February Update (Posted Feb. 21/23)

Now that we are officially into 2023, we wanted to update you on a few clinic changes and review office policies. Additionally, the provincial government has made changes in the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) guidance for primary care and its rules for the provision of OHIP services by doctors in the province. These changes are outlined below.

Online appointment booking - we are implementing Pomelo, a platform that will allow you to book non urgent appointments online. While you will still be able to call the office and book appointments by phone, we are hopeful that this system will reduce overall call volumes and allow you easier access by phone for urgent issues. Please watch for upcoming emails with details and a link to enroll. Future emails will also be sent using Pomelo so please register as soon as you receive the email on how to do so (coming in the next 1-2 weeks).

Pharmacist Prescribing - Ontario is now allowing pharmacists to dispense medications for certain issues without a prescription. As your physicians, we have mixed feelings about this. We understand the desire to access something that may reduce symptoms as easily as possible. However, we worry that pharmacies will not have access to your medical history to make appropriate decisions to protect your health. Medications heal, but they can also harm. We worry that serious diagnoses may be missed or that pharmacies cannot adequately perform tests to diagnose serious conditions. We respect our pharmacist colleagues and greatly appreciate their assistance in managing your medications, however, their training is not the same as a physician. Please be careful if you choose to use this new option. 

Walk-in Clinic Use - As a patient in our family health organization, it is your obligation to NOT use other unaffiliated walk-in clinics for your primary medical care. You can review the contract you signed stating this on our website. The provincial government has designed our system this way and this is how they want you to access medical care. It is also important for patient safety as walk-in clinics do not have access to your medical history.

We currently offer urgent appointments during the day Monday - Friday, evening urgent clinics Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5-8pm. We are also now open Saturdays for urgent issues from 9-12pm. The issues seen at these appointments must be medically urgent.

We are aware of how busy we are. We are doing everything we can to get everyone seen in an appropriate time frame. With that in mind, PLEASE do not see a walk-in clinic if we have already booked you in the next 1-2 days for the same issue. This is a duplication of resources and often creates confusion around treatment. If we are seeing you in the upcoming day, please don’t use the walk-in the night before (or the morning of) and then see us to ‘check the diagnosis’. We know you or your children may be uncomfortable with symptoms at home. If you are worried, please call us and express the need to be seen earlier. We will accommodate this if appropriate. We always work to get all patients, especially children, seen on the same day. 

Virtual Care

Virtual care is here to stay but comes with certain criteria for care. Phone appointments, although allowed, are not encouraged in many circumstances. Virtual care is reserved for patients who have been in the office within the past 2 years, and only if appropriate for the medical concern.

OHIP Uninsured services and Block Billing Program - Please see attached our updated list of fees for services not covered by OHIP. As of March 2023, we will no longer be offering a block billing program. For those who have already opted into Block Billing, we will honour your subscription for the rest of the year following your payment but we will no longer be offering this as an option for patients. 

Prescription Renewal Requests - Please have your pharmacy fax your renewal request. Please try to give your doctor enough time to process renewals as she may need to order blood work or set up an appointment with you. Renewals take time for your doctor to review your chart and communicate with the pharmacy and this service is NOT covered by OHIP. As such, a renewal without a formal appointment will incur a $20 fee (this charge is endorsed by the Ontario Medical Association). We need enough time to book you an appointment and provide prescriptions, so do not leave this until the last minute. As a note, pharmacists can renew routine prescriptions, but also at a cost to the patient.

Payment Method - As you have likely read in the news, credit cards incur a charge to the merchant. As such, there will be a 1.4% surcharge to use a credit card in our office. We will now accept E-transfers to birchtreefammed@gmail.com to help avoid this fee. E-transfers are set to auto-deposit.

Please also note that masks are still required in our office at all times.  This is to help protect our vulnerable patients. 

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We hope that 2023 brings you joy and good health. 
 

Sincerely, 

The Doctors and Staff at Birchtree Family Medicine

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Fees for Uninsured Services

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Prescription Renewal (by phone/fax) $20

Sick/Return to Work/Daycare/School Note $25

Massage/Physio/Chiropractor/Orthotic Note $25

Missed Appointment or More than 15 minutes Late for Appointment     $50-75

Removal of Benign (Cosmetic) Skin Lesion (Per lesion)

Punch/Shave Removal $50

Removal of Benign (Cosmetic) Skin Lesion (Per lesion) Sutures Required       $150

Liquid Nitrogen for Warts/Skin Tags (Per lesion) *some warts are OHIP covered $30

Driver’s Physical $150

Camp/Fitness/School Forms (requiring exam) $125

Photocopy (per page) $1

Physician Review of Records Hourly Rate

Jury Duty Letter $25

Travel Cancellation Forms $35

Auto Accident Insurance Forms $150

Children’s Aid Forms $50

Forms Required for Volunteer Work $25

Citizenship and Immigration Report $50

Forms Required for Weight Loss Programs $50

Replacement of Yellow Immunization Certificate $50

TB Skin Test $45 (one step), $90 (two-step)

Federal Disability Tax Credit Application $150

Disability Report/Insurance Forms, Legal Reports OMA Rate

Transfer of Chart/Records $50+cost of mailing

Rebooking of Missed Specialist Appointment/Re-Referral $25

Replacement of Lost/Misplaced Prescriptions/Requisitions $25

Specialist Referral Without Appointment (At Physician’s Discretion) $25

Rush Fee on Forms (At Physician’s Discretion, 48-72 hours) $50

Out-of-Pocket Disbursements (Canada Post/Express Post) At Cost

Pap (if not OHIP covered) $50

Attending Physician Statement (APS) $150

*Subject to fee modification based on required information