September 5, 2006 - The Model Patient

The model patient:

Arrives for their appointment 15 minutes in advance

Appointment times are carefully booked to keep the health care system working at full potential. Bay arriving 10 to 15 minutes ahead of time, you give us the time to process your paperwork and have everything ready for your health care professional.

Understands that health care schedules are not always predictable

We will do everything in our power to keep things running on schedule. Unfortunately, emergencies and unexpected duties are part of our business, and pre-booked patients sometimes have to wait for their appointments. We apologize for this, and ask you to understand the nature of our business. We need to manage the most urgent cases first.

Makes sure they have the necessary paperwork

By law, many procedures cannot be performed without a written doctor’s requisition slip. If you arrive without it, we can’t do our job.

Reads the information provided before an appointment and follows it carefully

Requirements change over time, so please don’t assume that you know all about what’s coming up. There are always good reasons for the pre-appointment directions we provide. Rules such as no food or drink for a certain period of time are there for your safety, and to ensure that the procedure will be effective.

Asks questions if they don’t understand the orders they’ve received

The best approach is to clear up any misunderstandings in advance, so that you are ready when you arrive for your care. Please review your orders when you receive them, and make sure you clearly understand what you need to do to be prepared. If questions come up later, phone your doctor’s office or the department you will be attending.

Calls to cancel or reschedule an appointment they cannot keep

We understand that your schedules are not always predicable either. Emergencies, sickness and unavoidable commitments come up. Please let us know as soon as possible. In most cases, we have waiting lists. With some advanced notice, we can fill a cancelled timeslot, and keep everyone working at full efficiency. This type of cooperation helps us decrease wait times and provide access to care for others.

The Bottom Line:

Everyone’s time is precious, and we appreciate your cooperation in making the best possible use of our resources at RVH.

Thank you to all of our model patients –it is a pleasure to work with you in an atmosphere of mutual respect and care!