Dr. Edgard Arcia-Bravo

1. Why can I not just speak with the doctor on the phone about my medical problem?

It is very difficult to properly assess a medical problem without a face to face interview and appropriate physical examination.  If you are asked to make an appointment to see the doctor, please respect the medical secretary's judgement in this regard - we will see you as soon as possible.

2. I have an urgent medical problem.  Can I get same day appointments with the doctor?

When your medical problem is truly urgent we will make every effort to see you the same day.  If this is not possible, the After Hours Clinic is available to serve you Monday to Thursday 5 to 8 pm and Saturday 9 am to noon.  If your problem is an emergency requiring immediate medical attention you will be best served by going to your nearest Emergency Department day or night.

3. What exactly is considered an urgent problem?

If you have a medical problem, call the office and seek our advice regarding whether it is urgent or not. Generally, an urgent problem is one that in the judgement of a medically trained individual, needs medical attention within hours, not days. For this reason the following examples would most likely not be seen as needing an urgent appointment:

- routine followup of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure

- mild abdominal pain, bowel or bladder symptoms that are not severe and especially if present for days or weeks.

- mild headaches or muscular/joint complaints

- headcold without significant cough, shortness of breath or high fever

- prescription renewals for medications that are taken chronically

Always call and seek our advice regarding the urgency of your problem.  What you might think is not urgent, in fact might be and vice versa.

4. Why can't you give me an appointment today-I am available to come into the office?

For non-urgent problems, thinking ahead and booking your doctor appointments well in advance will go a long way to improving your satisfaction when it comes to getting the appointment time and day you would prefer.  In this way, you will not be in the uncomfortable position of trying to get an urgent appointment when your problem really is not urgent.  Please understand that a doctor's office is a very busy place with almost daily occurrences of urgent problems that cannot be predicted.  Waiting a few days or perhaps even a few weeks to see the doctor about non-urgent medical problems is not unreasonable especially in this present crisis of a shortage of Family Doctors.

5. If you cannot see me today, is it OK if I just go to a walk-in clinic?

PLEASE DO NOT GO TO WALK-IN CLINICS--they may appear very convenient at times but do not offer the continuity of care that you experience with your family physician. They also do not send out reports to your family doctor.  The Old South Family Health Network After Hours Clinic has the following advantages:

- with your consent, faxed reports the next day to your family doctor.

- it is most likely you will not wait as long to see the doctor compared to walk-in clinics

- at times you will see your own family doctor in the AHC (when he/she is on-call)

- excellent medical care by experienced family physicians

Go to the closest Emergency Room or St. Joseph's Urgent Care Clinic for true emergencies--these would be life threatening or severe medical problems including suspected broken bones.

4. Why should I always have an up-to-date list of my medications with me at doctor visits?

Keeping medication lists up-to-date is a challenge for both the patient and doctor.  Your list should include every medication name, millogram (mg) dosage and how many tablets/day + any allergies + any vitamins or herbal products you take. Keeping the list on a small card or piece of paper in your wallet is very helpful. Just keep it up-to-date!

5. Why can't the doctor just order medication for me over the phone?

Asking the doctor to order medication without reviewing your present medical condition is not proper medical care.  Please keep a close eye on all your medications and when your are down to 1 or 2 repeats, call to make an appointment.  Don't leave it to the last minute!  Asking the doctor to give you a renewal prescription at your regular medical office visit makes a lot of sense. This means you need to look at all your medication bottles and check the status of repeats before coming to the appointment.

OLD SOUTH FAMILY HEALTH NETWORK AFTER HOURS CLINIC (AHC)

This clinic is available only to patients of physicians who are members of the Old South Family Health Network. No appointment is necessary. The AHC will be open to see urgent medical problems Monday to Thursday 5 to 8 pm and every Saturday 9 am to noon. It will not operate on statutory holidays. Each day the clinic will take place in the on-call physician's office and therefore will not always be in the same location. Click the "On-Call Doctor's Schedule" above to see which doctor is working the AHC on a given day.

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT SERVICE AND WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. EACH PHYSICIAN HAS HIS OWN FAMILY PRACTICE AND HAS MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE. WITH YOUR CONSENT, A REPORT WILL BE FAXED THE NEXT DAY TO YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR EXPLAINING THE NATURE OF YOUR VISIT AND ANY TREATMENT RECEIVED. ANY LAB OR TEST RESULTS WILL BE FORWARDED ASAP AS WELL. PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE AHC WITH NON-URGENT PROBLEMS THAT ARE BEST LEFT TO YOUR OWN FAMILY DOCTOR DURING A DAYTIME OFFICE VISIT.

The Telephone Health Advisory Service is another excellent source of helpful information. By calling 1-866-553-7205 Monday to Thurs 5 pm to 9 am and Friday 5 pm to Monday 9am and all day on statutory holidays, you can speak to a registered nurse for advice. A doctor from the Old South Family Health Network is available by phone during these times as well if the nurse needs further guidance to assist you.

As always, if your medical problem is an emergency in that you consider it very serious, including suspected broken bones, then you should go to your nearest emergency room or St. Joseph's Urgent Care Clinic.