Our Policies

Fireside Family Health Clinic Policies

At our clinic, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality health care for you and your family—because your health is our top priority. Our team works hard to create a welcoming, supportive environment where you feel listened to, cared for, and confident in your treatment. Whether it’s a routine checkup, ongoing care, or addressing new health concerns, we’re here with the knowledge, compassion, and commitment to help you live your healthiest life.

Below, you’ll find a list of our clinic policies, designed for your convenience, to help ensure your visits run as smoothly and comfortably as possible.

General Practice Policy

Our practice is guided by the following guidelines and policies.

Please read them carefully and please contact us if you have any questions.

1. We strive to provide timely and efficient appointments. Due to time constraints, the doctor may not be able to address all your concerns in one visit and will ask you to book a follow-up to allow for proper assessment.

2. For convenience, appointments may be booked by calling our office directly at 587-551-3348. Please note that we do not book appointments or offer appointment times through email communications; all appointments must be made by phoning the clinic during office hours or by coming in and booking in person.

We have online booking available for our family practice patients. Please request an invite to Ava Connect to gain access to online booking and communication.

If you need to speak to the office please call, we will not be responding to requests for phone calls through email.

3. There is a fee for missed appointments, same-day cancellations, or same-day rescheduling, and the fee varies depending on the appointment type. We require 24 hours’ notice for appointment cancellation or rescheduling. You may cancel or reschedule by calling our clinic or sending us an email. If you are running late for your appointment, please call the clinic to see if you can be accommodated or rescheduled.

4 If we refer you to a specialist and you are not notified of an appointment date within 2 to 4 weeks, please follow up with your physician for ongoing management and to check the status of your referral. Although we do our best to refer you to a specialist with a short wait time, we do not have control over specialist wait time or how soon you will be contacted for your appointment with the specialist.

5. If you have any concerns about staff or the clinic operations, kindly call and ask to speak with the clinic manager or send us an e-mail. You may also drop a letter for the clinic manager. Your feedback is important to us.

Telephone Appointment Policy

Please review the following guidelines for all telephone appointments with our physicians:

Appointment Time Blocks

All telephone appointments will be scheduled within one of the following time blocks:

  • Morning (AM) Block: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Afternoon (PM) Block: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Important: You must be available at any time during your selected block. Specific appointment times will not be provided.
If you require a specific time, please book an in-person appointment instead.

Call Attempts

  • Your physician will attempt to contact you twice within your scheduled time block.
  • Calls may originate from a private number or display ‘No Caller ID’.
  • If you miss the first call, do not call the clinic. Please wait for the second attempt during the same block.

Missed Appointment Policy

If you miss both call attempts, your appointment will be marked as missed, and a fee will apply.

Missed Appointment Fee: $50.00 per 15-minute regular appointment

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us to speak with a member of our staff.

Termination of Patient-Physician Relationship 

In accordance with the CPSA Standards of Practice we reserve the right to immediately discharge a patient if;

  • The patient (or their family member) poses a safety risk to office staff, other patients or the physician
  • The patient (or their family member) is abusive to office staff, other patients or the physician
  • The patient fails to respect professional boundaries
  • The physician is leaving the medical practice because of personal illness or other unforeseen circumstances

 

An annual Physical Health Exam (PHE) is a vital part of preventative care. It allows your provider to assess your overall health, manage chronic conditions, update screenings, medications, and ensure your medical recoreds are accurate and up to date. These exams also help us meet the standards  set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA).

Please note: failure to complete your PHE each year may result in formal discharge from the practice, as annual exams are required to remain an active patient and enable physicians to deliver safe, effective, and high quality care.

Prescription Renewal Policy 

Appointments are required, telephone or in-person, for prescription renewals.

If you are unable to get an appointment before running out of your medication, ask your pharmacist for a 1-month extension or have your pharmacy fax us a prescription renewal request and schedule a phone or in-person appointment with your physician during that time.

Be aware that the processing time for this is up to 72 hours.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR ABUSE

Fireside Family Health has a zero tolerance policy for any abusive or aggressive behaviour towards our clinic staff, either in person or on the phone. This policy is aligned with the College of Physicians and Surgeons guidelines and applies to any patient or their  family members.

The following behaviours will not be tolerated; abusive language and yelling, threats, intimidation, damaging property, violence, disrespectful comments, intimidation, bullying, refusing to leave the clinic property, etc.

Action will be taken when incidents occur and individual(s) will face dismissal from our practice, be asked to leave and/or face prosecution by law enforcement.