Frequently Asked Questions

No, If you need a family physician. Please visit the following link: http://www.nshealth.ca/need-family-practice-data

Anyone with a valid ID can be seen. Those without a valid N.S. Health Card will need to pay for the visit prior to seeing the Physician.

We do not make appointments, simply walk in to be seen at any of our clinics. Our Walk-In Clinics are first come, first serve. Depending on the volume of patients, we may stop registering before end of each shift because we are at capacity.

No, you must call into the office in order to book and cancel your appointments with your family Physician.

Our phones are off daily from 12:00 -1:00 for lunch and if the clinic is closed. We do not have voicemail options.

No, None of our clinics have e-mail.  All medical inquiries need to be made in person or via phone.

The receptionist will ask you the reason for your visit every time you book an appointment. This is to assist your physician in being prepared for your visit; it ensures you are being booked at a time that your concern can be adequately dealt with, and pre-appointment preparation can be in place. If you wish not to share the reason for visit, please tell staff it is personal, be aware that you will be booked as a regular 15-minute office visit.

Please book appointments for all those who need to see the physician. Time is allotted to deal with one patient at a time. If multiple family members need to see the physician, please ensure each person is scheduled with their own appointment.

Your medical information is confidential and will not be shared with others unless you have prior written consent. Your doctor will not discuss the medical information of other family members.

The clinic will notify you when the referred office confirms a date for your specialist/testing appointment. We will not leave appointment details on answering machines or with family members unless directed to do so by yourself and noted in your chart. Once you receive appointment details you will not receive further reminder calls.

Yes. In the best interest of your health and consideration of both your doctor’s schedule and fellow patients, please book medical appointments as concerns arise. The time allotted for each visit is sufficient to adequately cover a single issue. Office staff cannot book extra time to cover multiple issues, nor can they book you two appointments in one day. If you have several issues your doctor will address that of most concern and may ask you to rebook an appointment to cover additional items to ensure adequate care and consideration of each concern.

Patients will be billed for missed appointments and cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice. The cost is $45.00 and will be payable prior to being able to book your next appointment.

You are welcome to book an appointment with your doctor to review the results of medical testing. Patients can expect a phone call if results are abnormal or require additional follow-up. Patients will not be notified of normal results.

Health insurance does not cover the cost of prescription refills if you have not seen a physician.

Book appointments for medication refills 1-2 weeks in advance of your prescription running out. Your doctor has written your prescription to expire at the time in which they wish to re-evaluate how the medication is working for you.
However, extenuating circumstances arise, in such instances, you do have options:

1. Book your refill appointment; let your pharmacist know you have an appointment booked and they may advance you enough medication to get you to your appointment date.
2. Your pharmacist may provide you with a 1-month refill on a one-time-only basis.
3. If your medication IS a narcotic, you MUST see YOUR family physician due to stringent regulations. There are no other options. Be sure to book your appointment well in advance of your medication running out.

No, if you have a valid N.S. card and it is a service covered by MSI. A list of all our uninsured services (those not covered by MSI) is available at the clinic.

Yes, suturing of a minor, uncomplicated lacerations is available at all of our clinics. However, it is recommended that you call the head to the clinic that you would like to visit just to be sure that the physician on duty can suture your laceration. There is a small charge that is charged to the patient to perform this service.

Yes, these special clinics are available at some of our locations.  These are booked appointments with Female Physicians on specific Saturday Mornings.  To see the available locations and dates; view our calendar on this site.

https://www.cdha.nshealth.ca/public-health/communicable-disease/fact-sheets-communicable-diseases

If you require a copy of your Walk-in visit or Family Pratice file, there is a fee. The contact for your chart retrieval is:Docudavit: Telephone number: 1-888-781-9083 ext: 101, Email: medicalrecords@docudavit.com

If you are interested in arranging a flu vaccine clinic for your Company, contact : admin@thefamilyfocus.ca.

No, we can, in most cases, direct bill all provincial health cards with the exception of Quebec. If we can not direct bill, there will be a charge for the visit.

Yes, however, there is a fee associated with this if you are just coming in the for the requisition. The Doctor can order follow-up requisitions at no fee if it is part of their diagnosis.

Please allow 7-10 days for your results to be processed depending on the type of testing. Some results are back in 2-3 days others take about a week. Test results are reviewed by a doctor daily. You will receive a call from the doctor only if there is an abnormal result. If you still have symptoms, worsening symptoms or concerns, please come back to see a doctor at the walk-in clinic. If you wish to review your test results in person, please bring your health card or piece of ID with you. If you wish to just go over results with the physician, please return to the walk-in clinic at your convenience.

You have the right to:

• Be treated in a kind and respectful way.
• Receive care without discrimination as to race, age, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation or national origin.
• Expect that all information about your health care will be kept private and confidential in accordance with the law.
• Expect that members of your healthcare team will sometimes share important information about your treatment, so you can get good care.
• Be given information in a way you will understand.
• Participate in making decisions about your care.
• Accept or refuse any treatment based on the possible risks, benefits, and alternatives, unless you are deemed incompetent (unable to make decisions), and as long as your decision will not harm others (for example, some contagious diseases), as set out by law.
• Know the name of the doctor in charge of your treatment.
• Know the names and roles of people involved in your care.
• Know if clinical students may be helping in your care, under supervision, and that you have the right to refuse if you do not wish to have students participate in your care.
• Know if your care may be involved in research and that at all times you will be asked for consent and have the right to refuse without your care being affected.
• Express your concerns and get answers to your questions without affecting your care.
• Be told of the fees not covered by MSI that you or your family will have to pay.

As a patient you have responsibilities. Please make sure you do the following:

• Be polite and respect other patients, staff and members of the health care team.
• Keep your contact information up to date, including whom to contact in an emergency.
• Give your health care team the name of the person who will represent you if you cannot make decisions by yourself.
• Make every reasonable effort to keep your appointments and offer adequate notice of cancellation if you cannot.
• Give accurate information to your health care team to help them plan your care.
• Follow the plan of care the best way you can.
• Understand the information given to you and ask questions if you do not.
• Accept responsibility for the decisions you make about your treatment.
• Respect clinic property and act in a safe and responsible way.
• Understand and be responsible for all expenses not covered by MSI.
• Understand that your healthcare providers treat many people, and sometimes the needs of other patients and families may be more urgent than your own.
• Understand that some tests and treatments may be medically or ethically unnecessary or inappropriate and that your doctor does not have to offer them
• You will NOT be taken on into the practice if you currently are under the care of another Physician.
• You are responsible to keep your Health card current and provide the card when asked at Reception to ensure all information is current.
• You are responsible to ensure we have the most up-to-date contact information for your chart.

To be eligible for Nova Scotia Medical Service Insurance benefits you must be:

• a Canadian Citizen or “Permanent Resident” (Landed Immigrant);
• a resident who makes his/her permanent home in Nova Scotia;
• present in the province 183 days every calendar year; and
• registered with MSI.

The following individuals are not eligible for coverage:

• Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (however, family members are eligible);
• tourists and visitors to the province;
• students from another province; and
• inmates of federal penitentiaries.

If you are a full-time student from another Canadian province, you are not eligible for MSI coverage. Your home province will continue to provide coverage as long as you are a student. Contact your home province to ensure your coverage is maintained.

Proof of citizenship or immigration status is required for the application process. To complete an application please contact the MSI Registration at:

902-496-7008 or toll-free in Canada 1-800-563-8880

Mailing address: PO Box 500, Halifax NS B3J 2S1
Location address: 230 Brownlow Ave, Dartmouth NS

Physicians have a duty to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors. Violent or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated and decisive action will be taken to protect staff, patients and visitors.

Physicians have the right to stop seeing patients; they are expected to tell patients in writing why they have decided to stop seeing them.

Physicians most often stop seeing patients who:

• Continue to miss appointments without telling the doctor or the doctor’s office well in advance
• Continue to ignore the advice or treatment on which the patient and doctor have agreed
• Say rude, insulting, or threatening things to the doctor, patients, or staff
• Are violent with the doctor or with patients or staff
• Cause trouble in the doctor’s office
• Insist on being given prescriptions for drugs that the doctor does not think are needed

Yes, Doctors are permitted to charge a reasonable fee to cover the following costs involved in allowing patients to view or receive a copy of their medical record:

• staff time needed to prepare the record
• staff time to supervise the patient’s inspection of the medical record
• the doctor’s time to review or explain the record if requested
• copying and mailing charges

Yes. The completion of many forms is a “non-insured service” for which doctors are permitted to charge patients a fee.

Please note that these fees must be paid prior to the completion and release of the form. You must allow a minimum of 14 calendar days to have forms completed by the Physician. You cannot book an appointment for the same-day completion of forms.