Please take the time to review our clinic policies. These are subject to change and will be updated periodically. 

Booking and Cancellation PolicyAll bookings can be completed in person, online or by phone.  Please be aware appointments booked online may be moved around by the staff if they are not appropriate. 
When booking your appointment please provide a brief description of the nature of your problem. This allows our staff to book the appropriate amount of time that you will need for the appointment. All family members that need to be seen by the physician require their own appointment.  To ensure appropriate care at times you may be asked to book a follow-up appointment if you have several concerns you would like to discuss with the physician. 

Our physicians always strive to remain on time for their appointments. We ask that you plan to arrive at the clinic a minimum of 10 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. This ensures that you can complete any paperwork, our medical staff can complete initial assessments and tests and that you can be roomed for the beginning of your appointment. If you arrive late to your appointment you may not be able to be seen that day and need to reschedule your appointment. If you arrive more than 50% into your scheduled appointment time it will be considered a "no show".

For phone appointments: The doctor may call at any time within an hour of the given appointment slot. Sometimes the doctor may call earlier if time opens up. 

Please understand that at times there are medical emergencies that can occur that take precedence over scheduled appointments. We appreciate your patience and understanding for these instances.
To ensure timely access to care for all our patients we please ask that you provide at least 1 business day notice if you cannot attend your appointment. Missed appointments without notification will result in a no show fee ($45 for regular appointments, $75 for preventative health assessments (physicals), other appointment types - you will be notified by staff.  Recurrent unexplained missed appointments may result in you being discharged from the practice.

Missing a specialist consultation set up by our office will count as a no show for us as it takes much administrative efforts to set up and reschedule these appointments.

This policy does not apply to appointments cancelled due to inclement weather. Please contact the office as soon as you feel unsafe to travel due to weather. We may cancel clinic due to inclement weather, and every effort will be taken to notify affected patients. 

Outside Use Policy
As part of providing comprehensive family medicine we need to be aware when you are visiting outside healthcare providers, particularly walk-in clinics. We do not typically get notes and records from walk-in clinics, cannabis clinics and virtual clinics. If they prescribe medications or make changes without our knowledge you could be harmed. 
Virtual (phone/video) walk-in clinics  can provide very limited health care as they cannot examine you. This can result in harm to you by getting unnecessary investigations, antibiotics prescriptions and medication changes. 

As a reminder we have same/next day appointments for urgent issues, and an After Hours Clinic/system arranged for our patients (see after hours care tab for details). 
Clinic Behavioural Policy

Everyone at our clinic including staff, doctors and patients should have a safe, secure and respectful working environment. We do not tolerate any abuse whether it be verbal or physical. Failure to abide by this will lead to being discharged from our practice.

We have a non-judgemental environment (ex. do not judge based on race, religion, sexual orientation, drug use etc.). We are here to support you in your journey to achieve wellness and we want all of our patients to feel comfortable and supported at our clinic.

Uninsured Services

The OHIP insurance program does not cover all services (notes, insurance forms, prescriptions for massage/physiotherapy/chiropody etc.., work/school forms, prescription refills outside of an appointment etc...). For services that fall outside of OHIP coverage there is a cost associated with it to the patient or third party requesting the assessment/document (ex. insurance company). Our patients are provided with a letter annually that outline these costs. Please contact the office if there are any concerns.

Per the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario - physicians have up to 60 days to complete forms that are requested. If your request must be completed in a shorter interval you may be charged a rush fee (starting at $50).

We have two payment options: pay per item (cost listed in each clinic room) or you can pay an annual fee that covers the majority of these services for the year (there are family discounts). Subsidies are considered for those under financial constraints or on fixed income. Contact the office for questions.

Medical Learners

At Direnfeld Family Medicine we have medical learners (medical students/residents) from time to time.

Completing tests and attending specialist consultations

It is the patients responsibility to complete tests (blood, imaging etc....) provided by the clinic. The office cannot remind all patients to complete the above. 
If a referral is sent on your behalf to a specialist please notify the office if you do not hear about an appointment time within 2-4 weeks.

General Info:
It is a confidential environment. Often we see families and groups of friends. Rest assured that what you share with the doctor will not be shared with other family members, friends etc. There are legal exceptions to confidentiality, which you can us about if interested. 

We practice patient-centered care. We will make our professional, medical recommendations. However, we acknowledge that you have the right to make the final decisions in regard to your own health and body. We want you to feel comfortable sharing your opinions and encourage you to be active in managing your healthcare.

Getting Results:

Patients often wonder how they will receive results for blood work and other tests such as xrays. We do not have the capacity to let people know about every normal result. Often, blood work results can be attained by setting up an account with the lab where you did your blood draw. In the case that we need to review test results with you there are a number of ways this may happen. 

• The front staff may call you with follow up instructions.
• You may receive an email through our electronic secure messaging system if our office has your email and you have signed the email consent form.
• One of the physicians at the office may call you.
• You may be contacted to book a follow up appointment
  • If this happens, do not stress as often it is not a worriesome result, just something that requires discussion