Please come early to your first appointment with the doctor. You must provide your valid Health Card, address, phone numbers, date of birth and may be asked to complete some forms. Bring all medications (prescription medications, any pills, vitamins, etc.) with you. Be prepared to list any medication side effects, allergies and other pertinent health information.
If you are transferring to a doctor in our clinic, your previous physician needs to provide pertinent medical information to us. To obtain this information, you must send a signed release of information form to your previous family doctor so that we may obtain a summary of your medical records. Note that there is a charge to transfer medical records.
For the best medical care, please limit your regular or follow-up appointment to deal with one issue per visit. It is difficult to be thorough in addressing multiple concerns in one visit and the doctor wants to allow the appropriate amount of time to deal with your issue.
When there is a doctor in our clinic accepting new patients, you may call to book an appointment. You will be asked to provide your name, phone number, address, birth date, health card number and its expiry date. You will be given the opportunity to have a “meet and greet” with the doctor. The objectives of this visit are for you and the physician to become acquainted with one another, to review your health history and your family’s history, go over clinic policies and potential acceptance into the practice. This visit does not address medical issues. You will be asked to book another appointment to deal with your concerns.
The majority of services provided at the Forest Hill Family Health Centre are funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (formerly called OHIP). However, some services are not covered by the provincial health plan. These include forms, notes, letters, examinations requested by third parties, prescription renewals by telephone or fax, and medical advice by phone. These services are charged directly to the patient. For a complete listing see the Uninsured Services Fee Guide.
You can register with their doctor by completing a FHO form. You can fill out the form when you are in the office or you can call the office to arrange for an enrolment package to be sent to you.
There are many other patients waiting for appointments and failure to cancel (with appropriate notice) will result in a missed appointment charge. The fee is $65 for missing a regular appointment, $125 for a missed psychotherapy / counseling appointment or $140 for missing an annual assessment.
There will be a charge if there was no notice, or, if the appointment was not cancelled 24 hours prior to your appointment. It is the patient’s responsibility to rebook the appointment.
Please arrive on time for your appointment. Limit your visit to deal with one concern. Book another appointment for family members to be seen. In this way you will help your doctor stay on schedule and decrease the waiting time for appointments. Unexpected emergencies may arise and cause delays. Please be patient if this happens.
Residents of Ontario who are eligible for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage will need an Ontario health card to access coverage for health care services paid for by the Ontario Health Insurance Program.
A photo health card has an expiry date that is linked to your date of birth. The first time you apply for a photo health card, the expiry date will be 2 to 7 years later. When your photo health card is renewed, the renewal date will always be 5 years in the future and linked to your date of birth.
If you are older than15½ years, you must go in person to a ServiceOntario centre to renew your health card and have a photo taken from 8:30am – 5:00pm. Children younger than 15½ years of age and adults 80 yrs of age or older will be sent a renewal notice offering a mail in option.
For information you may call ServiceOntario, at 1-866-532-3161 or 416-314-5518 or check ServiceOntario.ca
It is free. There is no cost to renew your Ontario health card.
It takes 4 to 6 weeks for an updated health card to be delivered by mail. Note you may apply for one up to 6 months prior to its expiry date.
You may present an out of province health card, Interim Federal Health coverage (IFH), University Health Insurance Plan (UHIP). Claim forms for IFH and UHIP must be completed by the patient. The forms are available at the front desk. If for some reason your health insurance is not valid at the time of your appointment, you will be asked to pay for the visit. You will be reimbursed for this service after a valid health card is provided and the claim has been paid by the Ministry of Health (which usually takes approximately one month).
Forest Hill Pharmacy Pharmasave is on the ground level of our building.
There is a DynaCare Laboratory on site.
Alternative labs are:
1849 Yonge St. (across from the Davisville subway station)
2401 Yonge St., (n of Eglinton)
2797 Bathurst St., Suite 105, (at Glencairn)
200 St. Clair Ave. West (of Avenue Rd.)
250 Lawrence Ave. West (at Avenue Rd.)
Avenue Rd.-Eglinton X-Ray & Ultrasound is in our building, Suite 302.
Our policy is not to provide lab results over the phone. Please make an appointment with your doctor to discuss lab results. You may be contacted by our office staff or your physician to come in for an appointment. Our staff are unable to interpret lab results and will not comment when asked. Please be aware that it can take more than 10 days for our office to receive results back from various labs or hospitals.
It is the patient’s responsibility to arrange for a follow-up appointment before a current prescription expires. There is a $30 fee (unless the Annual Fee has been paid) for prescription renewals over the phone. Do not wait until your prescription has run out. Allow time for the doctor to receive the request and time to fax the information to the pharmacy. Please note that certain medications require monitoring and your physician will decide whether you need to book an appointment to be seen for a refill or if the prescription may be renewed over the phone.
You are responsible for keeping your appointments, you MAY receive a call or email to remind you of your upcoming appointment.
Since a patient interview and examination are essential for providing quality care, it is not advisable to offer health advice over the phone. During the day, messages will be given to doctors in a manner that will not disrupt other patients’ appointments. Calls will be returned by the doctors within 72 hours.
If your call is of an urgent nature, please book an appointment, come to the walk-in clinic or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. The receptionists are not qualified to offer medical advice.
The Forest Hill Family Health Centre uses Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in lieu of paper charts to manage your health history. Your family doctor inputs information from your appointments into your electronic medical record. Also, all laboratory reports and results from other specialists are received electronically or scanned into your medical record. Your records are backed up securely at a safe, off-site location.
We do not keep addictive drugs in the clinic. Our clinic physicians do not prescribe narcotics to other doctor’s patients. It is the patient’s responsibility to plan ahead, ensuring that he/she has enough medication until the next assessment.
There is a Green P Municipal parking lot on Burnaby Boulevard, the first street north of Eglinton, entrance on Castle Knock Road (at the Starbucks). Metered parking is located on the north and south sides of Eglinton Avenue as well as on the neighbouring streets, Tarlton Road and Duncanon Drive.
Yes, the Eglinton West bus stops near the building on the north and south sides of Eglinton. The bus runs from the Yonge Street and Eglinton West Subway stations.
Yes. There is a doctor in the clinic who can provide a range of Travel Medicine needs (except for yellow fever vaccinations) to patients of The Forest Hill Family Health Centre only. There is a fee associated with this service.
The immunization schedule for healthy infants and children living in Ontario is as follows:
2 months old
- DTaP-IPV-Hib: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, Hib
- Pneu-C-13: Pneumococcal disease
- Rot: Rotavirus
4 months old
- DTaP-IPV-Hib: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, Hib
- Pneu-C-13: Pneumococcal disease
- Rot: Rotavirus
6 months old
- DTaP-IPV-Hib: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, Hib
- *Influenza: The flu
12 months old
- Men-C: Meningococcal disease
- MMR: Measles, Mumps, Rubella
- Pneu-C-13: Pneumococcal disease
15 months old
- Varicella: Chicken Pox
18 months old
- DTaP-IPV-Hib: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio, Hib
4-6 years
- **MMR-Var: Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella
- Tdap-IPV: Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough, Polio
12 years (Grade 7)
- HB: Hepatitis B (2 doses)
- Men-C: Meningococcal disease
13 years (Grade 8)
- HPV (girls only): Human Papillomavirus (3 doses)
14-16 years (Grade 9)
- *Tdap: Tetanus, Diptheria, Whooping Cough
* Typically received in Gr. 9 (or between ages of 14-16 years old). Should be received 10 years after 4-6 year old DTaP-IPV booster dose. Tetanus vaccine should then follow Tdap every 10 years thereafter.
Notes
Make sure to ask your doctor or health professional if your child is up-to-date on these childhood vaccines too
Adults & adolescents
65 years old
- pneumoccal polysaccharide
Every 10 years
- tetanus, diphtheria
Every autumn
- influenza
At any age, vaccination provides the longest lasting most effective protection against disease. But childhood immunization does not provide lifelong immunity against some diseases such as tetanus (lockjaw) and diphtheria.
Adults require helper, or booster shots to maintain immunity. As well, adults who were not adequately immunized as children may be at risk of infection from other vaccine-preventable diseases. They can also infect others. For example, adults who contract measles, mumps or pertussis (whooping cough) can infect infants who may not yet be fully immunized.
Seasonal Immunization
Some immunizations are required seasonally. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a highly contagious infection of the airways caused by the influenza virus. New strains of influenza circulate every year, requiring immunization every autumn. Some people think that influenza is a mild illness, but it can be a very serious illness for individuals over 65 years of age, infants and children or adults with underlying chronic conditions who can develop more serious complications. Individuals who do not get immunized are at risk of infection from the influenza virus and can also infect others. Seasonal influenza immunization is the most effective way to protect yourself and others from one of Canada’s most common diseases – influenza.
Travel Immunization
Individuals who travel abroad also require immunizations. Diseases rarely found in Canada are common in other parts of the world. Immunizations offer the most effective protection against diseases such as hepatitis A and measles.
Individuals are encouraged to talk to their health care provider about being up to date on your immunization, as well as whether special immunizations are needed for the countries you are traveling to.
If you require an immunization record, please call the office. We will inform you upon its completion. You may pick it up or have it mailed to you if you provide your address and pay an administrative fee. Please allow a minimum of 10 business days.
No. For proper medical care, the doctor needs to see a patient to assess the situation. Email cannot be used to obtain medical advice.