Patient Info
Providing the highest possible quality of care for our patients
Appointment Arrival and Check-in
It is important that you arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment so that we have time to gather important health information or complete necessary forms or procedures prior to your appointment. Patients MUST bring and present a valid OHIP card for ALL medical visits.
In the winter months, please bring indoor shoes or slippers with you to help keep our facilities clean and ensure you do not need to walk around the office in your socks. Plastic bags are available at the reception desk to carry your belongings with you.
Zero Tolerance Principles
The Ottawa Valley Family Health Team is committed to providing a SAFE, SECURE and RESPECTFUL environment for all patients and staff.
Our core guidance for the clinic is provide patient centered care, as well as ensuring the health and well-being of our staff and physicians. As a result, disruptive behaviour, inappropriate actions/inactions and/or inappropriate words or language WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
Disruptive Behaviour
Any use of inappropriate words, actions or inactions.
Inappropriate Actions/Inactions:
- Physical attacks
- Threatening behaviour
- Unwelcome physical contact
- Intimidation
- Throwing or damaging property or breaking things
- Failing to comply with OVFHT policies and/or contracts.
- Refusing to leave the property.
Inappropriate Words (in person, by phone, or any means of communication):
- Abusive language and yelling
- Disrespectful, demeaning or abusive language/comments
- Remarks, jokes or innuendos that demean, ridicule or offend.
- Discriminatory remarks
- Threats
- Bullying
- Sexual Harassment
If any of the above incidents occur, immediate action will be taking, including the following:
- You WILL be asked to leave the clinic.
- You will be asked to leave on your own accord.
- If you do not leave the premises, then police will be called, and you will be escorted off the premises.
- You MAY be terminated as a patient from this clinic.
- The incident will be reviewed by the OVFHT Chief Executive Officer and Lead Physicians to deterine the appropriate
action.
Prescription Renewal Requests
Prescription renewal requests will not be taken over the phone. Please call your pharmacy and have them fax a Prescription Renewal Request to us at 613-256-0949.
Your physician will review your chart and either fax the renewal back to the pharmacy or request a follow-up appointment before renewing your prescription in that case you will be contacted to set up an appointment. Please allow 7 days to renew a prescription.
Local pharmacies are aware of this and will use their good judgement with their expanded scope for any delays that might occur.
Email Policy
The Ottawa Valley Family Health Team (OVFHT) communicates with patients in several different ways. Email is one option but telephone and postal service communication are used as a default should an email address not be provided or is rendered “inactive”. Email communication has many advantages. It allows for timely communication of important information in a way that remains clear and easy to access. It provides a written record that can be referred to as needed. Emails are cost effective, can be sent at any time of the day or night, and people don’t need to be present to receive the email. OVFHT uses email communication to share information we think may be helpful to you. This includes appointment reminders, changes to hours of operation, updates on programs and services, health promotion and some patient care topics.
Please note that we have safeguards to protect your personal health information from theft, loss, unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal. Although we recognize that some of our patients would like to email their OVFHT provider directly, we are unable to offer this service at this time. If you would like to communicate with your provider or any member of your health care team, we ask that you call our clinic’s main phone number (613-256-9370 ext. 1). Our reception staff will book the appropriate appointment with your provider.
While email communication has many advantages, it also comes with a few risks that we want to be sure you are aware of. Please review the following information carefully – we would like to be sure that you understand and accept these risks before agreeing to keep your email address on your file:
- Email communication is not considered to be private or secure.
- Your employer may choose to monitor or store emails that pass through their system.
- Email is easier to falsify than handwritten or signed hard copies. In addition, it is impossible to verify the true identity of the sender, or to ensure that only the recipient can read the email once it has been sent.
- Any email you receive could potentially introduce a virus into a computer system, and potentially damage or disrupt the computer.
- Emails can be forwarded, intercepted, circulated, stored or even changed without the knowledge or permission of the physician or the patient.
- An email sender could misaddress an email, resulting in it being sent to an unintended and unknown recipient.
- Email is indelible. Even after the sender and recipient have deleted their copies of the email, back-up copies may exist on a computer or in cyberspace.
To mitigate some of these risks, both parties assume the following responsibilities:
OVFHT Responsibilities:
As an organization, we are committed to respecting the guidelines set out by Personal Health Information Privacy Act (PHIPA). All OVFHT employees and providers have signed and are bound by the clinic’s privacy policy, which outlines the absolute confidentiality of patient information. As such, we take every measure to secure your privacy and do not use your email address for any reason that has not been outlined above. We use the minimum necessary amount of personal health information when communicating information to you. In practice, the clinic requires that patients verify their demographic information, which includes email addresses, at every visit to confirm accuracy. All patient emails are stored on our EMR platform, which is securely passwordprotected.
Communication between all electronic devices, used at the clinic, and the clinic’s server are encrypted using “Secure Socket Layer” (SSL) protocols. Firewalls are also used on our systems to prevent unauthorized access to our networks and to stop Spam, viruses, and other unwanted content before they reach our infrastructure and users.
Patient Responsibilities:
Please ensure that the email that you have provided us is private, and not accessed by anyone other than yourself. You should ensure that your email is protected with encryption software, or if you waive this encryption requirement, understand that this may increase the risk of your privacy being violated. Should you change your email address, please update OVFHT as soon as possible. We thank you for the continued privilege of working together towards your health and wellness.
If you have provided us with your email, we will assume that you have read and fully understand this our Email Policy and we will continue to use email as a tool for communication. Further, you understand the risks associated with the communication of email between OVFHT and yourself, and consent to the conditions outlined herein, as well as any other instructions that the physician may impose to communicate with patients by email. You have the right to withdraw the option of communicating through email at any time.
If you do not accept the risks associated with communication of email between OVFHT and yourself and do not wish to be communicated with via email, please call 613-256-9370 EXT. 1 and indicate that you do not consent to email communication and to remove your email address from your file. We will do so accordingly.
Cancelled/Missed Appointments
Please note that appointments not cancelled one (1) business day prior to your scheduled appointment will be subject to a no show fee.
If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment, please contact our clinic immediately. Since appointments are in high demand, your prompt cancellation will give another patient the opportunity to access timely medical care.
You may cancel or rebook your scheduled appointment by calling 613-256-9370, option “1”, and either speaking with a medical receptionist or leaving a detailed message. When leaving a message, please give your full name, telephone number, and the appointment type, date and time.
Cancelled/Missed Appointments - Mental Health ProgramPolicy
Due to the high demand for services offered by OVFHT, missed appointments result in lost opportunities for your therapist to provide counselling to other clients who might need help. Please note the following policies:
If you arrive late for your scheduled appointment, you will be seen for the remainder of the session time and the session will not be extended. If you arrive more them 15 minutes late for an appointment the session will be counted as a missed appointment.
If you are unable to attend a scheduled appointment, please contact the clinic at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment time. If you miss an appointment without sufficient notice, this will be considered a missed appointment and may be subject to a missed appointment fee.
We recognize the many demands and stressors in life that may prevent you from attending your appointment. As such, patients are provided two (2) missed appointment opportunities (no-shows). Following two (2) missed appointments, we ask that you take a 6-month break in services from the Mental Health Program and you may be re-referred by your family physician.
We have a wait-list to manage our appointments and wait-times accordingly. Therefore, if you cancel three sessions, we ask that you take a 6-month break in services from the Mental Health Program and you may be re-referred by your family physician.
In order to manage our wait-list accordingly, after three (3) months of no contact you will be discharged from the Mental Health Program and may be re-referred by your family physician at a later time.
Health Cards
You are required to show your health card at each visit to the medical clinic and it is important to keep your health card address up to date.
Ontario law requires residents to keep their address up-to-date for their health card and other services. If Ontario residents do not change their address every time they move they could miss out on important information regarding their health care coverage.
Not having an updated address with the Ministy of Health can also lead to administrative challenges for healthcare providers.
To update their address, Ontario residents can visit ServiceOntario.ca/AddressChange. Addresses can also be changed by mail or in person. Visit www.ServiceOntario.ca or call 1-888-376-5197 or TTY 1-800-387-5559 for more information.