Clinic Policies

Appointments:

• We provide appointments for registered patients weekdays from 9 – 3pm and operate by appointment only.
• We endeavour to save a few “same-day” appointments in order to try to accommodate semi-urgent needs (e.g. urinary tract or ear infections, suspected pneumonia etc).
• For semi-urgent same-day needs that cannot be accommodated by the clinic, please go to the nearest walk in clinic, for example:
  • Medical Arts at the Port Place Mall in Nanaimo
  • Oceanside Clinic in Parksville
  • Ladysmith Community Health Center in Ladysmith
• For medical advice or in order to obtain medical information, call 811 where you will be able to speak with a nurse, pharmacist, dietician or exercise professional free of charge.
• If there is a medical emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
• For after hours urgent care, please go to the nearest emergency room.
• Clinic appointments may be either virtual (by phone) or in-person and may be booked via our website or by calling our front desk.
• Appointments are mostly 10 minute slots and are designed to address one medical concern. If you have several concerns, your doctor can help you prioritize your list in order to ensure that your concerns are addressed at future appointments. Please be respectful of this so that we are able to be on time for the appointments after yours.
• Please notify the clinic 24h in advance if you need to reschedule your appointment. Missed appointments will result in a warning for the first time, and a fee for subsequent times.
• Medication refills and form completions require an appointment. Please ensure that you schedule appointments for these reasons 2 weeks in advance in order to ensure your timelines are met.
• As doctors, we strive to be on time, however, due to the unpredictable nature of our work, please be available for your phone appointment from 10 minutes prior to the appointment to 60 minutes after the appointment. For in-office visits, our front-desk staff will try to keep you informed if a doctor is running significantly behind schedule. We thank you for your patience if we are late for your appointment.
• Not all services are covered by MSP. Please see the list of  “Uninsured Services” for fees related to these services.
• If you need a form completion, physical exam or initial WBC/ICBC assessment, you will need to book by calling our front desk staff and NOT by the online option.

Technology and communication:

• In order to improve communication, our clinic utilizes a secure email system through a program called “Ocean”. These emails may include forms for completion pre or post appointments and are returned directly to the patient medical chart through this secure channel.
• The clinic is not able to respond to regular emails unless a pre-arrangement has been made with the front desk.
• To ensure optimal record keeping, doctors sometimes utilize an electronic AI scribe service. This service does not have access to any identifying information. Your doctor will obtain verbal consent from you before utilizing this system.

Clinic Culture:

• We strive to maintain a calm, peaceful space at our clinic for the well-being of all who may enter. We ask that you help to contribute to this by engaging front-desk staff, doctors and other patients respectfully and by avoiding cell-phone ringing and phone conversations in the clinic space.

Students and Residents:

• The Clinic is a center of teaching and learning for a variety of health regulated students, such as residents. Having a student at your visit is voluntary and you may opt out at any time with no repercussions. The clinic views the education of future health care providers as important and appreciates the opportunity to share in that learning.
• The student/resident will always review any encounters with one of the doctors, and you can also ask to see the doctor after seeing the student/resident.