Becoming a Patient

As a patient of the Burlington Family Health Team, please be aware of and review our office policies as outlined below:

• We require that you bring your Health Card with you to each visit. Please be advised that as of October 1st, 2015, our office will charge $50.00 for appointments without a health card. This amount will be refunded to you once a valid health card is presented. It is your responsibility to have an updated, valid Health Card.  If you need to renew it, please visit a Service Ontario centre.  For information about locations call their toll free Info line at: 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only)
• Please be sure we are aware of your current address and phone number so that your chart is up to date.  Please check this with reception.
• Although most of your appointments will be with the same doctor, there is a chance you will see one of our other health care professionals, as we are an inter-professional Family Health Team.
• If lab results from tests are not normal, you may need a follow-up appointment. Our office will contact you if this is the case.
• We suggest that all members of your family have appointments with the same doctor.
• We will not prescribe any narcotic drugs or other drugs that can cause addiction on your first visit with us. We will only prescribe drugs of this type after we have done a full assessment and have reviewed your medical records.

In order to provide appropriate medical care, the Burlington Family Health Team operates by appointment only.   Please call the office at 905-333-8222 to make an appointment and be aware of the following:

• It is extremely important that you try to inform the staff of the type of visit you require, in order to assist them in booking an appropriate appointment time. Please indicate if you require a regular visit, a longer visit for counseling, a complete physical examination, or simply an injection.
• Every effort will be made to accommodate you in a manner appropriate to your medical needs.
• Please be assured that confidentiality will be strictly maintained in all aspects of the clinic.
• In case of same day, urgent care, we are open for “extended hours” by appointment only– Monday- Friday 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.  These are NOT WALK IN CLINICS – you must call the main phone number for an appointment.  These appointments are at our office.
• All Urgent care (sore throats, earache, fever, etc.) appointments will always try to be scheduled the same day you call. We always try to offer you an appointment with your own physician first, but there is a chance you may see another doctor in order to ensure we meet your urgent needs.

Prescriptions can be renewed in person (at your scheduled appointment), or by having your Pharmacist fax a request to your doctor’s office.  Please speak to your Physician to discuss their preferred method.

• In most cases, refill requests will be completed within 2-3 days, so be sure to request your refills well before you completely run out of your medication.
• In some cases, your Physician or Nurse Practitioner may wish to see or speak to you before renewing a prescription. In this case, you will need to make an appointment.
• NEW! Effective September 2016: Patients of Dr. Ludlow/Dr. Bartens’ practice must book an office appointment for ALL prescription renewals.
• For those patients taking prescription narcotics, please note that these will NOT be refilled by fax.  You must make an appointment.
• It is important to determine your method for renewing medications ahead of time so that you never run out.

Uninsured services are services provided by your Physician that are not covered by OHIP. These items have fees that you must pay at visit when the service is provided. The clinic accepts debit and credit.

Some of the uninsured services include:

• Travel immunizations
• TB and INR testing in office
•  Physician notes
•  3rd party physical (e.g. Ministry of Transportation)
•  Miscellaneous forms (e.g. Long Term Disability)
•  Cosmetic procedures (e.g. lesion removal)
•  Transfer of medical records

If you have questions or concerns regarding this policy, please speak directly with your Physician prior to the service being performed or completion of documentation.

For lab, x-ray, ultrasound, and diagnostic imaging service locations, please see the following list.
This list may not be complete as new medical laboratories continue to open. Some of the following may close their doors early if a high number of patients are already waiting – it is best to call the lab ahead of time to confirm their availability and hours of operation.

Medical Laboratories

(appointments are not usually needed for most laboratory tests)

X-ray, Ultrasound, Diagnostic Imaging

(appointments must be booked for an ultrasound, mammogram, cardiac or bone density testing. You do not require an appointment for xray)

If your doctor refers you to a specialist, our referrals staff will send off the request and will wait to hear back from the specialists office with an appointment.  Once we hear back, we will call you with your appointment date and time.

• Please note that our office does not schedule these appointments; that is the responsibility of the specialists’ office.  We only relay the appointment once we hear back.
• We will send any information needed ahead for you. If you cannot go at the appointed time, please contact your specialist’s office to reschedule.
• Please do not miss specialists’ appointments as they often take weeks or months to schedule and they may charge you for a missed appointment.
• You may also need to sign out radiology films at labs/hospitals to take to relevant specialist appointments.

For patients requiring any forms that need to be completed by a Physician please:

• Ensure that you have completely filled out your portion of the forms before coming to the office
• Book an appointment so you can meet with your Physician and fill the forms out together.
• Indicate the reason for your visit when calling to book an appointment so an appropriate amount of time can be given.
• You CANNOT drop off your forms to be filled out by your doctor and picked up at a later date.  You must have an appointment booked.

How do I obtain my child’s vaccine record?

In order to obtain your child’s vaccine record, you may need to access one or both of the following places.

1. Your doctor’s office. Records of all vaccines that we administer are kept here. To access this list, please call your doctor’s office and ask to speak with a Nurse.
2. Halton Public Health. A record of all vaccines that have been administered (in school, in flu clinics, etc.) for all school-age children are kept here. To access this list, contact Halton Public Health at 905-825-6000 x7857.

Patient Rights

As a patient of Burlington Family Health Team (BFHT), you have the right to:

• Know the names of the people providing you with care.
• Receive care that is respectful, non-discriminatory, considerate and timely.
• Ask questions if you do not understand any information given to you.
• Be an active participant in your care and make choices about your treatment including refusing treatment and be informed of the health risks of your decision.
• Complete, up-to-date information about your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in terms you can understand in order to participate in decisions regarding your care. This includes being told about any known risks and alternatives if any.
• Be told if something unexpected and significant happens in your care and have any resulting changes to your care discussed with you.
• Make choices about how your information is collected, used and disclosed by us.
• Expect that all communications and records pertaining to your care be available only to those directly concerned with your care.
• Access your health record.
• Expect that your personal health information will be treated in a confidential manner by all FHT staff with whom you are involved.
• Express your concerns about BFHT or its staff and receive a response.
• Receive complete information about any research project in which you are invited to participate, with an option to refuse to participate without it affecting your care.

Patient Responsibilities

As a patient of Burlington Family Health Team (BFHT), we ask that you:

• Tell us about any concerns you have about the safety and/or quality of your care.
• Treat our Family Health Team staff, Physicians, other patients and visitors with consideration and respect.
• Arrive at appointments and/or classes/workshops/groups promptly or, if they must be canceled or postponed, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible (at least 24 hours in advance).
• Be open and honest with us about your health history and health care needs (including your past and current illnesses, allergies, medications and dosages, and family health history).
• Let us know about any changes in your contact information.
• Take an active role in your own care. You can do this by:
  • Being proactive in keeping yourself healthy.
  • Using the advice and information from your health care providers.
  • Asking questions to clarify information.
  • Telling us what is important to you.