Frequently Asked Questions

Prescriptions

  • Yes. Having a booked appointment allows your clinician to complete an up-to-date health review.  To ensure you never run out of your medication, please schedule an appointment when you have about two weeks' worth of medication left. 

  • Please book the first available appointment with your provider or the locum and then contact your pharmacy for an emergency supply to last you until your next appointment.  If your pharmacy is unable to assist, please contact our pharmacist onsite at Indigo Pharmacy at 604-432-2882.

Test Results

  • For follow-up on lab or imaging results, please schedule an appointment with your clinician for review.  It is not recommended to assume a clinician will call you without an appointment to review these results.  A booked appointment ensures that you have dedicated time to discuss your results, ask any questions, and plan any further tests.

  • Yes, once you have reviewed them with a clinician, you may have a copy.  If you have not had the opportunity to review your result with a clinician, then approval will be required from your clinician before a copy can be released to you.

Referrals

  • Your specialist triages and schedules patient appointments based on urgency.  The typical wait time for a specialist appointment is anywhere from 3-6 months, or even 12+ months for some specialties.  If the specialist office does not contact you directly and instead notifies us of an appointment or wait time, we will notify you.

  • We recommend calling us if your condition changes while you’re waiting for a specialist, so your clinician can make the appropriate changes to your referral.  If you have not heard from the specialist office or from us within 2-3 months, please call us to follow-up.

Appointment Length

  • Appointments are typically 10 minutes, but there are certain appointment types that require a longer appointment, these include well baby check-ups, biopsies and prenatal exams.

    While we strive to see each patient promptly at their scheduled time, there may be instances when you experience a short wait. This can happen due to unforeseen circumstances, such as emergency situations or a need for extended time with patients requiring more comprehensive care.  With that in mind, please plan to be at the clinic for up to 30 to 60 minutes.

  • Appointments are typically 10 minutes.  Please prioritize your most important concern to ensure it is addressed during your visit.  If you have multiple concerns, your clinician will do their best to address them but if additional time is needed, you may be asked to schedule another appointment. 

  • If you are late for your appointment, you may be asked to reschedule your appointment at the discretion of your clinician. We strive to respect everyone's time and ensure that each patient receives the thorough attention they deserve.  When patients arrive late, it affects the care we can offer you and to others and disrupts the entire schedule for the day.

Appointment Types

  • There are certain medical concerns that are best addressed in-person, and some where effective care can be provided over the phone or virtually. To ensure you receive the best possible care, your clinician may request that you schedule an office appointment based on the reason for your visit.

    To assist you in determining the type of appointment to book, please click here to see our Virtual Visit Booking Guideline or see the examples below.  If you are still unsure, please don’t hesitate to give us a call— our team is here to help and guide you. 

    • Examples of concerns appropriate for an in-office visit include skin concerns (such as rashes, lesions, or growths), persistent coughs, any suspected bone fractures or joint issues, muscle sprains/strains, stomach issues or blood in stool, children’s exams or fever concerns, severe illness, or pain.  

    • Examples of concerns appropriate for phone/video appointments include reviewing test results, prescription refills, mental health discussions, mild cold/cough/flu, and forms that do not require a physical exam. In some cases, a follow-up in person visit may still be required. 

  • If your clinician is not available and you require same day advice, please contact our office to book an appointment with our Registered Nurse (RN).  Our RN will triage your concern and connect with the team for next steps. If the RN is not available, we still advise to contact the clinic and we will do our best to triage your request.

    Here is a list of concerns to book with the Mid-Main RN: 

    • Ear flushes 

    • Injections 

    • Cervical cancer screening 

    • Contraception counselling 

    • STI checks 

    • Suture/staple removal 

    • Wart treatments 

    • Well baby check-up including vaccinations 

    • Wound/Dressing care 

  • Our primary care provides an on-call service 7 days a week. If you have a medical concern outside of clinic hours, particularly if you are considering going to Emergency, Urgent Primary Care Centre or a walk-in clinic, please contact our clinician on call. Call: 604-873-3666 (Press 1, then press 8). 

    There is no charge for this service. We strongly believe that you get the best care when all your health needs are coordinated through your primary care providers.

    For emergencies such as chest pain or tightness, choking or breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, signs of stroke, severe burns, convulsions that are not stopping, severe allergic reaction, serious head injury or major bleeding, please call 9-1-1.

Form Fees

  • If you require a form to be completed, please advise our office so we can determine if an appointment is required by your clinician or whether a fee is applicable. When you provide the form, ensure any portion required to be completed by you is already filled out (name, address, employer info, your signature etc.). 

  • While the Medical Services Plan (MSP) covers many aspects of your care, some services are not covered by MSP or other insurers. Examples of uninsured services include completing insurance forms, disability claims, and employer medicals and sick notes. These tasks require additional time and administrative work from our team outside of regular medical appointments. For more details on while we charge fees, click here. To see our list of fees click here.

  • If you booked your appointment online, you can upload a copy of your form using the patient portal link noted in your appointment booking confirmation email.  If you did not book online, you can upload a copy of your form using this link here.

Interprofessional Team

  • Locums are clinicians (either a Nurse Practitioner or Family Physician) who provide coverage for your primary care provider when they need time off.  They may also serve as the “doctor of the day” who can provide overflow coverage on busy days in the clinic.  If your regular clinician is unavailable, you can see one of our locums.  These clinicians are part of our trusted team and have full access to your medical file.  They can often see you on a same-day or within-the-week basis.  Our clinicians ask that you please see locums when they are offered to you, which helps to reduce the wait time for appointments with your regular clinician.

  • Medical Office Assistants (MOAs) play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of our clinic by assisting the team in both administrative and clinical duties.  Their responsibilities and scope can vary depending on the size and type of the healthcare setting.  At our clinic, they help facilitate communication between patients, healthcare providers and other medical staff, ensuring that information is accurately conveyed, and that patient care is coordinated effectively. They also help greet and check-in patients, coordinate appointments, manage patient records, billing and processing insurance forms, taking patient vitals and triaging patients.

  • Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are like Doctors in that they have their own patient panel and can provide care across a person’s life span. They can prescribe medications, diagnose conditions, order and interpret tests, perform medical procedures and make referrals. 

    Registered Nurses (RNs) play a vital role in family practice, ensuring comprehensive and continuous care for patients of all ages by liaising with the entire care team. They assist the team by conducting baby wellness checks, patient assessments, recording medical histories, and performing routine procedures. RNs also provide patient education and support on managing chronic conditions, preventative care, and health lifestyle choices.

Booking Appointments Online

  • Booking an appointment online is fast and easy. All you need is your personal health number, birth date and an email address.  Once your appointment is booked, you will receive a confirmation email.  See below for the different types of appointments to book online.

  • You can choose one of three appointment types below:

    1. General Visit – Use this option to book one of the following:

    • Breast concerns

    • Driver’s medical exam

    • Pre-operative exam

    • Follow-up

    • Prescription refill

    • Referral

    • Other

    2.  Routine Procedure – Use this option to book one of the following:

    • Dressing or wound care

    • Ear flushing

    • Injections

    • Stitches/staple removal

    • STI check/sexual health concerns

    • TB test/read

    • Wart treatments

     3. Well Baby Visit – Use this option to book a baby wellness check-up including routine vaccinations or if you have any questions related to your child’s growth and development.