1. Routine Appointments:

Routine appointments are scheduled for 15 minutes. As such, we ask that you limit the number of issues per visit to 1 or 2 (including prescription refills). This allows for an adequate amount of time to assess and address each concern.

All visits are by appointment only. When booking your appointment, please advise the staff of the reason(s) for your visit, so they can book an appropriate amount of time for your visit; please inform the staff when booking if completion of a form or note will be needed.

2. Periodic Health Assessments (aka "Annual Physicals"):

Periodic Health Assessments ("physicals") are scheduled for 30 minutes. This time is needed to discuss health maintenance, appropriate screening tests for you, and a focused physical exam. As such, we ask that you not "save up" issues for this appointment. Please book a separate appointment for other concerns. Periodic Health Assessments are generally scheduled every 1 to 3 years depending on your age and health status.

3. Same Day Appointments:

All of our physicians reserve a number of appointments each day that are available for same day bookings only. These same day appointments are scheduled for 10 minutes to deal with a single issue of an urgent nature (for example, sore throat or urinary tract infection).

Same day urgent appointments are also available in our After Hours clinics.

NOTE: Please call the office - same day appointments are NOT available for booking by email.

4. Cancellations and Late Arrivals:

We require 24 hours notice for cancelled appointments, to allow sufficient time to offer the appointment to another patient seeking medical care. If you miss an appointment or cancel with insufficient notice, you will be billed for the missed appointment. This is done to reduce the financial and time losses of the clinic.

We do our best to run on time during the day, and late arrivals make this difficult. If you arrive late for your appointment time, you may not be seen. You may wait to be seen when there is an opportunity, if time allows (at the physician's discretion); if not, you will need to rebook your appointment. Please arrive on time for your appointment.

5. Missed Appointment Policy:

The number of requested appointments in family physicians' offices is at an all time high. Not attending an appointment that you have booked causes significant delay to other patients seeking medical care, financial loss for the clinic, and increases wait times when the appointment is rebooked. As such, you are responsible for the associated Missed Appointment fee, which must be paid prior to your next visit with your doctor. If there are extenuating circumstances that caused you to miss an appointment, please ask to speak with your physician. Three (3) unpaid Missed Appointment fees will result in dismissal from the practice.

6. Introductory Appointments:

You will not be considered a patient of the clinic until an Introductory Appointment has been completed. This appointment is necessary to review Office Policies with you, open a chart and review your medical history. Please arrive early for your appointment to complete paperwork prior to seeing the doctor.

Please see our New Patients page for more information about your Introductory Appointment.

7. Health Cards:

Your health care at the clinic is paid for via your health card. It is the policy of the Ontario Ministry of Health that a VALID provincial health card (Ontario or otherwise) is required at every visit. If you do not have your valid health card to present for payment, you will be personally charged for the visit or a missed appointment.

8. Email:

Email is used by the clinic for administrative purposes only, and checked only by the administrative staff. Please allow 2 business days for a response.

For any medical concerns or urgent issues, please do not email; please call the office to book an appointment with your physician.

It is important to remember to keep your email address updated with our office, as the clinic will only email the address listed in your chart. Please read our Email Consent.

9. Test Results:

10. Referrals:

Before any referral is arranged, patients must see their physician for pre-consultation information-gathering and investigations to facilitate a faster and more effective consultation.

11. Alternative Health Practitioners:

Requests for transfer of medical information to Alternative Health Practitioners (e.g. naturopaths, chiropractors, osteopaths) are subject to a chart transfer fee, as set out in the Uninsured Services.

Lab tests or imaging that may be requested by Alternative Health Practitioners will only be ordered by the physicians after assessment, and only if medically indicated.

12. Travel Medicine:

Visits exclusively for travel medical advice are not covered by OHIP and subject to fees as set out in the Uninsured Services.

Travel advice is at the physician's discretion; where the physician is unable to provide travel advice, you will be provided with information on local Travel Medicine clinics where you can receive services.

13. Uninsured Services:

Please take a moment to review the Uninsured Services policy. These fees must be paid at the time of service or prior to your next visit with your physician. Payment can be made by cash, debit, credit or cheque.

14. Prescription Renewals Without An Appointment:

Prescription renewal without an appointment is a service not covered by OHIP, and is subject to a charge. Telephone/fax renewals require time from your physician to review your chart to ensure a medication renewal is appropriate, as well as time to send the prescription to the pharmacy. Please allow up to 3 business days for prescriptions to be sent to the pharmacy.

Only existing/current prescriptions are eligible for telephone/fax renewal; new medications, or dose changes require an appointment. There may be times when your physician requires an appointment prior to re-prescribing a medication, for safety.

Narcotics, sedatives and antibiotics are NEVER renewed by telephone/fax, and require an appointment.

It is the patient's responsibility to monitor their prescriptions and contact the clinic for an appointment or telephone/fax renewal well in advance of prescriptions running out.

If you do not wish your pharmacy to send requests to your physician without your permission, please speak to your pharmacist.

15. Completion of Forms:

You may request your physician complete a form, letter or certificate. If medically appropriate, your physician will advise you of the fee and then work to complete the request as soon as possible. The length of time for completion may vary with the length and complexity of the request. As mandated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the physicians will complete and submit all third party forms and reports within 60 days of receipt.

16. Physician Switching Policy:

Once you have seen a physician in the office, it is our policy NOT to allow switches to other physicians of the clinic, for the following reasons:

a. All of our physicians are fully qualified to provide primary care to patients of all ages and genders. All of our physicians trained together, and practice in similar ways.

b. Our physicians work in a collaborative team, and are therefore hesitant to contradict a colleague if a conflict arises between a patient's request and their physician's professional opinion or advice. Patients deserve an unbiased second opinion, which can only be obtained through a new physician in a different clinic.

c. Taking on new patients requires a significant amount of administrative work to review health history as well as old medical records; allowing switching would increase this administrative work, and reduce physician availability for medical care.

d. As our physicians work in a collaborative group practice, if you are unhappy with your current physician, there may be instances where you would have to see that physician again should you stay with another physician in the clinic; this has the potential to result in sub-optimal medical care.

This policy does not prevent patients from reasonable access to a physician; we are fortunate to be located in Toronto with a high density of health care providers, and patients may certainly seek care with a new physician at a different clinic.

17. Zero Tolerance Policy:

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act R.S.O. 1990, all workplaces have an obligation to keep staff safe from workplace violence and harassment, including verbal abuse and/or harassment.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario Policy Number:#2-17 stipulates a physician may end the patient-physician relationship if a patient engages in behaviour which significantly disrupts the practice, including abusive or threatening language; or where patient poses a risk of harm to the physician, staff, colleagues and/or other patients.

All forms of inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. If a member of the Five Points Family Health team observes or is subject to harassment, disrespectful or abusive behaviour, the offending individual will be discharged from the practice.

We thank you for your cooperation and look forward to a respectful relationship and workplace going forward.

18. Teaching Practice:

As graduates of the University of Toronto, the physicians continue their affiliation with the school through a teaching practice. Learners (medical students, residents) may rotate through the clinic, and you may be asked to see a learner as part of your appointment. Your own physician will always be present in the clinic, and will review your concerns with you prior to the end of your appointment.

19. Scent-Free Policy:

Several members of the office are severely allergic to scents. We ask you to please not wear perfume, cologne, or other strongly scented products before coming to the office.