Clinic policy

Conduct:

We DO NOT tolerate rude and abusive behavior towards clinic staff, be it in person, via telephone conversation, or email. Individuals violating any of the above will immediately be denied service. This may result in your dismissal from the practice.

Appointment Bookings:

Appointments can only be booked or changed via phone. If you are having a medical issue that needs attention, a phone call is the best way to communicate with us.

DO NOT send us emails to book, cancel, or reschedule appointments.

If you miss your virtual appointment and give us a call back within 15 minutes of your appointment window, you will be seen that day. Otherwise we will reschedule you.

***Please note, ALL virtual appointments are booked within a 1 hour time slot. You will receive a call sometime within that hour. There are days the providers may be running behind schedule, but you will receive a call.***

ICBC/WorkSafe appointments:

ICBC/WorkSafe appointments must be booked separately from other medical concerns to ensure proper documentation and care. When booking please advise if this is a WorkSafe/ICBC claim.

E-mail Reminders & Appointment Confirmation:

If you have booked an appointment at least 24 hrs in advance, you will receive an e-mail reminder to confirm your appointment. These e-mails are designed only to inform you of your appointment as a courtesy and are sent from an address that does not accept responses.

Please check your e-mail inbox before the consultation. To complete the booking process, click the link in the e-mail to confirm your appointment.

Missed Appointments:

Missed appointments and late cancellations are subject to a fee as recommended by Doctors of BC.

If you need to cancel an appointment, we require 24 hours notice, "No Show" appointments will be charged a $50 fee.

Missed wellness checks and pap smear appointments will be charged $75, as these are scheduled for 20-30 minutes.

Three "No Show" appointments will result in termination of care for the particular patient.

To cancel a cosmetic consult or treatment we require 24 hrs notice, and "No Show" appointments will be charged a $100 fee.

Missing appointments prevents us from taking care of our patients promptly and wastes an appointment spot which could have gone to another patient in need.

Prescription Refill:

Please plan and book an appointment for your prescription refill BEFORE you are out of medication. If this is not possible, please still book an appointment as soon as possible. Then, please go to your regular pharmacy and inform them of when your appointment is. Most pharmacists will provide enough medication to last until your appointment.

All patients will now be expected to book an appointment to renew prescriptions. This is a new clinic policy to ensure the best care for our patients.

If you do not feel you can abide by this rule, we suggest finding another practitioner that aligns with your expectations.

Referral Process:

Referrals will be sent to specialists within a week of your appointment. Please allow your provider adequate time to send the referral letter, as we receive a high volume of these requests.
Furthermore, many referring offices/specialists take multiple weeks/months to book patients. We follow up on all referrals three to four weeks after they are faxed and will promptly inform you if an appointment has been booked. However, more often than not, an appointment will not be scheduled within that time. This is up to the referring provider; it is not in our hands. Please note we continue to follow up with specialists until an appointment has been booked for you, but this can take anywhere from a few weeks to many months depending on your concern and specialist waitlist. Please be patient with us during the referral process.

***Please note all referrals require an appointment with your provider.***

Office Visits:

Patients with chronic issues (high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, chronic pain, etc) must come into the clinic at least once every six months for an IN PERSON consult this allows the provider to give adequate care for the ongoing concern and to update any labs and examinations needed. If this policy cannot be carried out, due to location issues or otherwise, it is recommended that you find a practitioner closer to you so that you may receive the best quality of care.

Seeing a Walk-In Doctor:

We understand that sometimes it is necessary to see a walk-in provider when there are no appointments available or on weekends. However, during weekdays please call us when the office opens and explain the situation as we may be able to accommodate. Often, we will accommodate this and fit you into our schedule. The reason why we suggest booking with us first is that it becomes difficult to provide good patient care when tests/exams/referrals/medications are ordered by another provider; we have no access to these records.

Test/lab results:

Please avoid calling the office for copies of your test results. An administrative fee will apply for these requests, as this service is NOT covered by MSP. Test results will NOT be emailed without prior review by your doctor or nurse practitioner.
For easy access to your personal health records, we recommend using the Health Gateway app.

Please check the link below to register on Health Gateway app:
healthgateway.gov.bc.ca

Fee for Uninsured Services (Forms, records, medical/insurance notes, letters):

Please check the link below for details:

Doctorsofbc.ca/uninsuredservicesfee

Please be aware that all forms will be completed within 30 business days. Providers usually process forms outside of regular hours.

Personal information updates (address, email, phone number):

Patients can update their personal information via e-mail at orchidmedicalclinic@outlook.com

Health Connect Registry:

healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry

Preventive Health Guidelines:

Please note you are required to wear a MASK in the clinic if you are experiencing any upper respiratory symptoms (cough, congestion, fever, etc).