Practice Policies & Information

CONSULTATIONS

Consultations are usually by appointment only. Booking ahead of time or phoning early on the day required will help to ensure an appointment. However, if your condition is more urgent, please ring the surgery and you will be seen as soon as possible. If you foresee your problem(s) requiring more complex care, or a longer time, please inform the reception staff so that a long consultation, or double appointment, can be booked. If Dr Dowling is unable to see you urgently, you will be able to see another doctor at the practice. As you will understand, patients with appointments will get priority, except in emergency situations.

Emergencies will be given priority. All patients who require immediate attention can always be seen, either by Dr Dowling or one of the other doctors at the Capalaba Medical Centre. Patients, who present without an appointment, will be seen in accordance with the practice protocol.

GP Mental Health Plans, Chronic Disease Management Plans and Team Care Arrangements are only available to regular patients of Dr Dowling who fit the criteria for such arrangements, as ruled by the Health Insurance Commission. No exceptions can be made.

WEEKENDS & AFTER HOURS SERVICE

Weekend appointments are available as Dr Dowling takes part in a rotating weekend morning roster with other doctors at the surgery. Due to the high demand for weekend appointments Dr Dowling does not routinely bulk-bill these appointments.

Dr Dowling also shares in a rotating after-hours on-call roster with other doctors from CMC. When Dr Dowling is not available, the on-call registered nurse, if required, will contact the rostered doctor. If an after-hours home visit is deemed appropriate, a private, out of pocket, fee is payable.

HOME VISITS

Home visits are available only to patients who are current regular patients of Dr Dowling, and live in the local Capalaba area. These are only offered if the patient is unable to attend the surgery because of a medical condition, and not offered due to a lack of transport. These home visits are charged at various rates, depending on the time of day and the day of the week, and will not be bulk-billed.
In addition, please Dr Dowling does not carry Schedule 8 drugs, nor administer these drugs out of the surgery.

REPEAT PRESCRIPTIONS

In the interest of good health care and safety, prescriptions can only be issued by consultation with Dr Dowling. Whilst this can sometimes be inconvenient, it is essential for safe practice. A non-Medicare claimable fee will be charged if Dr Dowling completes the request without attendance.

REFERRALS

Referral to a specialist or allied health-care professional requires a medical examination by your doctor so that a relevant and helpful letter can be written. Therefore, no referrals will be given without a consultation. This is for your safety, and for medico-legal reasons.

PHONE CALLS & EMAILS

Dr Dowling receives many phone requests from patients who wish to speak with him. Due to the time involved in handling each call, and the disruption to patient consultations, the nature of phone enquiries must always be discussed with the receptionist first. The receptionist will then communicate with the doctor who will advise of what action is to be taken. For your safety, and for medicolegal reasons, results will not be given over the phone, unless specifically requested.

For the email protocol please see information E-mail Communication Policy.

FEES POLICY

Due to rising practice costs, Dr Dowling has ceased universal bulk-billing to Medicare. Please enquire at the time of your booking as to any cost that will be applicable to your consultation. Pensioners, including Aged and Disability pensioners, and current Health Care Card holders do receive a discounted fee. Usually children under 16 years of age, and entitled Veterans patients are bulk-billed. In cases of severe financial hardship, Dr Dowling may consider bulk billing on an individual basis.

Apart from Australian Veteran Card Holders, any patient presenting after 6.00pm Monday to Thursday, 5.00pm Friday and after 12.00pm Saturday and Sunday, without an appointment, will not be Bulk-Billed and so private fees are applicable. Please enquire upon presentation.

The fees for non-rebatable Medicare services are variable depending on the request. GST is usually applicable to these services, as there is no Medicare rebate available. Please enquire at time of booking. These services include phone script requests, insurance and medico-legal reports, recreational and work medicals, transport department medicals, travel advice and forms.

PRIVACY POLICY

Dr Dowling and CMC has developed a policy to protect patient privacy in compliance with Australia’s privacy legislation. Although these requirements sometimes cause inconvenience to patients and staff, this policy must be observed. A signed consent form is required before information is shared with a third party. A copy of the Privacy Policy is available on request, or can be found on the Privacy Policy page.
Dr Dowling and the Capalaba Medical Centre participate in Australian and Queensland recall and reminder systems. As a result you may be contacted for clinically significant results or other significant findings.

COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS

Dr Dowling constantly strives to give you the best possible care and attention, and take pride in the level of service provided to patients of the his practice and at the Capalaba Medical Centre. From time to time, patients of Dr Dowling’s practice will be given the opportunity to complete a confidential patient questionnaire asking for your views on specific aspects of the service provided to his patients.

If you do have suggestions for how our services could be improved, or if you are concerned about a specific aspect of your care, please feel free to speak to Dr Dowling or any staff member at CMC who you may feel more comfortable with. He believes that problems are best dealt with within the practice.

However you may prefer to contact the Queensland Government Health Quality and Complaints Commission (HQCC). The contact details for the HQCC are GPO Box 3089, Brisbane 4001,
and telephone (07) 31205999 or 1800077308, and on-line at http://www.hqcc.qld.gov.au.