow up and continuity of care. You are responsible for this process and associated fees to your previous medical office. Our office only accepts faxing to our office 416-221-8784/through Ocean message link.
Where can I go for Bloodwork and Xray/Ultrasound?
In order for our office to receive electronic results-
please go to LifeLabs for lab tests. Visit www.lifelabs.com to book an appointment to avoid waiting. While you are at your blood test, please ask for a code to "My Care Compass" which is a website that lets you see your blood test results at no extra fee. If you wish to receive your results from our office, there is a fee.
Hitek Imaging for X-rays/ultrasound. Addresses and phone numbers are on requisition form.
How do I book another appointment?
o Regular medical visit can be booked via Ocean online booking link (link posted on home page and fastest) or by phone call. Please call office for urgent or time sensitive appointments.
o All requests are triaged by the receptionist and documented
o Specific medical information about patient’s concern(s) will be asked, as required for appropriate scheduling
o Patient confidentiality is absolutely assured
o Unable to accommodate anyone without an appointment
o If you are accompanying a patient but also have health concerns of your own, please book a separate appointment for yourself so a proper assessment can be done for both of you
o Cannot report to a patient's family member about any clinical encounter or test results for confidentiality reasons (unless the patient is a minor or incompetent, or under life-threatening/urgent circumstances). If there is any question or concern regarding the care, family member is advised to be present during appointment with the patient, of course, with the patient’s permission
What if I get sick all of a sudden?
When you are sick, we will try to assess you quickly – please call early for a same-day appointment during weekdays or leave a voicemail. We will try our best to fit you in. This is for ONE urgent and acute health concern only. Please reserve any non-urgent or chronic health concerns for a regular visit.
How do I get my medications renewed?
o For most of the long term medications, one-year supply will be offered in visit and can be faxed to your pharmacy. It is important to arrange for appropriate renewal before the last repeat runs out
o For new medications that the doctor advised you to take in the email, the prescription will be faxed to your pharmacy directly. Please call them to arrange for pickup
o For renewal, please ask your pharmacy to fax request to our office at 416-221-8784
What if I missed an appointment?
o Receptionists are not able to call or send reminders for appointments. Please write the time down when appointment is made.
o It is important to let us know in advance if there is a change in plan, so your spot can be offered to other patients who are also in need of talking to the doctor
o 48 hours cancellation notice is required to avoid a no-show charge
o We reserve the right to decide on the amount of charges depending on the type of visit missed o If there is a history of multiple missed appointments, doctor will not accept advanced booking and your appointment can only be scheduled if there is a cancellation
What if I need to get injections?
We can fax the prescription to your pharmacy without an appointment if you are advised to get a certain vaccination. It is better to call the pharmacy ahead of time to make sure they have it in storage as some vaccines will need to be ordered a few days in advance. We will then book you in for an in-person visit to have it administered. This visit is intended for injection only. Please reserve any non-urgent or chronic health concerns for a regular visit
What are the after-hours, holidays and weekend coverages
o One of the doctors from our clinic is available every Saturday 0930-1200 noon except holidays (see www.ysmed.ca for up to date hours of operation)
What if I want to see a specialist?
o Before any referral is arranged, the patient must see the doctor for pre-consultation chart reviewing, information gathering and investigations to facilitate a faster and more effective consultation. Therefore, it may not happen during the first few visits
o Once referral to specialists is sent by the doctor, it can take up to 4 weeks for the specialists to triage the referral and contact you for appointment. If you do not hear from them by then, please contact the specialist office to follow up directly. We cannot estimate when the specialist appointment will be, as it depends on the type of specialist, the urgency of the concerns, their own waitlists etc
o Please let the doctor know in advance if you have a preferred specialist so the referral can be directed accordingly. If they are unable to see you, we can either refer you to the first available specialist or you may pick up the referral letter to ask around yourself. We are unable to send the same referral to multiple specialists at the same time
How do I follow up with the results?
o Doctors mainly use secured email for communication if test results are abnormal or treatment needs to be initiated. This avoids unnecessary delays from phone-tagging. Please leave us an email address that you do use on a daily basis and check off “confirmed” once message is viewed
o No news does NOT mean good news. It is your responsibility to call after 2-3 weeks to confirm results are good if you did not receive an email
o All test results are reviewed by the doctor. Recommendations and management plan will be documented in your chart
o Receptionists are qualified to read to you what is written in the chart by doctor, but they cannot offer medical advice. The phone line is usually less busy from 1530-1630
o We do NOT receive lab test results or imaging results from other walk-in clinics outside.
What are the non-OHIP covered services?
o Fees for medical services that are not covered by the provincial insurance plan are the responsibility of you, the patient
o The fees assigned are as per the recommendations of the Ontario Medical Association
o You will need to prepare all the documents or requirements ahead of time so the doctor can complete it in the most accurate and efficient way possible
o Please note that not all forms/letters are appropriate for doctor to fill out. And it does not guarantee what you are requesting will get approved
Please allow office sufficient turnaround time to process your urgent requests include forms request. We normally need maximum two weeks to determine invoices and maximum a month to send reports, Rush fee can apply to some urgent form requests to be completed in less than normal turnaround time.
Zero-Tolerance Policy for harassment
o We have adopted a Zero-Tolerance Policy for verbal abuse. The expectation for our doctors and staff is to treat each patient professionally with dignity and respect. We will not speak in a rude manner or utilize derogatory language, so we ask our patients to do the same. It is imperative to maintain a healthy and friendly environment in order to provide quality care to you
o We understand that anyone can have a bad day. You will need to sign a formal apology letter and promise that it will not happen again. Repeated offenders will be discontinued office services
Our thanks to Dr Ren Zhu Tao and Dr Lydia Man for their major contribution to this FAQ.