Recalls and Reminders
This practice uses a "Recall and Reminder" system to provide preventative care for our patients.
This will assist in ensuring that important health checks are not forgotten and are performed on time. You will be reminded when it is time to visit your Doctor for a check up or as a follow–up to health risks that have previously been found. The reminder system will include checks to help in the prevention or early detection of certain conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and forms of cancer – particularly cervical and prostate cancer. Immunisation reminders will also be sent.
In some cases the reminders can also be sent from other places, e.g. the Australian Immunisation Register and Breastscreen Qld
We will use information from your health record to tell us the check-ups for which you are due and when you should visit your Doctor to discuss the tests that are needed.
The privacy laws require that we obtain your consent to send you these reminders. Your doctor will discuss with you the checks that may be necessary and will make a note on your record if you consent to be included in the recall and reminder system.
By allowing us to send you these reminders, you will help us to detect serious conditions early and to monitor known conditions. This can significantly improve the long-term outcome for you.
We use Hotdoc to send you electronic reminders straight to your phone. Sometimes we will send reminder letters or phone you.
Obtaining your results
As part of most consultations, your doctor may order pathology or radiology tests, in order to assist with diagnosis or to monitor a condition. At your visit your doctor will tell you how you can get the results. This will usually
be by making another appointment to see him or her a few days after the test has been done. Many patients ring the reception staff to get their results. This is okay if that’s what your doctor advises, but it is not ideal. It is
important for patients to realise that the receptionist has no access to your result files, she can only give you the comment that Doctor has written.
So, for example, doctor may have marked the result—no action. This means that the result is as expected. It does not mean that there were no abnormalities. This is why it is very it is important for you to actually see the
doctor for the test result. Similarly, the receptionist has no access to specific details such as your cholesterol level, which you may well be monitoring as part of the management of your chronic condition. Again, this is why we
have to encourage you to return for your results.
By coming in and seeing the referring doctor, he or she is also able to assess your improvement and or lack thereof, spend some time on preventative health measures, such as lifestyle risk factors and further develop the doctor
patient relationship, rather than telephoning for results. Either way, it is important that patients follow up their results.
Just because we don’t ring you doesn’t mean it was all clear—do we have your current contact details?
And if we do ring you, it’s because your doctor wants to make sure you are okay, or they want to give you advice about the result and options for future management. If you are requested to make a follow up appointment, please do so.
All patient consultations, financial and medical records are kept strictly confidential.