Seeing your doctor getting easier Medical centre outlines how to see your doctor in level 2
New Zealanders should be proud of their response to Covid-19.
Our community has played its role and kept to their bubbles.
But we don’t want to take a backwards step now, so it’s important that in Level 2 we continue with infection control and distancing precautions.
We want the Medical Centre to be a safe place for everybody.
How will my journey through the Medical Centre look? For many it will continue to be a ‘virtual’ journey.
We will try and manage your health needs over the phone or using video.
If you have forms that need completing or if you think photos would be helpful, please send these through to office@katimed.co.nz before your appointment.
The doctor will continue to send scripts directly to pharmacies and lab forms directly to the Pathlab.
If we feel that a virtual appointment isn’t sufficient to keep you safe, we will arrange for you to come into the Medical Centre for an in-person visit.
Some tips if you need to come in:
■ Tell us if you have a cough, runny/ blocked nose, sore throat, fever or are newly breathless. We will arrange to see you either in your car or in a self contained room in the building.
If you have any of the symptoms above, please do not come into the building without phoning first.
■ Wait in your car until your appointment time. Think of it as the new waiting room.
■ Please come into the building alone. If that’s not possible, please bring only one other person in with you.
■ If you have a mask, please feel free to wear it.
■ There may be a concierge at the door checking you in and telling you where to go.
■ Use the hand sanitiser on entry.
■ Everyone will need to sign in for contact tracing purposes.
■ Remember your 2m spacing — there will be markers on the floor to help you and some seats will be unavailable for use.
You will also find that your time with your doctor works a little differently.
They will have used the phone to gather as much information as possible and arrange tests if required, so that your time spent in their room is minimised.
This is because Ministry of Health directives say that we should not be in physical contact with a patient for more than 15 minutes without extra precautions being taken.
If you have concerns that require more time to manage, we will therefore arrange a follow up appointment, by phone if possible.
We allocate 15 minutes to phone consults, just as we do for in person visits.
The doctor will spend time reading your records before calling you, as well as time at the end writing your notes, organising investigations, prescriptions and referrals if required.
Therefore phone consultations cost the same as an in person visit.
However, if we decide that you need to come in for an in-person consult after a brief phone triage, you will only be charged once.
If follow ups are needed these will be charged as normal.
After a virtual consult we will send out an invoice. We encourage people to pay using online banking or with a credit/ debit card if possible.
Routine nursing services will also be gradually reintroduced over Level 2.
If your need is non-urgent, please email us at office@katimed.co.nz, or use Health 365 to send us a message, to find out more. You can register for Health 365, our patient portal, via reception.
A reminder that driving licences that expired after January 1, 2020, have currently been extended until October, so there is currently no urgency to be doing these medical examinations.
We know that these are stressful times. Please continue to be kind to yourselves, to each other and to our staff. We will provide further updates as things change.