Arrive 10 minutes early for your appointment. In general, we try very hard to keep all appointments exactly on time - this requires that patients arrive, register and are placed in the room by staff by the time the appointment starts. If you arrive at the desk at the time of the appointment you are making the provider late for the rest of the appointments for the day. At times a patient might arrive in crisis and might medically require substantially more time than they were scheduled for - this cannot be fully avoided and might make your provider late.
It is important to make an appointment with the medical staff so that they can assist you with booking you in to see an appropriate provider for the health concern you are experiencing. Most appointments have a designated length of time of 15-minutes, however some appointments (Ex: physicals, special consults, etc..), require more time. If you are experiencing multiple health concerns, you may need to make multiple appointments. It is helpful when you inform the medical staff of the reason for your visit, as it allows the clinic to stay on schedule and keep patient wait times to a minimum. Our Providers will only assess, diagnose and treat ONE healthcare concern/issues per visit, per patient. Wait time estimates by the staff are estimates only. Staff cannot control the amount of time a patient will take with the provider. If you are unable to continue your wait, please let the staff know to reschedule your visit
Email and telephone calls to OpinionMD should be made only to discuss appointments (bookings, cancellations, etc.). If you have health-related questions, please book an appointment or visit the clinic as a walk-in patient. Medical questions will only be answered by our medical providers. Imaging and lab results are not provided over the phone. We understand your health is important – but yelling, swearing, verbal or physical abuse of staff and providers or any disruptive behavior will NOT be tolerated and you will be asked to leave the clinic and will be discharged from our services.
All forms requiring completion should be presented at time of registration at the facility. Completion of forms are subject to additional fees and are completed at the discretion of the healthcare provider. Before any specialist referral is arranged, you must book an appointment with our provider for pre-consultation information gathering and investigations to facilitate a faster and more effective consultation with the specialist. All specialist referrals will be made at the discretion of the healthcare provider.
All new blood work, imaging or other test results are reviewed daily by a healthcare provider. You will be notified directly of any abnormal results. We do not routinely call patients with normal or negative test results. If you are concerned, please schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss your results with your healthcare provider.
OpinionMD enforces a strict cancellation policy to maximize patient access to their healthcare provider, and therefore a 24-hour notice is required for all appointment cancellations. A cancellation/no-show fee will be charged for all missed appointments without 24-hour notice. All cancellations must be requested during clinic hours. If appropriate notice is not given, you will be charged for each missed appointment.
Upon arriving for your first visit at OpinionMD, you must fill out a Patient Questionnaire. The questionnaire provides the Provider with an outline of your medical history to ensure you are receiving the best care possible. If you refuse to fill out the Intake Form, you will unfortunately not be able to meet with a Provider. OpinionMD operate under a Shared Care model which consists of healthcard providers, Multidisciplinary Specialists, Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacists, Allergist, Cardiologists, OBGYNs, Phlebotomists, Healthcard Provider Assistants and Administration.
You may ask for a prescription renewal at any visit. This is the preferred method to obtain medication refills. We do not routinely fill prescriptions by a telephone, email or fax request. Please call at least 2-weeks prior to running out of medication to book an appointment to monitor your progress on the medication. If you have run out of medications prior to your next visit and a fax prescription renewal is needed, a fee will be charged. This is an 'uninsured service'. Our current charge for this service is $5 per prescription renewal. In addition, we would prefer you contact your pharmacy directly and have them contact our office with the renewal request, if necessary. This policy does not apply to 'blister-packs'.
Our healthcare providers do not prescribe narcotics, controlled substances and/or sleeping aids.
For all medical services not covered by OHIP, payment is required at the time of service. OpinionMD provides all patients with the required receipts and documents for submission to insurance companies or any 3rd party coverage providers. Please note that each patient's insurance agreement is an agreement between themselves and the insurance company directly. In the event that any insurance company or 3rd party coverage provider does not completely reimburse or even rejects any health service claim provided at OpinionMD, the patient is still responsible for all fees.
Please refer to our Insurance Partners page for details pertaining to OpinionMD’ affiliated insurance partners.
Certain services are not paid for by OHIP and will be charged to you directly. Such services include completing forms, sick notes, transferring medical records, travel advice and procedures not deemed 'medically necessary' such as cosmetic procedures. Should you request one of these services, you will be advised of the charge and must agree to it prior to the service being completed. Payment is required at the time the service is completed. Cash is only accepted. Locations have ATMS on-site which are accessible for cash withdrawals. The fees assigned are as per the recommendations of the provincial medical association. That said, we realize and will always take into consideration that some patients may not be able to pay for these services. Please do not hesitate to inform us if these charges pose a financial hardship to you. Alternative arrangements can be made. Details on uninsured services can be accessed on our website.
Travel advice is NOT covered by OHIP. The consultation fee reimburses the healthcare provider and nurse for the time taken to prepare for your visit and the time taken to give you travel advice as well as any vaccines that would need to be administered. The costs for the vaccine(s) will be billed separately by your pharmacy. Please speak with your pharmacist for further details.
For all medical services, a valid OHIP card must be presented before each visit to receive medical care. In the event an expired or invalid OHIP card is presented, patients will be billed directly for the medical appointment before the appointment. This payment is non-refundable. New patients should also bring all current medications in their bottles (if not practical, a list with name, dose & frequency) as well as any previous medical records to reduce the likelihood that important issues are overlooked with your healthcare.
OpinionMD is committed to providing and maintaining a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all patients and staff. Any words or actions that create a sense of threat will not be tolerated, and appropriate measures will be taken to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone.
OpinionMD considers the use of inappropriate words, actions or inactions as disruptive behaviour.
Immediate action will be taken when the incidents described above occur.
Our healthcare providers do not prescribe narcotics, controlled substances and/or sleeping aids.
Travel advice is NOT covered by OHIP. The consultation fee reimburses the healthcare provider and nurse for the time taken to prepare for your visit and the time taken to give you travel advice as well as any vaccines that would need to be administered. The costs for the vaccine(s) will be billed separately by your pharmacy. Please speak with your pharmacist for further details.
OpinionMD does not provide all medical services, subspecialty care, or advanced diagnostic or procedural treatments. Our services are not intended for emergency or urgent medical conditions. Depending on the nature and complexity of your condition, additional investigations or involvement of other healthcare professionals may be required.
As part of your second opinion, our providers may recommend:
This service is designed to support informed decision-making and patient understanding. It is most effective when used alongside an ongoing relationship with a primary healthcare provider who can coordinate and implement care. We encourage patients to share their second-opinion recommendations with their primary care provider or treating specialist to ensure continuity, coordination, and safe follow-up care. Patients should not delay or discontinue medical treatment while awaiting or following a second opinion.
If you are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, severe symptoms, or a life-threatening emergency, do not use this service. Please call 911 immediately or proceed to the nearest emergency department or Hospital.