Please take a moment to review our policies for both our walk-in and family medicine services.
At Integra Health, our primary goal is to provide exceptional care to all our patients. To achieve this, the below clinic policies were established, including our cancellation policy, to ensure that our operations run smoothly and that we can serve our patient community effectively and efficiently.
We are not your typical doctor’s office. As a by-appointment, family practice and walk-in clinic, it is crucial that our doctors adhere to a tight schedule to accommodate patients at their dedicated appointment time. Our cancellation policy plays a vital role in maintaining this schedule. When appointments are not canceled appropriately, it prevents other patients from accessing those time slots, often resulting in unfilled appointments due to last-minute cancellations. As we are fully booked every single day, this is also impeding other patients from being able to see a doctor. To ensure that all our patients have timely access to their healthcare team, we kindly request that you notify us of any cancellations at least 24 hours in advance. This allows us to reallocate the appointment slot to another patient in need.
This is the same for arriving late to your scheduled dedicated appointments. As we don’t operate as a walk-in clinic where you can be stuck waiting for hours, we strive to stay on time, unless there’s a medical urgency that requires the physician to spend more time with the previous patient. If you are more than 10-minutes late, the doctor is now trying to squeeze you in while not pushing back all other appointments. As our physicians aim to provide the best care possible, we ask that you be courteous and considerate and plan ahead for these appointments.
These policies are in place not only to keep our doctors on time but also to maximize the availability of appointments for our entire patient community. We understand that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes cancellations are unavoidable. However, by following these policies, you help us maintain a high standard of care for everyone. Important medical visit policies:
1. Arrival Time
Please arrive for your appointment 10 minutes early to ensure all necessary forms are filled out and to ensure all necessary labs are done prior to seeing Physician. If you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment we cannot guarantee that the Physician will be able to see you and you will be subject to the missed appointment fee. This means we can give grace up to the total time of your appointment, but any later risks all other patients being left waiting and this creates frustration and stress for other patients and the doctor.
2. A standard appointment is 10 minutes in length
The physician will only be able to address one issue per visit. If you would like to discuss more than one issue please book a subsequent appointment. Please be aware that OHIP only permits one medical appointment per day.
3. Health Cards and Validity
Please ensure you have your OHIP card with you and it is valid at the time of your appointment. As per the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health, any health cards that have expired or been canceled will not be accepted and will result in paying out-of-pocket for your appointment. The fee for a standard appointment is $130 and $200 for an extended appointment.
Out-of-province health cards - We accept out of province health cards with the exception of Quebec health cards. Should you have a health card from Quebec, you will be required to pay for your appointment out-of-pocket. For in-person appointments, you will need to present your physical health card at each visit for validation.
4. Cancellation or late arrivals after 10 minutes
If, for any reason, you are unable to make it to your appointment, please let us know 24 hours ahead of time by calling us at 416-777-9355 to avoid being subject to a No Show Fee. If you are running more than 10 minutes late you may be subject to the same late fee if the doctor cannot accommodate you. If you can’t get through please leave a voicemail and follow up with an email at appointments@integrahealthcentre.com. Any same day cancellations will incur the same day cancellation fee of $50 for a standard appointment or $90 for an extended appointment.
5. Rescheduling
If you need to reschedule an appointment, we require 24 hours notice to avoid the same day cancellation fee. We will do our best to reschedule your appointment to another time on the same day, where possible. This however, is not guaranteed, we may have to reschedule you to the next available day.
6. Virtual appointments eligibility:
If you have a family doctor at our practice (FHG/FHO): To be eligible for a virtual appointment, you must have seen your physician physically within the last 24 months. If your family doctor is part of the Family Health Group (FHG), you can schedule a virtual follow-up with any family physician at our practice, provided you have seen your family physician in person within the last 24 months. If your family doctor is part of the Family Health Organization (FHO), the same eligibility criteria apply. However, we encourage you to book with other doctors within the FHO. If you're unsure whether your family doctor is a part of the FHG or FHO, please ask us.
If you do not have a family doctor at our practice: To be eligible for a virtual appointment, you must have seen the physician physically within the last 24 months. In this case, you can only schedule a virtual follow-up with the physician you have seen in person within the last 24 months.
Please refrain from booking the following appointments virtually, as the physician requires an in-person assessment to ensure a comprehensive evaluation:
- Pregnancy check-ups
- Injuries such as possible fractures/sprains
- Forms that require physical examination
- Sexual health concerns
- Diabetes
- Irregularities in bodily fluids (such as blood in stool or urine)
- ENT concerns
If you have an out of province health card (NL, PE, NS, NB, QC, MB, SK, AB, BC, YT, NT, NU) you will be required to pay out of pocket for the virtual appointment as we are unable to validate out-of-province health cards.
7. Virtual Appointments Platform:
All medical virtual appointments are conducted via video through TELUS health. You will receive a TELUS link directly to your email which will include instructions to join the appointment. Please note that virtual appointments will not take place over other platforms such as Zoom or Google Meet. Please watch for an email from TELUS Health regarding your appointment. Please also check your JUNK/SPAM folder for this email. If you have not received a TELUS email the day before your appointment, please call the clinic at 416-777-9355 ahead of your appointment.
While our physicians aim to see you promptly at our scheduled appointment time, unforeseen circumstances such as urgent matters or extended consultations with previous patients may occasionally cause delays. Please plan for a maximum duration of 30-45 minutes for your virtual video appointments.
8. Please be courteous to our staff:
We kindly request that if you encounter any frustration during your experience, please remember that we are all human first. We urge you to use language that is respectful and considerate. Our staff bear significant pressure to deliver exceptional service and compassionate care. Your feedback matters to us; please share it via email, and we'll promptly address your concerns. However, resorting to unkind reviews or mistreating our administrative staff may not always lead to the desired resolution.
9. Uninsured services:
Please see the list of uninsured services that are not covered by OHIP and the costs associated with these services. The fee will be charged to the patient and must be processed at the time of the appointment. You will receive an emailed receipt upon completion of payment for any insurance purposes.
