General Information
Appointments
Our standard scheduled appointments are every 10 minutes. If you have multiple medical problems or require an examination for insurance, superannuation, driving medical, worker compensation, motor vehicle accident, etc., please inform the receptionist so that we can allocate sufficient time for your appointment. Some of our doctors are not accepting the TAC (car accident), or work-cover claims, please check with reception staff. Emergency cases are prioritized based on urgency. If you have a life-threatening emergency, please dial 000. If your emergency occurs during our regular surgery hours, please call us, and we will attend to that and guide you. If you have any medical concern in after-hours, please call our after-hour care provider, Doctor-Doctor on 13 26 60.
While we strive to keep waiting times to a minimum by running on an appointment system, occasional delays may occur. Preference is given to patients with appointments. If you are unable to attend your appointment, kindly notify us at least 5 hours in advance to avoid missed appointment and/ or not-attendance fees and charges. Please make a separate booking for each family member who needs to be seen.
Telephone Calls
If you have any concern, our receptionist will take a message for your doctor, who will return your call at the end of their session to avoid interrupting consultations. If there is a non-life-threatening emergency, we will guide you.
Emails
When communicating with patients electronically, such as via email, we ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the patient’s health information. However, please note that we do not accept email requests for medical certificates, referrals, or repeat prescriptions. Therefore, we discourage health providers from sending us emails containing personal patient information, and we discourage patients from emailing us their own personal information.
Prescriptions
All repeat prescriptions require an appointment with the doctor.
Results
In compliance with Victorian and Federal Government Privacy legislation, doctors have legal obligations when communicating personal health information to their patients. Therefore, all patients are required to schedule a follow-up appointment to receive test results. If a result needs urgent discussion with the doctor, you will receive an automatic-generated text/ email from HealthEngine (our medical information provider) to make an appointment. It is important to see the doctor who ordered the test to ensure continuity of care. Please note that our nurses are not available for telephone consultations to discuss your results.
Referrals
According to Medicare guidelines, your doctor must see you before providing a referral to a specialist in order to organize relevant medical details. It is the responsibility of your specialist to inform our doctors of your referral expiry date. Please be aware that backdating referrals is illegal and not permitted.
Privacy
Our practice has developed a privacy policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with privacy legislation, as part of our commitment to quality care.