Appointments
Standard Appointments
It is the Clinic’s policy that all patients should be able to obtain a consultation for a non-urgent medical problem with the doctor on call on a first come first serve basis. However, this may be affected by emergencies and priority cases.
Emergency and Priority Cases
It is the responsibility of the reception staff to determine the priority of need and book appointments accordingly. All reception staff must understand the Clinic’s procedures in relation to medical emergencies.
Making Appointments for Specialists or Consultant Physicians
Clinic Management may arrange for specialists to attend to patients. In such cases, the date of the specialists’ arrival shall be communicated via notices in and around the Clinic premises and patients shall be required to book appointments in order to obtain a consultation.
Front Desk
Patients seeking medical care at the Obuasi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic may make their enquiries at the Front Desk, where our staff shall explain the necessary steps to take to make the visit a hassle-free one.
Calling Taxis and Ambulances for Patients
If elderly or disabled patients require taxis to transport them from the Clinic, any available administration staff member shall be required to hail a taxi for the requesting patient.The Clinic does not charge for this service
Patient Accounts
At the Obuasi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic, we accept payment either by cash or by cheque. Patients who opt not to provide their National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cards or opt for services/drugs which are not on the NHIS list, shall have to pay in cash. Payments by cheque are only acceptable from the NHIS or from companies for which the Clinic has contracted to provide medical services for its employees. The Obuasi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic also accepts payment from some private insurance companies. Any patient so covered, simply has to provide their insurance card and follow the laid down procedure.
It is the clinic’s policy that information about the costs of consultations, treatments, investigations or procedures be provided to patients in advance.A Consultation and Service Fees chart which details the clinic’s charges is displayed in reception to assist staff in advising patients of costs.
Payment by Cheque
When cheques are received for services rendered by the Clinic, the date and the name of the member of staff who received the cheque must be recorded. The date on which the cheque was submitted to the bank and the member of staff who deposited it, should also be recorded.
Payment by Cash
The Clinic keeps a small amount of cash on the premises to give change to customers who pay cash. Towards the end of each day, the amount collected as cash payments must be reported to the Manager.
Complaints
The Obuasi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic is committed to monitoring the effectiveness of the service we provide to our patients. If a patient complains about the service provided by the Clinic, record the following details and pass the information on to the Manager.
Name of the patient.
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Nature of the complaint, for example:
- Telephone access to the Clinic
- Being made to wait too long
- Clinic facilities
- A complaint about the doctor or other members of staff
Whether the complaint was made in person, on the telephone or in writing.
All complaints need to be handled promptly and with a caring and polite attitude.
Reassure the patient that their complaint will be taken seriously and passed on to theClinic Manager.
All complaints will be reviewed by the Manager and measures put in place to avoid a repeat occurrence of the situation.
Professional Conduct
You have a responsibility to act professionally when communicating with colleagues,patients and visitors to your workplace. This involves the following:
Treating People with Respect
In the course of your work you may come across people who exhibit difference of some kind or conduct themselves in ways that are strange or unfamiliar to you. As a consequence, you may be tempted to label them in some way or distance yourself from them. It is against the Clinic’s policy to treat anyone less favourably.
Patient Confidentiality
People who work in medical environments have a responsibility to preserve and respect the privacy of patient’s personal health information. When conducting a sensitive conversation with a patient within earshot of others, take the patient to a private area, especially if the patient is angry, upset or hearing-impaired.
Careless Talk and Gossip
Patient confidentiality can be breached by careless talk and gossip both at work and in a social setting. Any discussion of a patient’s personal health information for other than professional reasons is unacceptable behaviour.
Patient Confidentiality
The Obuasi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic respects the rights of patients to decide how their personal health information is used or disclosed.
The ODCC will always ensure that patients:
- Agree to have their personal health information collected
- Consent to any disclosure to a third party
Reasons personal health information may be disclosed to a third party include:
- Seeking a second opinion from another medical practitioner
- Referral to a specialist
- Requesting diagnostic testing or examination (such as pathology or radiology)
- Admission to casualty or hospital
Disclosure of personal health information without patient consent will only occur in situations where:
- The doctor is compelled by court order
- The doctor believes that a higher duty prevails in order to protect the public
- The disclosure is necessary to avoid a serious risk of harm to the person concerned
There is a legal obligation under the applicable legislations e.g. statutory provisions requiring the notification of certain infectious diseases or suspected child abuse.
General Referral Policy
Referral to Consultants
The Obuasi Diagnostic Centre and Clinic respects the rights of patients to decide how their personal health information is used or disclosed.
Referral to Other Institutions
When applicable, patients will be referred in-house to a senior colleague or in-house consultant if assistance is needed on further management.
General
When applicable, patients will be referred in-house to a senior colleague or in-house consultant if assistance is needed on further management.
Referrals to outside consultants and/or institutions shall be done in accordance with the specifics of the case. This includes urgency, severity, and availability of expertise, timing or any other relevant factor.
Referrals will always be done in a professional manner. This includes telephonic consultation and a written report, which includes all relevant details regarding the case.
