Frontenac Doctors is a Family Health Organization (FHO) - a group of family physicians who work together giving your family the best access to personalized care and quality services with a focus on illness prevention. Our clinic currently provides care to approximately 6500 patients. Our group is supported by an excellent team of receptionists, medical assistants and nurses while providing care during regular and extended office hours.
As a patient of Frontenac Doctors you have access to:
Patients enrolled with our clinic are asked to commit to receiving their primary health care from their family physician. We believe that continuity of care is important and that you are best served by being seen by your family physician. If your family physician is not available for urgent issues, another physician in the group may be able to assist depending on availability.
We are currently not accepting new patients and we do not maintain a waitlist.
You are encouraged to sign up with Health Care Connect to join the provincial registry for being connected with primary care services.
Frontenac Doctors is committed to patient privacy and to protecting the confidentiality of the health information we hold. All of our staff have been trained and understand the importance of confidentiality and your privacy.
We collect personal health information about you directly from you or, with your consent, from the person acting on your behalf. This may include your name, date of birth, address, health history, records of your visits and care that you received during those visits. If we obtain consent or if the law permits, we may also collect and provide information to and from other health care providers involved in your care.
We use and disclose your personal health information as necessary, to:
Though your family physician is the custodian of your medical chart and information, you have the right to access your health records. If you request a copy of your record, a copy will be provided at a reasonable cost in accordance to the Ontario Medical Association recommended fee guide. In very limited situations, you may be denied access to some or all of your records, in accordance to applicable laws.
Abuse of staff, patients, physicians and all other members of the clinic will not be tolerated. Abuse can take many forms including but not limited to violence, intimidation, condescending or patronizing language, manipulation, damaging property, inappropriate words, abusive language, disrespectful or demeaning language or conduct, discriminatory remarks, and threats or threatening behaviour. This includes all behaviour whether in-person, by phone, in writing, or by voicemail.
This behaviour is not tolerated at Frontenac Doctors. Incidents will be recorded and reported to the appropriate personnel. Action will be taken on any abusive behaviour including, but not limited to, warnings or dismissal of patients from the practice.
Our goal is to provide you a space in which you feel respected. We ask that you show a mutual respect towards our staff and team.
The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) is Ontario's health care plan through which the province pays for many medically necessary health services.
Your health card proves that you're covered by OHIP. It is your responsibility to ensure that your OHIP card is valid and not expired. It is also your responsibility to bring and show your OHIP card every time you seek medical care - whether that is your family doctor, the emergency department, or get a medical test.
Further information can be found at the Ministry of Health website.
We ask that you ensure your OHIP card is valid and that you present it to our staff at every appointment at our office.
Patients without valid OHIP cards will be required to pay a fee of $80 for their appointment. If you present to our office with valid OHIP card within 3 months from the time of your visit, you will be reimbursed $65 (the original fee minus an administrative fee).
Certain services are not covered by OHIP. Click here for a list of services not covered by OHIP as per the Ontario Medical Association guide to uninsured services.
For any life-threatening emergencies, please call 911 or make your way to the Emergency Department. Frontenac Doctors is not an emergency clinic.
Patients of our clinic may book appointments in two ways:
Please note this clinic is only for patients of our clinic. If a health matter is urgent and your doctor is unavailable, we have the After Hours Clinic running on Monday through Thursday from 5PM-7:45PM and Saturdays from 9:15AM-11:15AM. Registration begins 15 minutes before the start of After Hours Clinic.
The After Hours Clinic is intended to help reduce the strain on the emergency department for patients who have an urgent matter but does not necessarily require the emergency department at the hospital. Patients are seen on a first come, first serve basis and there may be a wait. Patients may be seen sooner if deemed necessary at the discretion of the attending physician. If the after hours clinic has a large volume of patients, registration of patients may be cut off at the discretion of the attending physician. We recommend that you arrive for the start of the registration as spots may be limited.
All the physicians with the After Hour Clinic are a part of the same team as your doctor and have access to your records. All tests, referrals and documentation will be available for your family physician to see.
The After Hours Clinic is intended for new, acutely worsening, and urgent issues. It is not a replacement for chronic issues that would be best served by seeing your family physician on a regular basis. You will be asked to book in with your usual family physician for non-acute issues to ensure continuity of care.
We request that you do not go to walk-in or virtual clinics. The family physicians at Frontenac Doctors have access to your records and are able to access your medical history, medications, and previous tests. Other clinics do not have access to these records and usually do not forward any records to update your family physician. This makes it very difficult to follow-up on any care provided by other walk-in or virtual clinics and fragments the continuity of care.
Visits to walk-in clinics or virtual clinics are also billed back to your family physician through the Ministry of Health. Accessing another walk-in or virtual clinic may result in a warning letter at the discretion of your family physician. Repeated access to primary care outside of Frontenac Doctors may result in removal from the practice.
We ask that patients of our clinic also attempt to book with their family physician - there are same-day/next-day appointments that are reserved for more urgent issues. The After Hours Clinic is also available for new and acute issues.
Any more emergent issues may be seen at Hotel Dieu urgent care centre, Kingston General Hospital emergency department, or Children's Outpatient Clinic (COPC) if necessary.
Appointments are scheduled time that is reserved for you. We make every effort to be on time for your scheduled appointment. In return, we ask that you help us to stay on schedule.
We encourage our patients to arrive at our clinic and be checked in 10 minutes before their scheduled appointment time. This allows you to be placed in an exam room and ready to be seen at your scheduled appointment time. Appointments at our clinic are booked for 15 minutes and any delays reduce the amount of time to address your concerns as well as delaying other patients.
Patients who are not present by 8 minutes after their scheduled appointment time will be considered a missed appointment. Missed appointments are subject to a fee.
Appointments cancelled with less than 24-hours notice are considered late cancellations. Late cancellations will be subjected to a fee.
Please contact our office if you are running late or have a last minute emergency and our staff will assist you in managing your booking.
Our clinic offers a small patient parking lot located off of Albert Street, where parking is limited and not guaranteed. There is nearby street parking along King Street West, Stuart Street, and St Lawrence Avenue. We would ask that you be mindful of those who have mobility issues that would benefit from having access to our parking lot and closer to our building.
Please ensure you have sufficient time to find parking before your appointment. We ask that you plan to arrive at least 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time. Delays in arriving at our office for your appointment due to parking constraints are subject to our late/cancellation policy.
Please bring an up to date list of all your medications to all your appointments. Medications are prescribed with enough to last until you need to be seen again for reassessment. It is your responsibility to ensure you have enough medications at all times. Please keep track of your refills and book an appointment before you run out.
If you run out of medications, pharmacists are able to provide you with an extension of some medications until your next appointment. Prescription extensions until your next appointment through our office without an appointment are subject to a fee as they are not covered by OHIP. Prescription renewals are not considered urgent and will be booked in the next available appointment.
Controlled substances require an appointment for renewal.
Controlled substances including narcotics (morphine, hydromorphone, etc), psychostimulants (ADHD medications), benzodiazepines, and testosterone are substances that are monitored as per Health Canada regulations. While they have their role in the treatment of certain medical conditions, they are intended to be used sparingly and only when alternatives have been tried, at the discretion of the prescriber.
These substances must be monitored closely while being used. If prescribed, they are typically used for short term purposes. If they are being used long term you will be asked to review and sign an agreement between you and the prescriber. Misuse of these substances or breeching the agreement is grounds for reduction/discontinuation of the medication.
If you have forms or documents that require your physician to complete, you can send them in through HealthMyself or drop them off to reception at our office. You may be asked to book an appointment to review and/or complete your form. Please ensure that your name and birth date are included on your forms. Unidentifiable forms will not be reviewed.
In keeping with policies from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, please allow up to 6 weeks for completion of forms. Only your own family physician can complete your forms, with limited exceptions. Urgent requests for completion of forms will be reviewed on an individual basis and may be subject to rush fees.
Most forms are not covered by OHIP unless otherwise specified on the form itself. While some forms may be covered by the requesting organization (for example some insurance forms), the majority are the responsibility of the patient to pay. Click here for a list of services not covered by OHIP as per the Ontario Medical Association guide to uninsured services. If you are responsible, payments are due when the forms are received and forms will not be started until payment is received.
Requests for records or forms for legal matters including requests from lawyers or court proceedings must be done directly to the clinic through your lawyer. Any fees related to these requests will be billed directly to your lawyer.
The physicians at Frontenac Doctors are not currently accepting new patients. Similarly, requests to change physicians within our clinic cannot be accommodated.
Physicians at Frontenac Doctors provide cross coverage in the after hours clinic and reviewing results for other physicians during illnesses and vacations. If you have concerns being seen by one of the physicians at our clinic, we would recommend that you consider establishing care with a different primary care clinic. If there are incidents resulting in one of the physicians at our clinic having concerns seeing you as a patient, you may be removed from the practice.
Frontenac Doctors is a teaching site associated with Queen's University School of Medicine. We frequently welcome medical students, resident physicians, and other learners in our clinic as they explore their interests in family medicine. Our learners work under close supervision appropriate to their stage of training and your appointments with them are always reviewed by the physician.
We appreciate your willingness to participate in the training and experience that our learners receive, particularly given the family medicine crisis that is occurring in Ontario.
Our local Ontario Health Team has provided access to an AI-powered scribe service. The AI scribe is intended to listen to conversations during appointments and create a note. The goal is to allow us to focus on providing care and less on taking notes. There is a possibility that the AI scribe will misinterpret our conversation and provide an inaccurate summary, but all notes are reviewed before adding it to your record.
The AI scribe is compliant with all Canadian health privacy laws. It does not connect directly to your chart. The note it creates is copied into your chart then deleted afterward.
Consent to use this tool is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time. Your family physician can speak to you more about it if they are using the AI scribe.
Last updated: 18-Sept-2024
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