CLINIC POLICIES
Code of Conduct
Marine Gateway Medical Clinic strongly believes that all individuals have the right to be treated with dignity and respect at all times and in all circumstances. We would like to remind patients and visitors that access to our services does not include the right to verbally abuse or display aggression towards our staff, physicians, or other patients either in person or over the phone.
While we are sympathetic towards anyone who may be under high stress when contacting our clinic and will do our best to support these individuals during times of need, we have a zero tolerance policy towards unsafe and/or disrespectful behavior.
In the interest of protecting our employees and visitors, any persons found in breach of this will be asked to leave immediately and may also result in the withdrawal of future services for the individual(s) concerned.
If you experience any problems associated with your visit, please contact our office manager directly either by phone or in writing.
Appointments During Covid-19 Pandemic
Our clinic offers pre-booked appointments only. Appointments can be booked via telephone, or by visiting our patient portal with your unique Patient ID.
New Patients will be required to register via telephone before a telemedicine appointment can be booked for them.
Missed Appointments
Marine Gateway Medical Clinic wants to ensure you and other patients have access to high-quality medical care in a timely manner. In order to help us achieve this, we ask that all patients be mindful of the fact that we have reserved valuable time for your appointment, and notify us at least 24-hours in advance of any adjustments to the time and/or date of your appointment. As we allow a specific amount of time for each appointment based on the nature of your visit, failure to do so will constitute a missed appointment and will be subject to the applicable fees.
Patients who chronically present late for their appointments or have more than three missed appointments may face possible termination of care from the clinic at the treating physician's discretion.
Emails
Due to high workload, emails will only be checked once daily and response will be provided within 48 hours, Monday through Friday, excluding all BC Statutory Holidays, and are strictly reserved for NON-URGENT matters.
For changes to your appointment less than 24-hours in advance, or If you require immediate assistance, please contact the clinic by phone at 604.227.3322.
Please note that requests for prescriptions, referrals, sick notes/insurance forms, the disclosure of medical information, and medical advice are by appointment only with your doctor. All email requests for these items will be declined.
Referrals
Referral requests are faxed to specialists' office within 48-72 hours of your physician making the request, however, due to wait-lists, you may not be contacted right away with your appointment details.
It is the responsibility of your specialists' office to notify you of your appointment details and advise you of their current wait-times (generally within 2 weeks), so please take a moment to at the end of your visit to obtain the contact details of the specialist you are being referred to.
Please note that all re-referrals requests are by appointment only.
Medication
Your medical conditions and the medications used to treat them need to be monitored regularly, including dosage, effectiveness, and contraindications, to ensure that you are continuing to receive appropriate care.
For this reason, we cannot renew any prescriptions by phone or fax and any requests to do so will be declined.
The appropriate follow-up interval is the responsibility of both you and your physician to assess at the time of your visit. Please take a moment at the end of each visit to ask your physician when you should return for a follow-up appointment for your medications to be renewed and book your appointment at least 1-2 weeks in advance.
Test Results
Most test results will arrive at our office 2-3 days after being performed, with the exception of some blood tests and Pap Smear results which are reported by the provincial health authority and can take up to 10 days or 5 weeks respectively.
At the end of your appointment, your physician may advise you of when to return for a follow-up appointment to see them, or that you will be contacted when your results are ready. While we attempt to contact all individuals with abnormal or concerning results, please do not assume that no call is good news. Patients are expected to book a follow-up appointment with the same physician who ordered their tests to be advised of the results and management after performing their ordered tests.
For privacy reasons, our administrative staff will not be able to interpret nor disclose test results unless specifically directed to by a physician.