Office Policies
Abusive Behavior
We strive to deliver quality care. In a healthcare system under strain, it is understood that there will be times of frustration. Your patience and understanding is appreciated as we work to resolve any issues that may arise.
That being said, Alliston Medical Associates has a zero tolerance policy for acts of aggression, which can include but are not limited to the following:
-Abusive or disrespectful language
-Harassment
-Refusing to comply with staff instructions
Threats of any kind, whether physical or non-physical, direct or implied, are considered particularly egregious. These instances will lead to the end of the physician-patient therapeutic relationship. In this case, a patient will be asked to seek medical care elsewhere.
"What you say to my staff is also what you're saying to me.
Please be kind to each other."
- Dr. Yu
No Show, Late Arrival and Cancellation Policy
Alliston Medical Associates is committed to providing care to a large number of patients in Simcoe County. When patients miss appointments, or cancel without adequate notice, it becomes more difficult for others to get the care they need.
Patients are expected to arrive on time for their appointments, taking into account journey times when booking appointments.
Late Policy: We understand there may be unexpected circumstances that cause delays in arrival. If possible, patients are encouraged to contact the office to let staff know. If patients arrive more than 8 minutes late, they have missed their appointment and will need to reschedule.
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please contact the office to cancel or reschedule it with at least 24 hours notice. This allows us to offer your time slot to another patient in need.
Missed Appointment Fee: $40.00 may be charged for missed appointments or late cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice.
Following three missed appointments, the doctor reserves the right to no longer provide routine clinical services at his discretion. In this case, the patient may be dismissed from the practice and advised to seek medical care elsewhere.
Distance Policy
Alliston Medical Associates is part of the South Simcoe Family Health Organization (FHO).
In Ontario, the Ministry of Health generally requires patients rostered to a FHO to live within 100 km of the practice. This cutoff is considered a reasonable geographic radius. For distances beyond 100km, the time and travel demands make it less practical for patients to remain part of the FHO.
Patients who reside further than 100km away may be asked to leave this practice and establish care with a more local provider.
Paperwork Policy
Alliston Medical Associates is a large family medicine practice serving over 2000 patients which handles a large volume of paperwork.
Family physicians in Canada face a high administrative burden which has reached national media attention. Attempts are made for completion of forms and other documents within a reasonable time frame. Periodically, this can be challenging to do as priority is necessarily given to tasks that are directly related to clinical care. Your cooperation and understanding is appreciated.
Patients are encouraged to make an appointment to discuss their required paperwork well in advance of the actual deadline, if possible.
Standard timelines for completion of third-party paperwork is generally between 45 to 60 days. Examples of third-party paperwork can include the following:
- Attending Physician Statements
- Short-Term Disability (STD) and Long-Term Disability (LTD) forms
- WSIB forms
- Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) forms
- Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) forms
- Insurance Forms
The above may have their own specific due dates. These due dates are accommodated within reason, however extensions may be required.
Other items of a non-urgent nature (e.g., employer-requested documentation, letters of support etc.), may take up to 30 days for completion.
Patients are ultimately responsible for keeping track of their obligations and ensuring due dates are accurate. Following up periodically with the office is encouraged. Sudden changes in due date which require completion of forms sooner than previously established might not be accommodable if insufficient notice is given.
Young Adults (18-24) and Parental Involvement
The age of majority in Ontario is 18 years old. Every patient aged 18 and older is considered an adult and is reasonably expected to speak for themselves, make their own appointments, make their own requests, and generally handle their own affairs unless exceptional circumstances are present (such as medical conditions leading to significant physical or cognitive impairment).
It is understood and appreciated that parents are protective and lend assistance to their young adult children. That being said, it has been the experience of this office that extensive parental involvement often complicates matters due to the tendency of parents to project their own strong opinions and feelings on to a situation.
This in turn can lead to escalation, a breakdown of communication, weaker physician-patient therapeutic relationships, and slower resolution of issues. We simply ask that parents be mindful of this, temper their own personal involvement, and give their adult child the independence to work through and navigate their own care.
Phone Calls
Standard appointments with this office are in-person visits. Phone calls are not considered standard appointments. These are sometimes accommodated depending on individual circumstances. However, there is a tradeoff for convenience. While a patient does not need to physically attend the office, the time of the call is flexible and typically done within a four hour window of when the appointment is scheduled.
All messages received by email are considered non-urgent. Please call the office if your request is of an urgent nature, or dial 911 and go to the hospital in case of emergency.
Patients are strongly encouraged to speak with staff prior to sending email to the office. This is so we can better understand your request and expectations. Upon review of an email, it may be determined that an appointment with Dr Yu is necessary. If sufficient information and context is available, this appointment may not be needed.
Email correspondence is largely intended to be initiated one-way. Typically, an email is sent from our office to a patient who is then invited to reply with updates, documents etc.
Email is a privilege. Misuse may lead to a restriction on it, in which case communication with the office will solely be through phone or in-person attendance. Messages containing threats, aggressive or abusive language may result in a patient's dismissal from the practice. All adults are expected to handle their own emails.
Appointments
Appointments are not allowed to be swapped or given away to someone else.
There is a two issue limit for a standard 15 minute appointment. Some flexibility on this exists depending on the nature and complexity of the issues. If there are more than two items to discuss then a patient may be asked to schedule another visit.
When booking appointments, the stated reason for the appointment is expected to be consistent with what is actually discussed during the visit.
Every able adult is expected to schedule their own appointments unless there are exceptional circumstances (e.g., calling to book an appointment on behalf of a hospitalized family member).