Consultation Fees

Consultation Fees are displayed at the counter. Bulk billing is available for Pensioners, Health Care Card holders as well as children under 16 years. Commercial Driving medicals attract a fee and are not bulk billed.

Medicare Card details on mobile phones are accepted with proof of identity. Please ask staff or your doctor about any fees / costs at the time of your consultation as you may be responsible for fees including some vaccination costs etc.

Appointments

Patients may book an appointment by phone, or walk in, and will be allocated appointments according to availability and urgency. This enables us to keep waiting times to a minimum.

After Hours

After hours is covered by the Innisfail Hospital Phone: 40161411. All out of hours emergencies during this time should be directed immediately to the hospital and all out of hours clients will be treated as public patients. A sign in the practice front window displays all up to date information.

Services Available

Normal consultations are 12 minutes. Longer or special consultations (employment or insurance medicals) need to be pre-arranged. Home visits (arranged with the doctor) are available for patients whose condition prevents them from attending the practice. This practice acquires the services of the TIS for non-English speaking patients – other language information pamphlets are also available on several health topics.

Follow Up Of Results

Our computer system allows us to follow abnormal results and call you if there is any urgency. We also have a reminder system to track long term follow ups i.e. immunisations and routine health checks. These follow up systems are used unless you notify us otherwise. Our practice also participates in some State and National reminder systems i.e. Immunisation and Pap Smears registers. Please phone for results between 10 am and 3 pm on weekdays and you will be connected to a staff member who will assist with your enquiry.

Communication Policy

You may need to speak with a doctor urgently and the reception staff will connect you to someone who can help. Doctors will take urgent calls but are unable to take all requests and will phone you back if necessary. This practice does NOT correspond through SMS or email.

Prescriptions

Regular prescriptions may sometimes be issued without a consultation however this will attract a fee from $10 to $20 depending on the service that you may require.

Patient Health Information

Your medical record is a confidential document and it is the policy of this practice to maintain security of personal health information at all times and ensure all information is only available to authorised personnel. As a practice accredited with QPA we comply with the National Privacy Principals. Continuity of care is important and patients are encouraged to request a transfer of records from their previous practice – please ask reception staff about this. When transferring from this practice, your medical records will be forwarded to your new practice following receipt of a signed request form.

Parking

Plenty of parking available on the street out front, includes a disabled park. There is also parking available at the rear of the building with a ramp access for ambulance. Both entrances are wheel chair friendly.

Patient Feedback

We welcome feedback from our patients via the suggestion box at reception and our 2014 formal patient survey results were very encouraging with the worst complaint being waiting times for consultations and bookings. We do try to accommodate these through our triage system and attempt to keep them to a minimum. We also have a complaint process that our staff can initiate. Thank you to those who participated.

Serious complaints may be taken to the Office of the Health Ombudsman – Phone 133 OHO (133 646) or visit www.oho.qld.gov.au