APPOINTMENTS



Each day we have a duty doctor who is on call for emergency appointments. If there are no regular appointments available a duty doctor appointment will be arranged for you.



HOUSE CALLS



Home visits are made when necessary. If patients are in need of a home visit they should be encouraged to contact the surgery as soon a possible after 8am.



TEST RESULTS



All results of blood tests and Xrays are emailed back to the doctor who ordered the test and are checked before being put in your medical record. When you have a blood test or an xray you should arrange with the doctor how the result is to be followed up. Often the best way is to arrange an appointment in advance. It may be a good idea to check with our nursing staff that an important result has arrived before coming for a follow-up appointment.

Sometimes the doctor may suggest that you telephone if the result is expected to be normal. In this case please call between 12 and 2pm when you will be put through to one of our practice nurses who will be able to inform you. If a result is abnormal the doctor will ask one of our nurses to contact you if you do not already have an appointment and make a time for follow-up.

If the doctor who ordered the test is away when the result is received, another doctor will check the result. If there is any doubt as to the significance of the result you will be contacted by the nurse.

If you have an emergency X-ray at Benson's Radiology you will be given the films to bring back to the clinic to be seen by your doctor. It is vital that these are returned straight away so that they can be reported.

If a result is particularly critical and you are expecting to be contacted then you should ensure that you check with the clinic if you have not heard within a reasonable time - usually within a week. If a result is unexpectedly abnormal it is important that we have a correct contact number so that we can contact you to make an appointment to discuss it.

We are not permitted to discuss any test results with a third party unless the patient has given their express consent in advance.


REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS



Kincraig Medical Clinic does not support the provision of repeat prescriptions without consultation. It is considered to be medico-legally unwise.

Most long-term medications are prescribed with sufficient repeats for six months treatment. Patients on a higher than usual dose of their medication may be able to have an Authority prescription to ensure that their prescription lasts this long. In general, patients who have not been seen by a doctor in the previous six months, for the condition for which they are requesting a prescription, must have an appointment made. The exception to this is scripts for 'the pill' as these patients need to be seen only every 12 months.

We realise that at times there may be extenuating circumstances, or the patient may have arranged with a particular doctor to provide repeat prescriptions without a consultation.

If a patient is unable to get a routine appointment with a doctor before a prescription runs out, they will be offered an appointment with the duty doctor that day. If a patient needs to be "fitted in" expressly for the purpose of obtaining a repeat prescription, the consultation will be for that purpose only, and they will be offered a routine follow up appointment with their usual doctor as soon as possible.

If the appointment is for a repeat prescription, the patient may be charged the rebate only. If the appointment becomes a consultation, the billing will be at the patient's normal rate.

Of course, the person seeking the repeat prescription must be the person it is prescribed for.


REFERRALS



A referral will be written for a patient to attend a specialist only if their doctor feels that it is appropriate. For a referral to a specialist to be covered by Medicare it is necessary for the patient to be seen by their general practitioner.

The patient will need to make an appointment with their doctor so that a referral can be written. This applies to a first time referral and to a repeat referral. In most cases our policy is to post the referral directly to the specialist. In some cases it may be necessary to collect the referral and any relevant X-rays or other test results to take to the specialist. Please discuss this with the doctor when the referral is made, or check with the reception staff after making your appointment.

If the referral is to a specialist in Adelaide, you may able to claim assistance from the PATS scheme. A form will need to be completed, by the referring doctor and signed by the specialist.


MEDICAL STUDENTS



This Practice helps with the clinical education of medical students. Medical students sit in on standard appointments at the discretion of the supervising doctor. Sometimes more senior students will be given the opportunity to interview patients on their own before the patient is seen by the supervising doctor.

Students on the John Flynn program will return for a fortnight each year over four years, and in this way we hope to encourage them to return to rural practice after graduation.

Please help them feel welcome in our community.

Patients will be told when booking their appointment and on arrival that a student will be present with their doctor and given the opportunity to ask the student to leave for their consultation. Similarly, the doctors will check with the patient before allowing the student to stay for the consultation.