Practice Policies
Fees and Billing
Please see our Fees and Billing page for more information.
Offensive Behaviour
Under no circumstances will any of the following be tolerated: aggression, intimidation, foul language, violence or physical threats to our staff or other patients.
If offensive behaviour occurs, you may be asked to leave the practice or your call may be terminated.
Smoking Policy
Emerald Medical Group is a smoke free site. No smoking is allowed anywhere on the premises.
Test or Procedure Results
Your Doctor will advise you of the expected timeframe for your results to be available.
When results are available these are reviewed by the Doctor. The nursing team may then contact you to make a follow up appointment.
Only Doctors and Nurses can discuss your results.
Privacy Policy
Communication Policy
Our aim is to provide all patients with prompt and appropriate assistance. When communicating with our practice you may be asked for additional information. This is used to assist you in the best way possible.
We also encourage the use of digital technology through the use of HotDoc.
Requests to speak to a Doctor.
Patient requests to speak to a doctor will not generally be put through. This is to minimise disruption to the doctor as they are usually busy with other patients. The Receptionist or Nurse may ask the patient to explain the reason for the call and determine further action.
Patients will be advised to book an appointment in the first instance. Any returned calls by the Doctor will be considered an appointment and charged an appointment fee.
If appropriate, reception may pass a message on to the doctor through our internal message system.
It is important to note that our doctors are with patients and work a variety of difference schedules. Internal messages may be viewed by the doctor when they are next in the practice. There is no guarantee the Doctor will respond immediately.
Communication Methods
Communications can occur in a variety of ways identified below.
Face to Face
Patients can attend the practice in person during our opening hours. All patients are to present to our reception team in the first instance. The appropriate assistance will then be provided to the patient.
Telephone
Patients can contact the practice via telephone during our opening hours. Phone calls outside of our opening hours will be diverted to an afterhours message.
When contacting our practice patients will be given options to assist in directing their call. The options direct the call to our Employment Medical team, Nursing team, or to our main reception desk. If a staff member is unavailable the call will divert to a voicemail. Please leave your name, contact number, date of birth and a short message. The appropriate staff member will respond to your voicemail.
SMS
Patients may receive SMS messages for a variety of reasons through our Hotdoc appointment systems. Common SMS messages include:
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Reminders about appointment times. This is sent out 24 hours before the appointment. And ask patients to confirm their appointment.
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Health reminders: A SMS may be sent to patients to assist with ongoing healthcare including annual health checks, flu shots or cervical screening.
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Request for Survey participation: Patients may receive SMS messages to participate in health survey information as an example after a flu shot.
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Recalls: Patients may receive an SMS to make a non-urgent follow up appointment regarding recent results. Patients are advised to contact the practice to make an appointment.
Patients can opt out of receiving SMS messages at any time by advising the clinic.
Our reception team will ask to confirm your mobile number of a regular basis. Alternatively, you can let us know at any time if your contact number changes.
Please be aware that information sent via SMS may be available to other people who can access your phone.
Email is utilised in our practice and checked regularly by our reception team. However, they are not monitored continuously and should not be used in emergency situations, or for creating, cancelling or rescheduling of appointments. Patients should contact the practice via telephone on 07 4986 7400.
Patients should be aware that email is not a secure form of communication and may be viewed by someone other than the intended recipient and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
By initiating email communication with the clinic, it will be implied that the patient has consented to a response being provided by email.
Post
Outgoing letters may be sent to the address on a patient file in the event that our reception team are unable to contact a patient in relation to a recall or reminder.
Incoming mail is checked regularly. In the event the mail is related to a patient this is loaded int the patient's file and a doctor will then take appropriate steps. Otherwise, mail is actioned by the addressee.
Please note, as we are in regional Qld, mail can be delayed in both receipt and delivery.
Website
Our website is updated regularly with information regarding our clinic, GPs, services and fees. It is not intended for individual medical advice or communication. Please contact the practice on 07 4986 7400 if you have any comments or questions.
Our Facebook page provides announcements, information and updates only.
It is not intended for individual medical advice or communication. Please contact the practice on 07 4986 7400 if you have any comments or questions.