Policies and Procedures
Appointments:
We hope that the majority of the time you are able to book your appointments with your usual doctor. If you have an urgent problem, or are unable to do so for scheduling reasons, another physician in the office will happily see you.
We always reserve time for urgent or same day access appointments each day. These appointments open up ONLY within 24 hours of their start time and can be best booked online.
We request that you try to book as many of your appointments on-line as possible.
All appointments require 24 hour notification to cancel. If you do not do this, you will be charged for a missed appointment $35 for a regular appointment and $75 for a long appointment (complete physical, counselling, drivers medical for example). This policy exists to encourage people to cancel their appointments when necessary, so someone else can get in to see their doctor. This policy does still apply to same day appointments even though, by definition, they are booked within 24 hours notice as these appointments are incredibly important to people with urgent concerns. Of course know that “things happen”, if you have missed your appointment due to unforeseen circumstances then we are more than happy to talk to you about it! The best thing to do is just bring it up to your doctor next time you are in the office.
“Yearly physicals” are not covered under Medical Services Plan unless you are under 5 or over 55 years of age or have a chronic medical condition as they have been found to not be a good way to provide care. It is better that you just book in with your doctor when you have a concern. If you are in the categories above then physicals must be booked in advance by calling the office, as this visit will be dedicated to do a comprehensive health audit and education session. Patients should not “save” problems or urgent issues for this appointment. Pap smears also need to be booked by calling the office.
Appointments with the pediatricians are based on referrals from your family physician.
Uninsured Services:
Some medical office services, called uninsured services, are not covered by BC Health Insurance (“MSP”) and must be paid for directly by the patient, regardless of whether they have BC Health insurance or not. These fees may be covered under your private health insurance if you have it and you may be reimbursed for fees paid to the clinic. Fees for medical services that are not covered by the provincial insurance plan are the responsibility of you, the patient. The fees charged by GROW for uninsured services are in compliance with the Doctors of BC guidelines, which are updated on an annual basis.
Some common examples of uninsured services are:
All notes (EI form, parking form, sick notes, etc.) - 30$
Insurance or disability report (short) - 75$
Exam or form for camp or sports participation - 75$
Driver’s medical - 90$
Prescription renewal via fax or phone - 30$
Transfer of medical records to another provider - 35$
Missed regular appointment - 35$
Missed long appointment (Physical, New patient, Counseling, etc.) - 75$
Liquid nitrogen wart treatment for adults - 50$
Excision of skin lesion for cosmetic reasons (skin tags, non worrisome moles, etc.) - 200$
More detailed information can be found HERE.
We realize and will always take into consideration that some patients may not be able to pay for these services. Please don’t hesitate to inform us if these fees place an undue financial burden on you.
Inclusion, Diversity and Gender Neutral Policy:
We love and respect and support people of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. We love and respect and support the LGBTQ community. We acknowledge that our clinic sits on the Lekwungen/Songhees, Te’mexw Treaty Association, and W̱SÁNEĆ lands and are proud to be their neighbours. We firmly believe Black lives matter.
Patients must be comfortable with receiving all of their urgent comprehensive care by the trusted associate [male or female] when their regular physician is away.
Teaching:
The physicians at Grow Health all hold faculty positions at UBC/UVic for teaching. We have both medical students and residents in the clinic throughout the year. We hope that you will help us teach our next generations of physicians. We understand that for certain issues you may prefer to not have a learner present. If this is the case please notify the MOA's when you arrive for your appointment.
