INFORMATION and QUESTIONS
INFORMATION
Health Cards
It is crucial that the office has accurate information on every patient. Please bring your HEALTH CARD to EVERY appointment and/or walk-in clinic visit. If your Health Card is not valid, your appointment will not be covered by OHIP and therefore a cash fee will apply and be due at the time of visit
Missed appointments
12-24 hours notice for the cancellation of an appointment is appreciated. However, the office is understanding that emergencies due come up and notice cannot always be given.
Referrals
It can take 3-4 weeks or longer for a specialist's office or certain diagnostic testing center's to get back to our office regarding the scheduling of a consultation appointment or diagnostic test. If you have not heard from our office within 4 weeks, please feel free to contact the office by phone or email.
Test Results
We do not routinely call patients with normal test results.
All reports are reviewed by the ordering doctor or nurse practitioner prior to filing and if there is a concern about the results you will be contacted. Patients should feel free to contact the office by phone or email at anytime regarding test results, weather it be to confirm receipt of the results or to check on the status of the findings.
Pre-Op Forms
Pre-op forms are no longer required for surgery and are therefore, no longer covered under OHIP. A specialist may request that you get a CPP from your family doctor, please contact the office by phone or email and we can fax this to the specialist.
WSIB Forms
An office appointment is required to complete WSIB forms; fees for these forms is typically covered by WSIB.
Personal Life Insurance Forms
These forms are typically submitted to our office directly from the Insurance Company. These are normally completed in 6-8 weeks. The invoice is sent directly to the issuing Insurance Company, unless otherwise noted by the insurance company that payment is the patient's responsibility.
Accepted forms of Payment
Fees are payable by either cash or Interac e-Transfer. The office staff can provide the specific email address for Interac e-Transfer
Covid 19
Links to Covid 19 information, including where you can get your Covid 19 vaccination
https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-coronavirus
https://www.halton.ca/For-Residents/New-Coronavirus
https://wdgpublichealth.ca/clinics-classes/flu-covid-clinics
https://peelregion.ca/health/diseases-infections/covid-19
https://peelregion.ca/health/vaccinations/covid-19-vaccines
The Covid-19 vaccination is NOT provided at Acton Medical and Urgent Care
QUESTIONS
How to schedule an appointment
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Call the office - where you can use our automated booking system or you can speak with the front desk staff
What to do in case of an emergency
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In an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.
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Health811(formerly known as Telehealth) is a free, confidential service that you can call or access online 24 hours a day, seven days a week to get health advice from a registered nurse
Telephone: 811
Live chat: www.healthconnectontario.health.gov.on.ca/static/guest/home
A Registered Nurse will take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can not diagnose your illness or give you medicine; however they will direct you to the most appropriate level of care or may put you in contact with a health professional who can advise you on your next steps. The registered nurse will help you decide whether to: handle a problem yourself, visit your doctor or nurse practitioner, go to a clinic, contact a community service or go to a hospital emergency room.
Are there services that OHIP does not pay for?
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Yes, find further information Here
Forms
Do I need an appointment to have a form completed?
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An appointment is required to complete a WSIB form.
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For Dr. Jayalath' s patients an office appointment (not a telephone appointment) is required prior to her completing all/any forms
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For Dr. Alshakarji, Dr. Raouf-Alkadhimi or Dr. Abboud patients, an appointment may not be necessary; email or drop the forms off to the office (be sure that your portion of the form has been completed). Your doctor will review the form and if they determine an appointment is required you will be contacted by the office to arrange that. If they are able to complete the form without an appointment, the office will contact you once the form has been completed. Fees may apply.
How long will it take for my form to be completed?
Estimated/Average Timeframe for Form Completion:
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Dr. N. Alshakarji: 1-3 business days
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Dr. D. Jayalath: 2 weeks minimum post office appointment
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Dr. A. Raouf-Alkadhimi: 1-3 business days
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Dr. R. Abboud: 2 weeks minimum
Is there a fee for completion of forms?
Yes, in most case.
OHIP does not cover the completion of most forms; they are considered an uninsured service and payment is the responsibility of the patient
Referrals and Investigations
What happens when I am referred to a specialist for consultation?
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Once the Family Doctor or the Nurse Practitioner has made the referral, the staff at our referral desk will fax the referral to the specialist office. The specialist office will then contact the patient directly to arrange a consultation appointment.
As per updates in 2019 from the CPSO College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
Specialist Office's are expected to acknowledge referrals in a timely manner, urgently-if necessary, but no later than 14 days from the date of receipt. (However, typically our office has found that this frame tends to be between 4-8 weeks.)
Specialist Office's are expected to communicate the anticipated wait time or the appointment date and time directly to the patient. When an anticipated wait time is provided, the specialist will then follow-up at a later time with the patient directly once an appointment has been set. (This information may be relayed to the referring physician's office as well, but not always.)
Specialist Office's are expected to inform the referring doctor's office if they are not able to accept the referral.
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Patients are welcome to contact our office by phone or email to inquire about Specialist Contact information, if you wish to check on the status of the referral.
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It is your responsibility to ensure that you record the appointment date and time for your consultation as provided to you by the Specialist Office. The Specialist Office does not necessarily provide our office with this information.
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Please ensure that you attend any scheduled appointment with a Specialist. If you need to cancel or reschedule your specialist appointment, make sure to provide their office with the appropriate amount of time to do this. Most specialist offices require a minimum of 48 hours notice for a cancellation, some require upwards of 1-2 weeks. The majority of specialist offices charge a significant fee for last minute cancellations and missed/no show appointments and they will not reschedule the appointment until the fee has been paid.
What happens when I am referred for investigative, diagnostic studies i.e X-Ray, Ultrasound, CT scan, MRI?
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Blood work, Urinalysis, ECG/EKG, Spirometry: you will be given a requisition and you can attend a lab of your choice for the test. Most labs do not require an appointment for most tests. Not all Labs perform ECG/EKG or Spirometry. See our Lab & Imaging page for local locations.
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X-ray, ultrasound, mammogram, bone mineral density(BMD): you will be given a requisition and you can attend an Imaging Centre of your choice. X-ray and bone mineral density(BMD) are typically walk-in and do NOT require an appointment. Ultrasound and mammogram require an appointment; you will need to call the location of your choice to arrange this appointment. See our Lab & Imaging page for local locations.
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Echocardiogram, Holter Monitor, Bone Scan, Urgent Venous Doppler, CT scan and MRI are arranged by the office. Speak with our referral desk to arrange these if you haven't already: 519-853-4449