What to expect from us — and what we ask of you

Cancelling or rescheduling

If you can’t make your appointment, please give us at least 24 hours’ notice. That window matters — most days we have a list of patients in pain who would gladly take a freed-up slot, and we can usually get someone in if we hear from you in time.

The fastest way to reach us is to call the clinic. If we don’t pick up, leave a voicemail with your name and the date of your appointment — voicemails left after-hours are fine and we pick them up first thing in the morning.

No-shows and late arrivals

If you don’t arrive and we haven’t heard from you, that slot is lost — we can’t backfill it on the spot, and another patient who could have been seen, wasn’t. We know life happens; a quick call as soon as you know is all we ask.

If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, we may need to reschedule you. Image-guided procedures run on tight time windows — the room, the fluoroscopy team, and the recovery space are all booked back-to-back — and squeezing a late start in usually means short-changing the next patient. We’ll always try to fit you in if we can; if we can’t, we’ll get you on the soonest available date.

Fees for missed appointments

Repeated no-shows without notice may result in a missed-appointment fee. This is rare and we’d much rather not charge it — if it ever comes up we’ll talk to you about it in advance, explain why, and tell you the amount before anything is billed. A one-off missed appointment because you were sick, stuck in traffic, or having a bad pain day is not what this is for.

How we communicate with you

For anything urgent or time-sensitive — a worsening symptom, a question before a procedure, a same-week scheduling change — please phone the clinic. Phone is the only channel we monitor in close to real time during business hours.

For routine follow-up — sending a referral, asking about a result that isn’t urgent, updating your contact info — secure email or our EMR portal is fine. We don’t use SMS / text messaging for anything clinical, because text isn’t a private channel and we won’t put your health information into it.

When in doubt, call. A two-minute phone call almost always beats a chain of emails.

Informed consent

Before any procedure, the doctor will sit down with you and walk through three things in plain language: what is planned, what you can expect during and after, and what the realistic risks are. You’ll have time to ask anything — there is no such thing as a question that’s too small.

You can change your mind, take a day to think about it, or stop at any point — even on the table. Consent is a conversation, not a form. We talk it through verbally first; for the actual procedure, we also ask you to sign a written consent so it’s clear we’re both on the same page.

Privacy and your records

Your health record stays in our clinic’s electronic medical record (EMR) and is governed by Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Only staff who need to see your information to care for you can access it. For the full details — what we collect, how we share it within your circle of care, how long we keep it, and how to request a copy — see our privacy policy.

Concerns or complaints

If something about your visit didn’t sit right — the wait, the explanation, the way you were spoken to, the outcome — we want to hear about it. The fastest fix is usually a direct conversation. Phone the clinic and ask to speak with the office manager. We take concerns seriously and will follow up.

If you raise a concern with us and you’re not satisfied with how it’s resolved, you can also contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) at cpso.on.ca. The CPSO is the independent body that regulates physicians in Ontario — they can review concerns about a doctor’s conduct or care separately from the clinic.

Emergencies

If something feels like an emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department. We are an outpatient pain clinic — we don’t have the equipment or the on-call coverage to handle urgent or life-threatening problems. New chest pain, sudden weakness, severe shortness of breath, a fall with a head injury, thoughts of harming yourself — those all belong in an ED, not in our voicemail.