Appointment Policy
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Payment in full is required at the time of consultation.
- If an account remains unpaid, no further medical services will be provided.
- Payment of a non-attendance fee is an obligation to be a patient at this practice.
- If payment isn't received within 28 days of the consult, further actions will be taken. All legal costs, commission and other associated costs in debt recovery will be added to the amount due.
APPOINTMENT TIMES
If
you require a longer appointment, please let reception staff know. Often
patients will have multiple issues to discuss. If the practitioner cannot cover every aspect in a single consultation, the
patient may be asked to come back for a subsequent visit. This is
done to ensure the best quality care possible.
The practitioner's do their best to run to time – however, we endeavor to and do run to time in most instances, emergencies and unforeseen circumstances may occasionally result in delays beyond our control. We trust that affected patients will be understanding in the rare event that this may occur, and we always aim to contact patients if this occurs to ensure you are not kept waiting.
LATE ARRIVALS
In order to provide a fair and timely service to all patients, we require that patients who have made a booking arrive promptly for their appointment. If you are attending the clinic for the first time we ask that you arrive at least 10 minutes prior to your allocated time, to allow timely completion of your new patient paperwork if this hasn’t been completed online prior.
Arriving late deprives you of precious minutes, as each session will be finished on time as a courtesy to our next patient.
We fully understand that sometimes being late is outside of your control, and we will always do our best to accommodate late arrivals. We ask that you contact us if you are concerned you may be late.
Unfortunately, arriving too late to your consult may results in rescheduling.
MISSED APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
When you book your appointment, you are holding a space that is no longer available to other patients. We politely ask that you please respect that the practitioner often has limited appointment times, and that you contact us the day before should you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment.
To help you keep your appointment, reception staff send reminders 1 business day prior which ask that you reply to by SMS or return phone call. Please remember that if for some reason you do not receive your reminder, your appointment remains your responsibility to attend, reschedule or cancel.
If you need to cancel your appointment within 24 hours, we are of course understanding of this and will cancel or reschedule your appointment.
If you need to cancel your appointment, please:
- Call us - 6724 3063
- Respond 'cancel' to the SMS reminder
- Email us - admin@thebubblelaunceston.com.au
- Use our contact us page
Emails and contact us page submissions are monitored on a regular basis by reception staff.
Missed appointments represent a cost to both the practice, and to other patients who could have been seen in the time set aside for you. Please advise us as soon as possible if you cannot attend an appointment. This allows us to offer your appointment to someone else who may need urgent treatment.
New Patients
In the event where you do not attend for your initial appointment, The Bubble will charge a non-refundable deposit before making another appointment.
Existing patients
Since we turn away other patients to hold your appointment, a total of 2 missed appointments will result in a 'non-attendance' fee of $100.00. If payment isn't received within 28 days of the account, further actions will be taken.
In the event of recurrent missed and cancelled appointments, or for very long appointments, we also reserve the right to charge a non-refundable deposit before making another appointment. Please understand that we consider this a last resort, with the real motivating factor being our concern for the quality of service we are able to provide to you and to other valued patients.
TELEHEALTH
Although face to face appointments are preferred, the practitioner can offer a telehealth service (video consult) to patients. This is an option if you are unable to attend in the clinic (ie COVID-19). Please advise reception staff if you wish for your appointment to be changed to a video consult.
Due to Medicare requirements, patients have to of been seen by the health professional for a face to face consult within the last 12 months to be eligible for a Medicare rebate. If you have not been seen by them in clinic, unfortunately the full consult fee will apply.
The same as in clinic, payment is still required at the time of consultation. Reception staff will contact you shortly after your consult to discuss payment options.
