What do I need to know about Measles?
Please visit this website for public health Ontario’s measles information
If you have any questions regarding your vaccine status or whether you are fully immunized, please call 311
My child does not have all of their vaccinations, what do we do?
If you are looking to take advantage of pop-up clinics who are vaccinating those born bewteen 2007 and 2008, then click here.
What should I do if myself and/or my family have a fever?
Where can I find information about COVID-19 and what to do if I feel symptomatic?
If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please go to this website and find a testing centre or clinical assessment site nearest to you.
What Services are not covered by OHIP?
Please click here to view a complete list of our services not covered by OHIP.
What if I have questions regarding my child's vaccines?
This service is conducted through scheduled phone appointments with specially trained nurses, creating a trusted and non-judgmental environment for open discussions about children’s vaccinations.
Why do I have to pay for my medical records to be sent to my new doctor?
- The cost is based on our staff and doctors going through your medical records to ensure we send all the pertinent information to your new physician.
- Because this service is not covered by the government, the doctors and staff have to charge based on the time it takes and number of pages included in your file.
- We try our best to limit a cost, but the base fee is $25
Why do I have to pay for my personal medical records?
- We have been inundated with requests to send records to patients. Please be aware that we cannot keep up with the demand of requests and the front staff cannot continue to send any information online.
- Starting Jan 1st, 2023 there will be a charge of $1 for the first 5 pages of documentation you request. Every page after the 5th will be charged at $1 per page.
- Ways to avoid these charges:
- Sign up for lifelabs (able to see all blood work/lab results doctors can).
- Request imaging results from the hospital/facility. Often times they have a “release of medical records” department that can assist you.
- Request documentation specifically from the specialist.
- If you truly feel you want records, please request in person and we will print it off for you and charge accordingly.
- Ways to avoid these charges:
What is the Health Card policy in the office?
*Please be sure to check your health card to ensure it is not expired and has a valid version code. If your card is expiring, please be sure to visit a Service Ontario office to renew it, or follow this link.
**If you fail to have a valid health card at your appointment, you will need to give your credit card information to the front staff. There will be no charge to your card at this time. After your appointment, you will need to look into getting an updated health card and version code.
***You will have 2.5 months for us to receive this information from the date of your appointment. Otherwise we will charge the credit card for your visit based on the OMA billing fees.
Why is there a $25 charge for prescription renewals?
Your doctor will provide you enough medication until he or she feels your condition should be reassessed.
The best way to manage your prescription is to plan ahead and book an appointment prior to your prescriptions running out.
There is a high administrative burden and cost to handle fax and phone requests for prescriptions. This limits our ability to take care of our patients, therefore we have a fee for fax or phone renewal requests. This fee can be avoided by booking appointments in a timely manner.
Are there any tips to know when to call my doctor for an appointment?
What happens when I'm referred to a specialist?
Our staff will send the referral request to the specialist.
Once the specialist office has received and triaged your referral you will be contacted by phone, email or mail as to the status of your appointment. Please make sure your contact information is always up to date. This may often take up to 6 weeks, so please be patient.
If you have been referred to a specialist and have not received your appointment after six weeks have passed, please call the office to check the status of your referral, especially if your Doctor has informed you that your appointment is urgent.
If you have received your appointment and the appointment time is unsuitable to you, please contact the specialists office directly to change the appointment time. Please ensure you do not miss your appointment, as it may take weeks or months to reschedule.
All specialists require you to have a valid health card. Take a list of current medications to your appointment. Some specialists require you to bring related imaging on a CD. You will need to call the location where these images were taken and request them. There is no charge for this and it usually takes 48 hours for the image library to prepare them for you.
*Please note there may be a service fee if you miss your appointment and require a new referral.
What do I do if my doctor is unavailable?
If your situation seems like it is urgent and we cannot accommodate you, we may recommend you go to the emergency room. We feel that this would be a better option than going to a walk in clinic as we generally do not receive any follow up from walk in clinics. Beyond this, ER’s are equipped to give you timely diagnoses and treatments.
What do I do if I want to switch to another family doctor?
If this happens, you can reach out to the following site to find doctors in your area currently accepting new patients:
https://doctors.cpso.on.ca/?search=general
https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner
Once you have chosen and been accepted by your new physician, we will be happy to set up a medical records transfer between us. There is a fee of $35 (depending on the size of the chart) paid by the patient, and then you should be all set up.
What do I do if I want to switch to another family doctor at this clinic?
**All of our physicians are fully qualified to provide primary care to patients of all ages and genders. All of our physicians practice in similar ways.
**Our physicians work in a collaborative team, and are therefore hesitant to contradict a colleague if a conflict arises between a patient’s request and their physician’s professional opinion or advice. Patients deserve an unbiased second opinion, which can only be obtained through a new physician in a different clinic.
**Taking on new patients requires a significant amount of administrative work to review health history as well as old medical records; allowing switching would increase this administrative work, and reduce physician availability for medical care.
**As our physicians work in a collaborative group practice, if you are unhappy with your current physician, there may be instances where you would have to see that physician again should you stay with another physician in the clinic; this has the potential to result in sub-optimal medical care.
This policy does not prevent patients from reasonable access to a physician; we are fortunate to be located in southern Ontario with a high density of health care providers, and patients may certainly seek care with a new physician at a different clinic. Please use the following links to help with your search for a new physician (should you choose to leave):
https://doctors.cpso.on.ca/?search=general
https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-family-doctor-or-nurse-practitioner
How do I find out about my test results?
For most cases we institute a “no news is good news” approach, however in certain circumstances, your doctor may call you.
Is it helpful for me to bring a "shopping list" of concerns to my physician?
Generally your appointments are for 10-15 minutes. In order to provide good medical care, we need time to assess your concerns. If you come in with the expectation that we deal with multiple issues in one visit, we may not be able to properly address them.
If you do have a list, your doctor may ask you what are the most pressing concerns, and have you rescheduled to address the other ones. This allows us to thoroughly assess your concerns, while staying on time.
What should I do if I need to be seen right away?
If you are unsure, please call us, our front staff will assist you. If it is felt you can be assessed in the office, we will do our best to accommodate you, as your doctor always keeps same day appointments available for urgent issues.
Do I need immunizations for travelling?
Our clinic recommends you go to a travel clinic for more specialized advice and immunizations required for travel.
Do I need an annual physical?
Not everyone needs an annual physical. Your doctor will advise you on how often you should have a Periodic Health Assessment (PHA). This will depend on your particular conditions and health needs.
What if I am late for my appointment?
What if I miss my appointment, or cancel my appointment too late?
Current fees for no-shows or late cancellations for Lakeshore Medical Group patients are as follows:
- In office visit: $50
- Virtual visit: $35
- Physicals or longer appointments: $75 and up
Current fees for no-shows or late cancellations for Dr. MacGregor patients are as follows:
- In office follow-up: $50
- Virtual follow-up: $35
- In office or virtual consultations: $100
Current fees for no-shows or late cancellations for patients seeing the nurse are as follows:
- In office: $20
- Missed vaccinations (Grade 7, travel, etc.): $50 and up
- Depends on vaccine cost
How can I help?
Please keep your contact information current, i.e. telephone numbers, address, email address.
When is the best time to call the office?
Our phone lines are busiest in the morning and for the first hour after lunch. If possible, please try to call in the afternoon.