Abuse and Harassment Policy

Our office maintains a strict policy against abusive or disrespectful behavior towards our staff, colleagues, or patients, whether it occurs in person or over the phone. Any instance of abuse or harassment—verbal, physical, or otherwise—may lead to immediate dismissal from our practice and termination of the patient-physician relationship.

Missed appointments limit access to medical care for other patients. If you do not attend your appointment, you will incur a fee starting at $50, depending on the type of visit. If you are unable to make it to your appointment, please call the office at least 24 hours in advance to cancel. Failure to provide adequate notice may result in the missed appointment fee being charged. Repeated missed appointments without a valid reason could lead to dismissal from the practice.  Patients who arrive late may not be seen right away and might have to wait until those who arrived on time have been attended to. Late arrivals could also be classified as “missed” appointments and may incur the same fee. Reminder emails are sent four days before your appointment, provided we have a valid email address on file. 

Online booking offers a convenient way to schedule your appointment without the hassle of waiting on hold. All appointments available online are the same as those that can be booked over the phone. Appointments are typically scheduled 3 to 8 weeks in advance. Please note that physical appointments and injection appointments cannot be booked online.

APPOINTMENTS THAT CAN NOT BE BOOKED ONLINE ARE:

- Annual Physicals 

- Well Baby Checks

- Drivers Physicals

- Allergy Injection/Vitamin B12 Injections

- Urgent Care

- Pension Buy Back

 - Form Completion 

Masking is your choice.  However Patients with any symptoms of Upper Respiratory Infections are required to wear a mask.

NEW OFFICE POLICY

Dear Patients,

We are informing you of a change in services at the Ottawa West Medical Centre affecting all patients.

**Effective June 1, 2024**, there will be a **$25 fee** for prescription renewals requested without an in-person visit. There will be **no fee** if requested during an appointment. 

### Key Information

Requesting Renewals: Starting June 1, 2024, you can request a refill by calling our office or having your Pharmacy fax it. After payment, your physician will review and respond within 5 business days. **Narcotic or controlled prescriptions** (e.g., ADHD medications) will always require an appointment.

- **Payment**: Can be made via phone with Visa or Mastercard.

- **Reason for Fee**: OHIP covers most medical services, but many, including prescription renewals without visits, are uninsured. Our physicians spend time reviewing these requests without compensation, and we can no longer absorb these costs due to rising expenses.

Avoiding the Fee: Be mindful of your medication supply and book an appointment in advance via our website, ottawawmc.ca. Remember to bring all prescriptions to your appointment.

- **Multiple Medications**: The $25 fee applies **per request**, not per medication. Be sure to include all medications in your request.

Duration of Renewals: Renewals depend on the medication.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Dr. Norman Bowles  

Dr. Timothy Cregan  

Dr. John O. Lee

 Appointments are scheduled in 15-minute intervals. Please note that this time is sufficient for discussing one major issue or, at most, two minor issues. If you have more than two issues to address, you will need to schedule a separate appointment at the doctor's next available time.u have more than two issues to discuss, you will need to schedule a separate appointment at the doctor's next available time.

Patients are required to present a valid Health Card at every visit. 

If  you arrive to your appointment with an invalid Health Card you will charged

OHIP rate for you visit.

Sick notes $20.00

Ear Flushes $30.00

Massage Therapy/Physio Therapy/ Psychology notes $20 each

Forms  $50 and up

Cortisone Injections $35.00 

Driver physical $170.00

Sports physical $50 and up

Prescription renewal is $25.00.~ NEW JUNE 1, 2024

Tb skin test. 1 step $80.00

Tb skin test 2 step 80.00

Missed appointment/ No show $40 and up

Taxes may be applicable.

Paying for Non-Insured Services

Payment can be made in person via VISA, Mastercard, Debit, Cheque, or Cash (exact change).

or over the  phone with VISA or Mastercard

There is a $40 charge for all NSF cheques.

All payments are due at the time of service

Urgent Care Hours:

- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 5 PM to 8 PM

Please call our office to book an appointment, as urgent care appointments fill up quickly. It is advisable to call early in the day.

Please note that urgent care appointments are intended for urgent medical concerns only. They are not for sick notes, form completions, routine medical issues, or chronic conditions.

Our urgent care clinic operates by appointment only.

 Phones are answered:

Monday - 8 am to 11:45 am & 1 pm to 4 pm 

Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 8 am to 11:45 am & 1 pm to 4:30 pm 

Friday 8 am to 12 pm

We experience high call volumes from 8:00 am until 10 am and 1 pm until 2 pm. 

We are closed for all Statutory Holidays, including Easter Monday.