APPOINTMENTS & CANCELLATIONS

Please arrive on time for your appointments.  The physicians do their best to stay on schedule and need your cooperation to do so.   We do not make confirmation phone calls for appointments, so please ensure you have marked your schedule appropriately.

For Initial Consultations the cancellation policy is 3 business days for a full refund.  If you no show or fail to give 72 hours notice for the consultation, a $125 fee will be charged.   

Should you need to change a follow-up appointment, please provide the clinic with at least 24 hours' notice so we may offer that appointment time to another patient.  

If you no show for a follow-up appointment, even if you are a health plan member, a cancellation fee of $60.00 will be charged and no further appointments will be scheduled until the account is settled. 

Once a treatment plan is set, try not to alter from the program without discussing with your physician.  Experience has shown that patients who maintain their treatment plan get the fastest and best results. 

PRESCRIPTION RENEWALS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Prescription renewal by telephone or fax requires that your physician review your chart to ensure that it is medically appropriate to renew the prescription.  They review information such as mammography, Pap smear or laboratory tests to confirm they are either up-to-date or within normal range before renewing prescriptions.  They review the clinical notes from your last visit to ensure continuity of care.  

This requires physician time and as such a $15.00 fee may be applied to prescription renewals by telephone or fax.

To have your prescription renewed please have your pharmacy fax a prescription renewal request to

604-738-9605. Your doctor will review the request, review your medical information and fax the authorization back to the pharmacy.

Please do not leave your prescription renewals to the last minute ~ this creates stress for you and the office staff to try to ensure there is no interruption in your medications.  

Allow 1 week  for the pharmacy to fax the request and the physician to review your chart and the pharmacy to compound your medicines. 

Please ask us for Renew Rx stickers for your calendar ~ we are happy to provide these!

DIAGNOSTIC TEST RESULTS

WWC does not give laboratory or x-ray results over the phone.  If instructed, our staff will call you with test results.  We do not phone normal test results.

If you results require a follow-up visit, our staff will call to make those arrangements.

TELEPHONE CALLS

Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.   The telephone lines are very busy and your patience is appreciated.  Please leave a detailed message should you reach the automated attendant and one of our staff members will return your call. 

Important:  When leaving a message, PLEASE leave only ONE message - our call volume is high and leaving repeated messages only increases the amount of time required by staff to go through the messages, which may delay returning YOUR call.

EMAIL

The Westcoast Women's Clinic has an email link from our website, however this email or our general email should never be used to communicate urgent information as it is not checked daily.  

Please, for your medical safety do not use this email to communicate medical or appointment information.

INSURANCE

We do not accept insurance assignments on your extended medical benefits; however we will be happy to provide a detailed letter at the time of service so that you can submit a claim to your insurance company.  Your insurance company may reimburse you directly whatever they determine reasonable as per their own guideline for claims.  You are strongly advised to contact your insurance carry directly as the WWC does not make any guarantee that your extended benefits will cover this preventative health service. 

METHOD OF PAYMENT

An initial payment is required at the time of scheduling the Initial Consultation.  Our office will discuss payment of the balance at your second appointment (after your Meridian Valley). 

FRAGRANCES

Due to the sensitivity of some of our patients, we ask that you wear no fragrances such as perfume, cologne, after-shave or strongly scented lotions on the day of your appointment.

EMERGENCY SERVICES

This office does not provide emergency services.  If you are in need of emergency services, call 911 or attend your nearest hospital emergency department.  

We do not provide primary/acute care and any medical issues unrelated to your care at the Westcoast Women's Clinic are to be handled by your family physician, i.e. sprains, flu, cuts, etc.  If you do not have a family physician it is advisable that you find a GP.  Please visit the College of Physicians and Surgeons website www.cpsbc.ca to locate a GP in your area that is accepting new patients.

West Coast Women's Clinic - Vancouver , BC ( British Columbia ) , Canada - WWC - Office Policy