Patient Information

• Consultations are with a registered medical professional; either a Doctor, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Associate or other clinician.
• New patients must pay in full for their first appointment.
• Newly registered patients require a double appointment for their first visit. Double appointment fees will apply.
• All fees are based on a single appointment; extended appointments may incur additional charges.
• Medical consumables and unfunded services will be charged separately.

• Our current fees are located here, and displayed at our practices, please note these are subject to change and not all procedures/services are listed, if you are unsure, please check with our staff.
• If the patient does not pay at the time of the consultation, then a text message will be sent out as a reminder within 24 hours advising them payment is due within 7 days.
• Our clinic has a policy of a maximum of two (2) consultations or prescriptions as outstanding (unless automatic payment plans have been arranged with the Practice Manager). Patients will be asked to pay in full before their third visit or prescription.
• If the account is not paid by the end of the month the patient will be sent a statement which will also incur a $10 non-refundable admin fee.
• As a means of reducing debt, patients will be expected to pay cash on their third consultation if they already owe the previous two consults or prescriptions.
• If the account is not paid for by the end of the second month, additional fees will apply.
• Following communications from us; if the account is not settled at the 90-day period and the patient has not made any effort to contact us or to settle the account then this matter will be referred to the Central Collections Debt Agency. At this stage patients will be seen on a cash only basis including repeat prescriptions. Note, the Practice reserves the right to refuse non-urgent treatment due to outstanding debt.
• All debt recovery costs are on-charged to the patient.
• Patients who make automatic payments, when making a request for a refund, are required to leave a minimum balance of one consultation.

Please note; if you are having difficulty paying, please speak to the Practice Manager to allow us to support you to access financial support options such as WINZ or assist with a payment plan. If for some reason the patient does not follow through on the agreed plan, a letter will be sent notifying them that they have 7 days to respond before being sent to Central Collections Debt Agency.

At all Coastal Medical Practices, we are committed to engaging in appropriate business conduct with our patients, visitors and staff. We pride ourselves on making our environment safe and secure. We strive to treat each other with honesty, dignity and respect.

We have adopted zero tolerance policy for any form of unprofessional conduct. We will not tolerate harassment, threatening behavior, abusive phone calls or inappropriate physical contact or any other conduct that is found to be intimidating or otherwise creates an offensive or hostile environment.

We welcome any feedback at our clinics.
This can be provided:

• Verbally, on the phone or in person
• Written (8 Romeo Street, Stratford, 4332)
• Online, via email or our online form located here

Our Complaints Process

• Step 1 The Complaints Officer (Practice Manager) will follow through on a Complaint / Incident Report which has been filled in by the staff or patient making the complaint. The Complaints Officer will then proceed and verbally communicate with the patient and/or staff member involved.
• Step 2 In investigating the incident/complaint the aim is to achieve a mutually satisfactory conclusion and to ensure the situation does not arise again.

If a patient feels our clinic is not dealing adequately with the Incident/Complaint they have the right to approach the Health & Disability Advocacy New Plymouth on 06 7592111 or visit their website https://advocacy.org.nz/

All incidents and complaints are kept on file.

Your privacy and the confidentiality of your information is very important to us. All staff members at the practice understand and have signed a confidentiality agreement or contract of service. The obligations of this clause extend after the agreement or contract has ended. Further information regarding information sharing and confidentiality is outlined below:

• Your health practitioner will record relevant information from your consultation in your notes.
• When you enroll your health information will be shared with others involved in your healthcare and with other agencies with your consent, or if authorised by law.

Your health information may also be shared with other government agencies but only when permitted under the Privacy Act. It may also be shared if authorised by law.

• You have the right to know where your information is kept, who has access rights, and, if the system has audit log capability, who has viewed or updated your information.
• Your information will be kept securely to prevent unauthorised access.
• We are required to keep your information accurate, up-to-date, and relevant for your treatment and care.

Right to Access and Correct
Your health information will be stored securely to ensure that unauthorised individuals cannot access or use this information. To achieve anonymity, we can assign numbers or codes, such as NHI or chart numbers, and will use this regularly in replace of identifying factors.

You have the right to access and correct your health information.

• You have the right to see and request a copy of your health information.
• You can ask for health information about you to be corrected. Practice staff should provide you with reasonable assistance. If your healthcare provider chooses not to change that information, you can have this noted on your file.
• Patient portals allow you to book on-line, request repeat prescriptions and view some of your health records. We offer a patient portal for our patients, so please contact reception if you are interested in registering for this.

If we need to send patients’ health information to another person or agency, we must make sure that the information is sent securely and confidentiality. We ensure that we are especially careful when sending patient information electronically, such as by email, given the security risks involved. Patient information will only be sent by email once we have confirmed that the email address is correct, that the patient is the only individual who has access to the email address, and once the patient has been notified the risks of sending information through email.