Clinic Policies

Lancaster Medical Family Practice is committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment for all of our patients. In return, we expect our patients to treat our entire clinic team with courtesy and mutual respect.

We operate as a unified healthcare team. This means that our front desk staff, nurse, and physicians work closely together to coordinate your care. Please be advised that any improper behaviour, aggressive language, or disrespect directed toward our administrative staff is considered direct disrespect to our physicians.

We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for abuse, harassment, or rudeness of any kind. Disrespect toward any member of our clinic team will not be tolerated and is grounds for immediate and permanent dismissal from our practice.

When you book an appointment, that time is reserved exclusively for you. Out of respect for your physician, our staff, and other patients who may need medical care, we require at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule an appointment. Please be advised that missed appointments or cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice are subject to a $40.00 fee.

We offer two easy ways to cancel or reschedule your appointment ahead of the 24-hour window:

• By Phone: Call our office and leave a voicemail (simply press 2 after the initial prompt).
• Online: If you have consented to email communication, you will receive reminders 4 days and 2 days prior to your visit. You can easily cancel your appointment directly through the link provided in those emails.

We have a strict policy against using outside walk-in/urgent care clinics (e.g., KW Urgent Care, Onyx, etc). As a rostered patient, visits to external clinics result in financial penalties for your physician and disrupt your continuity of care.

Please use our On-Call/After Hours Service or Health811 for your urgent care needs.

If you have an emergency, please call 911 or present to your nearest emergency department.

To ensure your medications remain safe, effective, and appropriate for your current health needs, an appointment with your physician is required for all prescription renewals. We kindly ask that you provide at least three weeks’ notice when booking your renewal appointment so you do not run out of your medication.

When should I book my appointment?

• Check your bottle: The best time to call is when you pick up your medication and notice “0 repeats”, “R=0”, or “Refills: 0” on the pharmacy label.
• Book before you leave: You can also easily schedule your next renewal appointment with our front desk before leaving the clinic!

Pharmacy Faxes & Renewal Fees

Please avoid asking your pharmacy to fax prescription renewal requests directly to our office. If your doctor needs to send a prescription directly to your pharmacy without an appointment (either by your request or because an appointment was not booked with enough notice), an automatic $25.00 fee will apply.

*Please note: Paying the fee in lieu of an appointment is strictly subject to your physician’s medical discretion and is not permitted for all types of medications.

Some services provided by your Family Physician are not covered by OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan). The fees listed below are based on the Ontario Medical Association’s (OMA) suggested fee guide. Many of our clinic’s fees are actually set lower than the OMA suggestions, and none exceed them.