At Kits Family Practice, we operate as a group practice where you are primarily under the care of your own family doctor, while also having access to other physicians within the clinic. To ensure we continue providing high-quality care, we have established the following policies and guidelines.
- Respectful Environment: We are committed to maintaining a healthy and respectful environment where all patients and staff are treated with dignity. Please note that disrespectful or abusive behavior is not tolerated and may result in dismissal from the practice.
- The Patient-Family Doctor Relationship: A relationship based on trust and respect between patient and doctor is essential for excellent healthcare. Whenever possible, seek your health care from your primary family doctor. If you visit another facility (e.g., UPCC, ER, virtual walk-in), let them know the name of your family doctor so we can provide appropriate follow up. We recommend seeing your doctor at least once a year for a health review. We will deactivate patient accounts after 3 years of inactivity in order to keep an updated panel of patients.
- Confidentiality: We are committed to protecting your privacy and maintaining strict confidentiality. Your health information will not be disclosed to anyone outside of your circle of care without your explicit consent, except in circumstances where there is an imminent risk of harm to yourself or others.
- Appointment Duration: Routine appointments are 10 -15 minutes, which includes time for your doctor to chart. To ensure we can address your concerns thoroughly, we may be unable to cover multiple complex issues in a single visit. You are welcome to book additional appointments—in-person or virtual—to manage multiple concerns, helping us stay on schedule for everyone. Longer appointments may be available for mental health concerns, WorkSafe or ICBC claims, form completion, or complex medical needs.
- Preparing For Your Visit: You will be asked for the reason for your visit so we can better prepare for it.
- Doctor Running Late: Expect that delays may occur. Your doctor may be managing a more complex patient, liaising with a specialist or allied health member, or managing an urgent medical matter. We appreciate your understanding when delays occur.
- Same Day Urgent “Fit-in” Visits: We always reserve same-day urgent appointment slots. To secure a same-day urgent appointment at Kits Family Practice, you must call the clinic before 10 am on the day you need to be seen.
- Missed Appointments: The clinic should be notified of cancellations one business day in advance or this constitutes a missed appointment. Our phone lines are open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday except for statutory holidays. If an appointment is missed, a fee of $60 will be charged. If multiple appointments are missed, you may be discharged from the practice.
- Late Arrivals: If you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, your doctor may not be able to see you and your appointment may need to be rescheduled. This may count as a missed appointment.
- Phone Appointments/Telehealth: Your doctor will call the number provided within 1 hour of your scheduled appointment time. If you prefer to be called within a time range on the scheduled day due to other commitments, please indicate when you book the appointment. If your doctor cannot reach you, this is considered a missed appointment. You are responsible for ensuring that you are in a place with adequate reception and in a safe and private place to take this call. Please do not drive while attending a virtual visit. By booking a virtual care appointment, you are consenting to and acknowledging the limitations and risks of virtual care. You may be advised to come in for a physical exam. For medicolegal reasons, you must be in Canada at the time of your virtual appointment. Your doctor may call you without you booking the appointment if the need arises, especially for urgent results or follow up.
- AI Scribe: Your doctor may use an AI Scribe during your medical visits. An AI Scribe is a software program that writes down what you talk about with your doctor. This saves your doctor time during or after your visit. The notes are kept private and then deleted after the doctor finishes documenting the encounter. If you prefer that your doctor not use an AI scribe in your visit you will need to inform your doctor before your appointment.
- E-mail: Kits Family Practice uses email for general health information, office updates, and sending requisition forms. By providing an email address, you consent to receiving these updates. You may choose to unsubscribe. Your email address is confidential and will only be shared with your care providers.
- Do not email the practice to request clinical appointments.
- Please use the clinic’s online booking system instead.
- After Hours Care: If you need care when the office is closed, try the following options:
- In cases of emergency, please dial 911 or attend at the urgent care centre or go to the nearest emergency department.
- For urgent medical concerns that cannot wait until regular business hours, you may speak with the doctor-on-call over the weekend 9am – 9pm and 6pm till 9pm on a weekday. If the doctor does not call you back quickly and you consider your condition becomes more urgent, please attend ER or an urgent care centre. Please do not use this service to cancel or reschedule appointments. A $60 after hours access fee will be charged for any inappropriate use of this service.
- For non-urgent matters, you may call our office the next business day to book an appointment.
- Medication Refills: We realize that many of our patients are on long term medications. Please make an appointment at least 2 weeks before medications are finished to refill your medications. For last minute travel requiring urgent refills, we will try to accommodate up to a 48hrs notification for a refill. You may also ask the pharmacy to send us a refill request. However, we may still want you to book a tele visit to speak with the doctor for these refills to ensure appropriate medical follow-up. If you are unable to reach the practice for an urgent refill of medication, an emergency refill can be provided by your pharmacy to cover a few days.
- Services not covered by MSP: We will bill patients directly for services not covered by MSP. They are subject to change as per Doctors of BC guidelines. Examples include:
- Filling out forms; writing letters (fee is variable depending on length of form/letter)
- Doctor’s notes i.e., for work or school absence, for purposes of claiming insurance such as note for massage therapy
- Printing copies of results after review with doctor
- Emailing records (In compliance to the Personal Health Information Act, Kits Family Practice uses and pays for a secure patient portal called Ocean)
- Transfer of records to another practice
- Driver’s and employment physical examinations
- Minor office procedures, removal or treatment of skin lesions for cosmetic reasons (eg. adult hand warts)
- Complete physical examination in a healthy individual or that is required by a 3rd party. (This is not supported by medical evidence and not MSP-covered. MSP covers focused exams and testing that is appropriate for your age and specific health conditions.)
- Pre Travel advice. MSP does not cover the visit or for administration of travel vaccines.
- Medical consultation if your MSP is not active, it is classified as a private consultation.
- Follow-up on Results: We advise a follow up review of all investigations done. It is your responsibility to book an appointment after any tests are done to review your results. Results cannot be given by the medical office assistant over the phone. Most blood work results usually take 3-4 days to return. Reports for imaging or biopsies take 2-4 weeks, and pap test results take 4-16 weeks.
- One Family Doctor Visit Per Day: Please avoid seeing multiple family doctors in one day, whether it is in person or via telehealth such as seeing your family doctor for a concern then attending a walk-in clinic later in the day. One of those doctors will not be paid by MSP.
- Termination/Discharge: Family physicians provide care for patients who reside in their communities. We reserve the right to terminate the patient-doctor relationship if:
- You also see another long-term family doctor in Greater Vancouver.
- You regularly see another family doctor at walk-in clinics for new or old issues.
- You have not had an appointment at Kits Family Practice for over 3 years.
- You have moved away from Greater Vancouver and cannot travel to Kits Family Practice for
- an in-person assessment for an acute medical issue.
- There is non-compliance to the terms of this patient contract.
- Practice Updates: Please check our website for regular updates on our services.