Booking Appointments

MUHC is not a walk-in clinic and an appointment must be made. If you require an appointment you will be offered the next available time with your primary physician. If your physician is unavailable, you can be scheduled in the next available appointment with another physician.

Appointment Times

We ask that patients arrive at least 15 minutes in advance of their scheduled appointment to ensure sufficient time for registration and completion of any pre-appointment screening. Appointments are usually booked for 15 minutes. If you have multiple issues that you would like to discuss, you may be asked to book a separate follow-up if they cannot be adequately addressed in one visit. If you arrive late for your scheduled appointment, you may not be seen, and may be asked to reschedule.

Medical Documents for Exam Deferral

Please familiarize yourself with MU policies and procedures regarding exam deferrals (available online through the MU Exam Services Centre website). Unless specifically requested by a professor or your program chair, please do not schedule an appointment exclusively to request medical documentation for an exam deferral.

Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan

Doctor’s office visits are covered under your Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. If you do not have an Alberta Health Care Card you can apply for one at a Registry Office, see link below. You will need Photo ID, Student Registration, Study Permit and confirmation of address. It will take 3-5 days to process.

Telephone and Electronic Communication

We may contact you by phone/text message/email with, (a) appointment reminders, (b) to book appointments, or (c) to give you information about your continued care. If we cannot reach you directly, we may leave a message on your voicemail to return our call. Please note that no private health information will be left by voicemail. If we cannot reach you by phone, we will send you a letter or an email requesting you contact the clinic. Again, no private health information will be included in this communication.

Importance of Respect in Clinic

We commit to respecting you and your family, and ask that you commit the same. Disrespectful or disruptive behaviour towards clinic staff, physicians, learners, or other patients will not be tolerated and may result in the patient-physician relationship being terminated.

Urgent Health Concerns

Patients presenting with an urgent medical condition will be triaged accordingly. Note: Not all concerns are appropriate for urgent assessment at the MUHC and you may be directed by staff to seek care in a more appropriate setting (ie. Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centre).

Missed Appointments/Late Cancellations

We respectfully ask that you make every effort to cancel any appointments that you are unable to attend with a minimum of 24 hours notice. Repeated late arrivals, late cancellations, and/or ‘no shows’ may result in termination of the patient-physician relationship.

Prescriptions Refills

Prescription refill requests received by fax from your pharmacy will be renewed at the discretion of your physician. Anticipate a minimum of 72 hours for response to any faxed refill requests. You may be asked to schedule an appointment with your physician to review your medication(s) prior to renewal. Note: Opiate medications will not be renewed by fax.

Non-Insured Services

If you don’t have valid Health Care coverage you will be responsible for the cost of your visit. Some medical services are not covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP). The costs of these services are the responsibility of the patient. Any advice, consultation, prescriptions or injections for travel are not covered by the AHCIP and require payment by the patient.

Teaching

The MUHC is an academic teaching clinic affiliated with the University of Alberta’s Department of Family Medicine. As such, Family Medicine Residents, as well as medical students, and students from other health disciplines work alongside your primary physician, as integral parts of your healthcare team. Your participation and cooperation in this learning environment contribute greatly to the experiences of our future family physicians and other medical health professionals.

You will notice audiovisual equipment in our examination rooms. These devices are useful for direct observation of our learners. These devices do not record, and this equipment is never ‘on’ unless discussed with you directly at the time of your visit.