Frequently Asked Questions

Please click here for more information regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine.

1. When is my doctor available? 

Each of our physicians sees patients in the office for three full days per week. Please visit our Book an Appointment page to see when your doctor is available for seeing patients and see question 2 for what to do if your doctor is not available.    

2. Can I see another doctor if my doctor is not in the office? 

Yes. Every weekday, one of our clinic’s family physicians is assigned to see patients with urgent medical concerns on behalf of doctors who do not have clinic that day. If you have an urgent medical concern, we will do our best to accommodate an appointment for you during our regular clinic hours. Click here for information regarding what to do if you have an urgent medical concern outside of regular clinic hours.   

3. Why am I sometimes told to call on a specific day for a "same -day" appointment? 

Our office uses a system for scheduling appointments that is called advanced access. With advanced access, patients wishing to book an appointment generally have two options:  

 1) An appointment for the afternoon on the same day that they are booking. Same day appointments can either be booked online starting at 5pm on the evening of the previous business day or can be booked by phone starting at 8:45am that day.

2) A morning appointment on a future day.  These pre-bookable slots can be booked online or by phone. However, most afternoon appointments can only be booked on the same day. This means that if all of the morning slots have been booked for the date you are requesting, you will be asked to call in the morning of that day to book a same-day appointment. Advanced access allows patients with urgent concerns to be seen sooner!    

4. Do I have to book appointments online?

No, you can also call our office to book appointments.

5. Will my appointment be on time?

We ask that you always arrive on time for your appointments as our physicians work hard to keep on schedule throughout the day. If you are running late, please notify the office in case other arrangements need to be made. While we strive to stay on time, please be aware that unforeseen circumstances can sometimes cause the doctor to run behind schedule.    

6. Is there a fee for missed appointments? 

We ask that you give our office 24 hours advanced notice when cancelling or rescheduling an appointment in consideration of others who may make use of your appointment slot. There is a fee of $50 for missed appointments if 24 hours’ notice is not given.   

7. Can I go to any walk-in clinic?

Patients of our clinic have access to excellent care outside of regular office hours. We ask that you utilize the after hours services that we offer rather than visiting walk-in clinics, because your doctor loses income every time one of his/her patients goes to a walk-in clinic. Click here to find out more about how to obtain after-hours care.    

8. Will I be seen by a trainee? 

Our clinic is a teaching site, affiliated with the University of Toronto. Patients may be assessed by a medical student or resident along with the doctor.    

9. Is there additional parking? 

The parking lot for our building is FREE but it is also typically very busy. There is frequent turnover of cars in the lot, but it often takes quite some time to find an available space. Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes early for each appointment to allow time for parking. You are allowed to park on the upper deck of the parking lot which is accessed from the ramp on the north side of the lot. We recommend patients come by public transit if they are able to, as we are a 10 minute walk from both Bessarion and Leslie subway stations and also easily accessible by bus.    

10. How often do I need a physical or periodic health review? 

Periodic health reviews (previously referred to as physicals or check-ups) are NOT required annually for most patients. The recommended frequency of these visits for well patients is as follows: 

Age 2 - 20: every 2 years  

Age 20 - 50: every 3 years  

Age 50 - 65: every 2 years  

Age 65+: every year    

11. How do I prepare for a periodic health review? 

You do NOT need to fast prior to your periodic health review. For patients who are on 3 or more prescription medications, we ask that you visit your pharmacy prior to your appointment and ask that they complete a MedsCheck. Your pharmacy will then provide your doctor with the most up-to-date information on your medications.

12. Are all services covered by OHIP? 

In Ontario, we are very fortunate to have access to excellent health care, paid for by the Ministry of Health through our taxes. However, not all services provided by physicians are covered by the government, and many require considerable time and resources. As such, we are unable to provide these services free-of-charge. Visit our Patient Handouts page to download our office’s fee schedule for uninsured services. These fees are based on the guidelines set forth by the Ontario Medical Association.   

13. How do I pay for services that are not covered by OHIP? 

There are two ways by which you may address these fees:  

1) Joining the Annual Fee Program covers uninsured services for a one year period. 

2) Paying for individual services at the time the service is provided. Our office accepts payments by credit card over the phone or online if you receive an invoice by email. Payments can also be made in person using credit, debit, cash, or cheques. Cheques should be made out to ‘Advancing Care Medical Clinic’. If you are sending a cheque by mail, please ensure that you indicate the patient’s first and last name and the service that you are paying for.   

14. What is the Annual Fee Program?

The Annual Fee Program covers uninsured services for a one year period. The costs are as follows: $120/year for an individual $200/year for a couple $250/year for a family. Please note that the following un-insured services are not covered by the annual fee: missed appointments, transfer of medical records, and medical services for non-OHIP covered patients. Visit our Patient Handouts page to download our office’s fee schedule for uninsured services. Visit the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario website for more information regarding annual fees.   

15. How do I request a prescription refill? 

In general, prescription renewals require an office visit to re-assess the medical condition. Please try to anticipate medication renewals at your office visits. For all prescription renewal requests that are made without an office visit, please ask your pharmacy to send a request to our office and also allow several business days’ notice when requesting a renewal. Our office charges a fee of $30.00 for prescriptions including 3 or fewer medications or $50.00 for over 3 medications for each request received by phone or by fax to cover the administrative costs and physician services required to complete the renewal, as these costs are not covered by OHIP. All prescription renewals are covered if you join the Annual Fee Program.     

16. Can my doctor call me? 

If you have a medical question or concern, please call our office. Our receptionists will gladly relay your message to the doctor who will either provide a response or ask that you come in for an appointment to be assessed.   

17. Can I send my doctor an email?

Our doctors can send emails to patients through our secure messaging service. On occasion and only under specific circumstances will the physician leave a messaging thread open, allowing patients to respond back using the messaging service. In general, you will need to call the office if you have any questions or concerns.   

18. My Medeo account is not working, what do I do? 

Please visit our Secure Messaging page for information on how to reset your Medeo password and who to contact for troubleshooting