Practice Policies
PRIVACY POLICY
All patient consultations and medical records are strictly confidential and are protected by law. It is the policy of this Practice to maintain confidentiality at all times and ensure that this information is only available to the doctors and authorised members of staff within the Practice and health care providers outside the Practice directly involved in your care.
As a matter of policy and law, we do not provide patient medical information (including results) over the telephone or share patient medical history with undesignated persons.
If you wish to allow another person access to your medical file, please let reception know at the time of your visit and they will provide you with an information consent form; or, download the Patient Information & Consent Form, complete and return to us. We must have this signed and on file before we can share your medical history with anyone other than your medical and health providers.
Please note that by law, your consent is only valid for 12 months. This protects you in case your circumstances and relationships change. You will need to renew your consent with us if more than 12 months has passed since your last Patient Information & Consent Form was placed on file.
Fees Policy
Sydney Gastroenterology is a private practice and charges private fees for its services. Payment of fees are required at the time of service or as specified.
As policy we are not able to bulk-bill or offer pension concessions. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please discuss this with the Practice Manager prior to making any appointments.
TRANSFER OF MEDICAL RECORDS
From time to time it is necessary to change practitioners. If you would like to transfer your medical records to another practice, please request a consent form from reception or download the Patient Information & Consent Form, sign and return to us. We must have the form signed and on file before we can provide your medical history to another practice. Please note that there is an administration fee of $50 to cover costs of transferring files. It is payable at the time of transfer request.
MEDICAL & Carer CERTIFICATES
Medical or Carer Certificates will only be issued on the date of service, will not be back-dated, and will only be issued for the period deemed appropriate by the doctor.
Lost Medical or Carer Certificates can only be replaced by rescheduling an appointment with the doctor.
LOST PRESCRIPTIONS, REFERRALS OR PATHOLOGY/RADIOLOGY REQUESTS
The Practice will charge a re-issue fee of $30 for any replacements requested for pathology or radiology. The fee must be paid at the time of request. For Medico-legal reasons, the re-issue of prescriptions, referrals or pathology or radiology requests requires the prescribing clinician to assess the patient case – this is similar to having another brief consultation with the doctor, as such, we unfortunately need to charge for this service.
WORKERS COMPENSATION CLAIMS
Our Practice does not accept Workers Compensation Claims for billing purposes. If you are seeing the doctor for a Workers Compensation Claim, please be aware that you as the patient will be charged the standard Practice fee and are responsible for paying the account at the time of consultation. You will be provided with a receipt which you may take to your insurer – or other provider managing your claim -for reimbursement.
REMINDER/RECALL SYSTEM
The Practice is committed to providing comprehensive specialist care to all its patients, including ongoing surveillance/monitoring and preventative care. You therefore may receive reminder notices for health services appropriate to your care, including recall letters for follow-up appointments and for surveillance and screening procedures. It is part of our medico-legal responsibility to provide such notifications. If you do not wish to receive such notices, please advise the Practice of your preference in writing.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN’S AFFAIRS (DVA) PATIENT TRANSPORTATION
If you require DVA transportation to and from your appointment, please call the Practice at least (1) one week before your appointment on (02) 9707-3523.
You must be eligible for Department of Veteran’s Affairs benefits for this service.
PATIENT RESPONSIBILITY
We believe that good communication between doctor and patient is important to ensuring good health. A/Prof Pavey and his staff provide excellent care; in order to be able to provide the best possible care, we ask that patients are responsible for their part in their care. This includes turning up for appointments as scheduled, bringing the necessary medical documents (such as scans, test results, referrals, etc.), complying with doctor instructions and paying accounts in a timely fashion.
OUR CANCELLATION POLICY
We run an appointment system with designated time-slots for each patient and it is Practice policy not to double-book patients. We provide all patients with written reminders of their appointments. We therefore have a strict cancellation policy of 48-hour notice. Without appropriate advance notice, we cannot offer the appointment time to anyone else, which disadvantages our other patients.
Per our Practice policy, all missed appointments without notice of 48 hours or more may be subject to a missed appointment fee. Appointments will only be rescheduled with payment of the consult fee as deposit against the future appointment; your Medicare rebate will be processed upon your attendance on the day of appointment per usual.
Please also be aware that missed appointments – especially if missed on more than one occasion -adversely affects the doctor’s ability to provide you with the best possible care. If you miss your appointment without proper notification, or miss more than one appointment, your GP will be notified in writing, as your attendance at appointments affects your healthcare treatment plan.