Policies

The following policies apply to patients of Dr. Zhu’s practice at Hespeler Medical Clinic.

Please note that Dr. Zhu is NOT currently accepting new patients (updated July 1, 2024).

Appointments

Appointments are booked for 10 or 20 minutes in duration. If you have multiple issues you need to address, please inform reception of all issues when booking the appointment. One appointment may not be enough to devote adequate time to fully assess each of your concerns, and you will be asked to book a follow-up appointment. Same-day appointments are available for urgent concerns, such as an infection, injury, or a new and acute symptom.

Virtual visits may be conducted through video or telephone for certain concerns. Not all concerns are suitable to be addressed through a virtual visit, and this will be determined by the physician. Ensure your phone allows calls from blocked/private numbers. Be ready in a quiet area with good reception 10 minutes before your appointment time. The call will be attempted three times only, after which our no-show policy applies. Patients must physically be in Ontario at the time of the appointment.

No-Show Policy

If you do not attend your appointment (whether in-person or virtual) and do not notify us in advance, there will be a charge as this prevents access for other patients. For a routine visit, the charge for a missed appointment is approximately $50, and for a complete physical or counseling appointment, the charge is approximately $100. If there have been three no-show visits, the charges must be paid before another appointment can be made. Please notify your physician or staff if this fee will cause significant financial hardship.

Continuity of Care

Continuity is important to providing excellent care. Using a walk-in clinic or virtual medicine company can negatively affect continuity, as your family physician does not receive reports from the walk-in clinic and the walk-in clinic does not have access to your complete medical history. You are encouraged to use our After Hours Clinic service, as all physicians in our clinic can access the same medical record. Repeated use of walk-in clinics despite the opportunity to follow up with our office undermines the patient-physician relationship and may lead to dismissal from the practice.

Patients who have permanently moved more than 150km away from the clinic are encouraged to transfer their care to a local family physician for accessibility and continuity of care.

Communication

Patients are encouraged to be educated and empowered to manage their own health, and therefore we believe that every result should be communicated to a patient. If you do not hear back about the result of a test in a timely manner (allow 1 week for most blood tests, 2 weeks for X-ray/ultrasound/CT/MRI, 4-6 weeks for Paps and biopsies), please reach out to find out about your results. The easiest way to receive information about normal results is through secured email communication, which avoids unnecessary delay from phone-tag. Abnormal results will be discussed in a follow-up appointment, or communicated through our clinic nurses in some situations.

Please inform us if a referral was sent and you have not heard back within 4 weeks.

Please ensure any changes in your address, phone number, and OHIP card number are updated with the office in a timely manner.

Uninsured Services

OHIP does not cover certain services including completion of many medical forms (e.g. driver’s medicals, insurance documents, sick notes for school or work, prescription for massage/physio/chiro), visits or procedures for cosmetic reasons (e.g. skin tag removal), wart treatment (other than to genital or feet areas), and certain immunizations. You will be billed for these services, in accordance with rates from the Ontario Medical Association’s Guide to Uninsured Services. Please notify your physician or staff if this fee will cause significant financial hardship.

Forms

All forms require an appointment to be completed. Absent a specific legal requirement, based on guidelines from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, physicians are obliged to complete and submit third-party reports within 60 days. In most cases, forms will be completed within 2 weeks, but particularly long forms may take up to 4 weeks (e.g. CPP disability application). Requests for paperwork to be expedited may be subject to an added fee. Please keep this in mind and avoid delaying requests for form completion.

Prescriptions

Prescriptions are provided to last for a duration until your next recommended follow-up. This is to ensure that the condition for which the medication is prescribed is stable. Specific bloodwork or a repeat assessment are usually needed for refills to be provided. Please pay attention to your medication amounts and plan ahead so you do not run out. Prescription refills by pharmacy fax are not covered by OHIP and the charge is $20.

Controlled Substances

(e.g. Opioids/Narcotics: Tylenol 3, morphine, hydromorphone, tramadol, Percocet, fentanyl, oxycodone; Benzodiazepines: lorazepam, clonazepam, oxazepam, diazepam; Stimulants: Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse, Adderall, Biphentin)

If you are taking these medications, you will be asked to sign a medication contract. This is in line with recommendations from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. The contract stipulates random urine drug testing at a frequency determined by your physician. All prescriptions for controlled substances will be faxed directly to your pharmacy.

Code of Conduct

Aggressive, vulgar, racist, sexist and/or other inappropriate behaviour is not tolerated towards any physician or staff member of Hespeler Medical Clinic. This contributes to a breakdown of trust in the patient-physician relationship and may lead to dismissal from the practice. We are happy to receive respectful communication about your concerns. We strive to provide a safe environment for all patients and staff.

Modifying any prescriptions, requisitions, or other medical documents is fradulent and may lead to dismissal from the practice.