Office Policies

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After-hours Coverage

Our clinic is opened 5 days a week. We will refer you to the operating hours on this website for further detail. All holiday hours and after hours coverage will be addressed. If you have a medical issue after the office hours, you can call the BC Nurse Health line at 604.215.8110. If you would like to contact a on-call physician, you can page him/her at 604-517-6747. Please take note the doctors in this office participates in a neighbourhood call system, so the physician on call may not be your family doctor, and will not have access to your medical records. The on-call doctor will not provide medication refills.

Appointment Booking

We request every patient to book an appointment by telephone for any office visit. We have more than one physician on site. Please designate the physician you want to see when you make the appointment. Please state or you will be asked the reason for the visit when you call for an appointment. This will greatly help the receptionist set up an appropriate time for the visit. If you have a life-threatening medical emergency, please proceed to the nearest emergency room for immediate attention to prevent any delay in initiating appropriate medical intervention. Walk-in patients are accommodated if the problem has to be addressed on that day. However, it is highly likely the wait time will be long. You will also be seen by the first physician available. You might also be directed to the emergency room If the problem needs more care than the clinic can provide. Please call us ahead of time if you are going to be late for the appointment. We can rearrange the appointment time to minimize the waiting time when you arrive. If you just arrive late, you have to wait until the all the other scheduled patients are seen first. If additional members of the family need to be seen on an urgent basis during your appointment time, please discuss this ahead of time with the receptionist before you enter the exam room. The receptionist will work her best to accommodate the extra person but we respectfully ask you to keep your visit as brief as possible so our clinic will be running on time. We might also ask you to forfeit your appointment time so that your loved one can be attended to. You should bring in any new medications with you if they are prescribed by another physician.

COVID-19 Protocols

PREPARING FOR AN IN-OFFICE VISIT To minimize exposure to COVID-19, the government, along with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, have imposed guidelines to restrict the types of in-person medical services being offered in the clinic. Most medical visits are now conducted virtually either by phone or by video. However, in-offer visits remain an integral part of any medical practice. Many procedures and exams have to be done in person. For everyone's safety, we do not accept walk-in patietns and we do not allow anyone in the waiting room. The MOA's are trained to screen and triage incoming phones calls. They will direct all medical inquiries to a physician on duty. If one of our physicians determines you need an office visit in person, the office staff will schedule a time for you to come in. Our clinic has a protocol to ensure the safety of patients and medical staff. OFFICE VISIT PROTOCOL

  • Pre-visit screening and reminders
  • Screening questionnaire: do you have respiratory symptoms
  • Schedule an appointment time
  • Personal protective equipment - face mask - cloth masks or paper masks are adequate
  • For the safety of all patients, our washroom is not available for patient use
  • Upon arrival, call office at 604 278 3322; wait in your vehicle for further instructions, do not come inside until you are instructed to do so

Clinic safety procedures: Upon arrival, call office at 604 278 3322; wait in your vehicle for further instructions, do not come inside until you are instructed to do so Screening questionnaire repeated: do you have respiratory symptoms Only one person at a time in the clinic - exceptions for minors and people with mobility or cognitive issues Shoe disinfection station Temperature monitoring with thermoscan Hand sanitization station Brief instructions on office etiquette - wear face mask at all times, especially when speaking; do not touch anything in the exam rooms Please refrain from using the clinic washroom Please speak to the receptionist across the plexiglass barrier

We thank all our patients for their understanding and their cooperation!!

Information Changes

We request that you inform the clinic immediately regarding any change in your personal information, including name, address and phone number

Children

We are happy to see little children in the clinic. However, children have short attention spans and require frequent stimulation to keep them entertained. We have decided to do away with toys in the office as they are a perfect reservoir for germs. It is impractical for us to disinfect them constantly to prevent cross contamination. Therefore, if you have small children, please come with a story book, scrap books, toys, DVD movies, or Nintendo/PSP/Gameboy to keep them occupied. We would respectfully ask the parents and caregivers of these small children to keep an eye on their safety in the clinic. Although we make our clinic child-safe, our clinic staff cannot be responsible for little accidents the children get themselves into. We also would like the children not to touch or play with any of the instruments and equipment in the clinic. The parents will be held responsible for the cost of repair and replacement of any damaged items in the clinic.

Clinic Parking

  • There is ample parking on site, but we ask you to assist us in the following regards so that enough parking is available for everyone:
  • Parking is available along the building and also at the rear.
  • Maximum parking time is 1.5 hours (90 minutes). We would appreciate if you remove your vehicle after you finished your business with the clinic.
  • If more than one person comes in for the appointment, please try to all come in one vehicle so you can leave parking spot for others.
  • Please park your car within the lines.
  • Please be courteous to other drivers and be patient if the parking lot is full. The turnover time should be no longer than 5-10 minutes. It is better to wait for the next available spot rather than risk a ticket by parking at the mall.
  • There are also 2 hour street parking parking on Lansdowne Road beside the clinic. There are usually quite a few spots available during the day.
  • Please park in the handicap parking spot only you have the proper permit.

Diagnostic Tests

Diagnostic tests, such as laboratory blood tests, are typically done at the any LifeLabs in Richmond or the Lower Mainland. Your laboratory reports will be back at the office in 2-5 days depending on the tests ordered. You will be contacted to discuss the results if there is a concern. You are welcome to come in to review your result or check with us one week after the test to make sure the results are fine. The receptionist cannot provide diagnoses or treatment decisions based on the blood tests over the phone. If you want to further discuss the result, you will be invited to return for an office visit. Certain tests are sent out to other laboratories for testing. In these cases, a turnaround time of 4-6 weeks might be needed. Diagnostics done at other private laboratories (eg. BC Bio) will take a few more days to arrive at the clinic. If you are coming in to review the lab result, we ask you to inform our receptionist when you make the appointment and we will try our best to make sure the reports are available for your visit. The opening hours of the labs varies from location to location. The hours are printed clearly at the back of the requisition. Some tests require a period of fasting and you will be informed of this when the blood tests are requested. We strongly advise you to arrive at the lab at least 15 minutes before closing time to avoid being turned away for the day. You can also make appointments at any labs online or via phone. The above information also applies to imaging reports. The turnaround time for x-ray reports is usually 48 hours. Reports of x-rays done at other facilities will arrive a few days later. Ultrasound reports generally take 2-3 days as well, however CTs and MRIs are usually longer (sometimes 1 week). If other physicians order laboratory and radiological investigations for you, we would like a copy of the report to our clinic. This will prevent us from duplicating any investigation.

Medical Coverage for BC Residents

All BC residents should have a valid BC CareCard. The card is issued by the Provincial Health Department and you can consult their website to download the application form. BC residents who neglect to obtain or does not have a valid Carecard will be charged $40/visit plus other consumable expenses.

New Patients - Your first visit

  • New patients coming to the clinic for the first time are asked to bring in a list of all their current medications and any past medical record on hand.
  • All our first time patients will be asked to fill out a medical questionnaire which prevents us from overlooking any important medical information.
  • Patients under the age of 18 are asked to bring their immunization records with them. A copy of the record will be kept with the chart.
  • Please set aside at least 30 minutes of this first appointment.
  • All new patients are requested to pre-book an appointment with us prior to the visit. Because of the high volume of patients we see each day, we do not accept any new walk-in patient

Non-MSP Charges

We are fortunate to live in a country where universal health care is provided. All visits for any medical condition are covered by the provincial health plan. However, there is a list of services that our provincial health plan will not cover. For instance, periodic health examination without a medical indication is not part of MSP benefit. This list of uninsured service is posted at the receptionist desk. You can also consult the MSP website to obtain more information. We will be happy to discuss these charges with you before your visit. We only accept cash for these uninsured services. Completion of forms and health certificates is not part of the provincial health plan benefit. There is a charge of $50-$200 depending on the length and complexity of these documents. There is a turnover time of at least 1 week for any form. Please see that any such form is delivered to us in a timely fashion if you need there is a time constraint attached.

Patient Confidentiality

We are unable to disclose any patient’s information to any relative or family member without the prior consent of the patient. Please have the patient come in for the visit if he or she would like to know the report. Otherwise, a proper signed consent or verbal consent has to be received by the clinic prior to the release of information.

Referral to Specialists

In Canada, primary care physicians act as the gatekeeper for access to specialists. This is to minimize inappropriate referrals and unnecessary consultation for problems that the primary care physician is comfortable to treat. The vast majority of the time, we will let the patient know when a referral to the specialist becomes necessary. However, from time to time, we do receive a patient’s request for a second opinion from a specialist even though such referral is deemed not necessary initially. On a case-by-case basis, we will seriously consider if such referral will add any benefit to the treatment outcome. As a rule, we would inform and make all referrals for you to see a specialist if the need arises. If you want to change to a more convenient time at a later date, it is perfectly fine for you to call the specialist’s office directly to arrange changes. Please note that any changes may delay your appointment date/time with the specialist. Most specialists will not give out appointment times until they receive a letter of request from us. Therefore, it may take a few weeks before you are notified of the appointment time. In this situation, you would be contacted directly from the specialist’s office. Most specialists charge a no-show fee for missed appointments. It is also important for you to show up for your appointment on time as some specialists will refuse to see you if you are late or no-show. We receive reports from the consultant specialists 7-10 days after your visit. There is no need to return to see us for a report if you are satisfied with the answer and treatment you receive from the specialist. Occasionally, a specialist will advise you to return to see us for follow-up if it deems appropriate. If you have a problem with the specialst’s recommendation and treatment, you can contact him or her directly for clarification and there is no need to get a referral from our office again if your visit is within six months. We understand some people have preference of specialists they wish to see. Please inform us your specialist of choice during your visit and we will see if the specialist is appropriate for the problems. There is no interpreter in the specialist’s office, it is important that you bring an English-speaking interpreter with you if needed.

Telephone messages

As we receive over a hundred phone calls during the day, we are not able to address all the questions in the most comprehensive fashion over the phone. We would answer your inquiries but we frequently divert you to the proper source for you to obtain more information. Our physician cannot do telephone medical consultation without an office visit. However, we are happy to clarify any issue on the phone for any pertinent question arising from an earlier office consultation. Please note the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 2020, we provide the majority of our services over telephone and videoconference until further notice. For more information see this news bulletin.

Transfer of records

Patients coming from another practice may be asked to have the previous medical record transferred from their previous doctors. A consent form has to be signed before any transfer can be arranged. Most, if not all doctors, charge a fee of $50-80 for processing past records. It is important that this fee is paid promptly so there is no delay in the record reaching our office.

Urgent medical conditions

If you experience any of the following symptoms, we strongly advise you to proceed to the nearest emergency room:

  • Severe shortness of breath
  • Moderate or severe chest pain, especially not relieved by nitroglycerin
  • Possible bone fractures
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Severe headache, especially if there is no history of headache
  • Loss of function/sensation of limbs, facial paralysis, sudden speech impairment or vision loss
  • Seizure lasting over than 5 minutes
  • Ingestion of poison and other chemicals
  • Fever in newborn less than 3-4 months of age
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Large laceration or significant facial laceration
  • Uncontrolled nasal bleeding

Visits to walk-in clinics

Many of our patients consult walk-in clinics for various reasons. We would like a copy of any lab and x-ray report ordered by the walk-in physician for our own records. We would ask you to keep a record of the treatment and prescription you receive from the clinic. We strongly advise you to download this form and take it with you when you visit a walk-in clinic. download walk-in clinic encounter form

Wait times

We try to keep the wait in the clinic to a minimum (within 15-20 minutes). However, when something unexpected arises with any of our patients, we do try to spend extra time to resolve the problem. If you are experiencing an unusually long wait in the clinic or pressing for time, please remind the front desk your scheduled time and we will do our utmost to attend to you as soon as we can. Meanwhile, we ask you for your understanding and patience. During the entire time of COVID pandemic, in order to protect you and other patients, we will like to you to remind in your vehicle until you are called to enter the clinic.