Patient Information

This practice operates on an appointment system and a standard consultation of 10 minutes is usually adequate to deal with most health issues. Please ensure a separate appointment is made for each family member to help reduce waiting times.

Longer appointments are necessary for special services such as Insurance and Aviation Medicals, Well Woman’s Check, Dressings, Injections and Men’s Health checks to name a few.

Counselling and emotional difficulties are usually appointments that take a longer time so book a long appointment if you think you need this service.

It is important to inform the receptionist at the time of making your appointment so that the necessary time can be allotted. All information you share with the practice staff is confidential and staff adhere to confidentiality laws.

These services are available from our Doctors however prior arrangement should be made with the doctor concerned.

If for any reason you are unable to keep an appointment it would be very much appreciated if you could notify the clinic as soon as possible to allow us to re-allot the appointment time. Any extended appointments that are confirmed but not attended may incur a non-attendance fee.

This medical practice has zero tolerance for patients that act in an abusive threatening manner towards the doctors or staff. This includes shouting, swearing, aggressive actions, threats, inappropriate gestures and name calling. Patients who act in this manner will be asked to leave the practice and to transfer their care to another practice.

All new patients require a long appointment for their first visit so that the doctor has time to take a thorough medical history. The fee for your visit will vary depending on the length and complexity of your consultation. The average cost for a new patient consultation is approximately $130.00 with the rebate from Medicare $71.70. Discounts apply for Heath Care Card and Pension Card holders.

All new patients need to fill out a ‘New Patient Form’. Please present to the clinic a minimum of 10 minutes prior to your appointment to allow adequate time for you to complete it.

Please make sure to bring a list of any current medications, including non-prescription medications, with you. If you would like your health records obtained from a previous practice you will need to sign a ‘Release of History’ form. These may be printed from the website or hard copies are available from the practice. The form must be signed by each person 16 years or older. Parents or legal guardians may sign on behalf of minors.

Please note your doctor will also need to sign this form so if completing at home make sure to bring it to your appointment. Your doctor will then sign the form and pass onto our staff. We will document the request and send off on your behalf.

As a courtesy to your fellow patients and Doctor we ask that you turn your mobile phones off or to silent when you enter the practice. This is to minimise interruptions and to enable your Doctor to maximise their time with you.

Nobody likes to be kept waiting or to keep others waiting needlessly. We are constantly aware of this and try our best to manage and adhere to appointment schedules. While every effort is made to see patients at the scheduled time, the nature of medical practice means that there will be times we run behind due to unforeseen circumstances. Reception staff will always endeavour to notify patients of any delays however if you are pressed for time eg. coming from work, organising someone to look after your children, please feel free to call us ahead of time to check how your doctor is running.

There are various reasons why your doctor may be running behind, not all of which we can predict or account for on the day. Some of which may be:

• Earlier patients were running behind for their appointment which has pushed back the rest of the session.
• Some patients have more complex needs such as emotional difficulties which can take more time than expected.
• Patients call or walk in needing to be seen urgently eg. sick children, accidents which require urgent review (broken bones or stitches).
• Patients who have multiple problems that need to be discussed but have difficulty attending the practice so cannot be asked to come back at a later time.
• Hospitals or specialists have called requiring urgent information about a patient who has just been admitted to their care.

We regret any inconvenience our delays may cause you so if you are short of time there are ways to help. Ask reception staff to book an appointment earlier in the morning or ask to be seen at the doctor’s first available appointment after lunch. Ask your receptionist about your doctors start times (some of our doctors are here at 8am) and we may be able to work out a time that will minimise the likelihood of you having an extended waiting period. Please keep in mind that emergencies can still happen at any time of the day.

The most important thing you can do is to give your GP an accurate description of any symptoms that you are experiencing. These may include how long you have been experiencing the symptoms? Have they changed since you first noticed them? Are there times when they are worse? Are you able to identify what may cause them to worsen?

Your GP will prompt you with questions but you may like to write them down before your appointment to help you during the consultation. Often the history you provide will help the GP with diagnosis more so than any physical examination or tests that might be carried out.

• Keep a list of all medications you are taking both prescription and non-prescription (or complementary) medicines.
• Make sure you understand the medicines you are taking. What they are for, what the benefits are and what side effects there may be.
• Follow up results of all tests and procedures that you have.
• Learn more about your condition from reliable sources. Ask your doctor about what resources they might recommend. Whilst the internet can be a great source of information you need to be careful that the information you are accessing is accurate and from a credible source.
• Speak up if you have any questions. If you think that you might not remember the answers your doctor is telling you, write them down or have your doctor write them down for you. It has been shown that patients can forget up to 50% of what the doctor tells them during a visit.
• If you have any questions write them down before your visit. Whilst a single appointment may not allow time for multiple health problems to be discussed you can go through your list with your doctor and prioritise what problems should be dealt with immediately and the ones that can wait for a separate visit. If you think you may need a longer time please tell our receptionists and we can allocate more time for you.

A designated play area is available for small children but you are responsible for supervising your child/children. Please be mindful of sick patients in the waiting room by keeping the noise your child is making minimal.

A baby’s change area is available in the toilet area.

Breast feeding is encouraged in our clinic and we will be happy to arrange a quiet room for you to do so.

Our practice is designed for wheelchair access. Should you have special needs, please discuss them with your doctor.

Please note that even if your usual doctor is not available you are welcome to see one of the other doctors at the practice. It is a policy of the practice that all patients that need to be seen urgently are fitted in on the day.

During our busy times we may need to seek additional information from you to allow us to triage your appointment appropriately.

Located in our building for patient’s convenience is Australian Clinical Labs. Their hours are Monday to Friday 8.00am to 4.30pm (closed for lunch between 1.30 and 2.30).

Mildura is one of the big growth areas in Victoria and service industries such as medicine must grow. This practice is a teaching practice and we have medical students on a regular basis in the practice and patients have the option of students sitting in on their consultation or not.

Doctors at Ontario Medical clinic enjoy passing on their experience to the students and it is in hope that their time spent at our clinic will help them consider moving to a county area when they have completed their studies.

As we are a private practice there may be a fee payable for your appointment.

The fee will be dependent on the doctor you are seeing.

Each doctor has their specific way of communicating when it comes to receiving and returning telephone calls. Reception staff will advise as to whether your doctor will take your call between patients, if your call will be returned at the end of the day or if an appointment is required.

All patients are encouraged to come in to receive their test results unless instructed otherwise by their doctor when the referral was given. Some doctors direct the patient at the time of the referral request, that if they do not make contact with them that no further action is required. Results are not given to the patient by a member of staff unless instructed by the treating doctor or duty doctor.

Patients are never given doctors e-mail addresses as it is not a secure form of communication when sensitive information is being relayed.

The doctor’s within this clinic have access to specialists and other service providers within the Mildura area and also are able to refer to services in other areas.

The Ontario Medical Clinic team considers the patient’s values, needs and preferences. Adequate time is given to the patient to provide input and participate actively in decisions regarding their health care. The practice also considers the communication needs of carers and other relevant parties. This is however based on the individual needs of the patient in accordance with accepted clinical practice.

Ontario Medical Clinic are able to make arrangements if a translator is needed through the Translating and Interpreting Services (TIS). It can take some time to arrange and receive confirmation of Translator bookings so please allow adequate time for this process to happen. It is also out of our control the availability of TIS employees at the requested time of booking. A good website to look at for communication needs is https://www.communications.gov.au/what-we-do/phone/services-people-disability/accesshub/national-relay-service

Useful translation and interpreter information.

Our practice operates a recall system for diabetic patients, pap smears and health assessments. If you do not wish to be part of the recall system please discuss this with your doctor.

My Health Record is a digital health record that can keep your important health information like any allergies, medical conditions, treatments and medicines all in one place online.

Ontario Medical Clinic believes having a My Health Record can help you and your clinicians better manage your care over time. When you’re being seen and treated by different healthcare providers, it can be challenging to keep track of all your health information. My Health Record is a secure online summary of your important health information, making it easier for the health professionals involved in your care to make decisions about your care.

My Health Record travels with you, so you don’t need to worry about remembering and repeating all of your medical history. It also allows for faster administering of appropriate healthcare which can be especially important in an emergency. There is even a private section of the My Health Record where you can add your own personal health notes that won’t be seen by any health professionals – like a private health diary.

Just as other technologies have revolutionised the way we manage our lives, having a My Health Record has the potential to change how we manage our health care.

To find out more click here, Go to myhealthrecord.gov.au, call 1800 723 471 or visit a Medicare Service Centre.

Video

This video showcases the story of consumer user Ian Gillies as he talks about the benefits of having a My Health Record. His GP, Dr Chris Moy speaks about his experiences in using Ian’s record also.

We believe that problems are best dealt with within the practice. We want to know if you are concerned about any aspect of the service we provide. However if you feel there is a problem you wish to take up outside the practice you may prefer to contact:

Health Complaints Commissioner
Complaints and Information
Telephone: 1300 582 113
Fax No.: (61 3) 9032 3111
E-mail: hsc@dhhs.vic.gov.au

or write to:

Health Complaints Commissioner
Level 26
570 Bourke Street
Melbourne. 3000
Victoria, Australia

Ontario Medical Clinic abides by a very strict Privacy Policy. Our policy has been developed by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and adapted for the use of the Ontario Medical Clinic.

We maintain the security of personal information at all times and ensure that this information is only released with your expressed written consent.

All doctors and staff are bound by confidentiality and any information you share with them will be treated as such.

Click here to read our Privacy Policy