Welcome!

Friday Phones – New Hours

Starting Friday May 19th, on Fridays only, our phone lines will be open from 8:30am until 12pm.  If you require a same day appointment after 12pm, please feel free to call us on Saturday at 8am, as that’s when our phone lines will re-open for urgent care appointment bookings.

Pomelo Update

Dear Patients,

On April 28th, 2023, we will no longer be using the platform Pomelo (formerly HealthMyself) for messages and online bookings, as we will have fully transitioned to the Ocean platform by then.  Through Ocean, you will still receive appointment reminders, direct messages from our team, as well as you’ll be able to book online appointments (you can access this directly through our website).

For any and all updates regarding our clinic, please refer to our website or postings throughout our clinic.

Thank you

Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre

 

Saturday Urgent Care Clinics

To alleviate strain on local Emergency departments, we will be running Urgent Care Clinics on Saturdays for Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre patients.

To receive care, you must call the clinic between 8:00am and 9:00am to register. Please note that phone calls will only be answered on Saturdays between 8:00am and 9:00am. 

The purpose of these clinics is to decrease the volume of patients presenting to local Emergency departments.  Patients should only present for an appointment if they have an acute medical issue and require an urgent assessment.  

Examples of appropriate urgent care appointments would be new and recent onset of:

• acute respiratory symptoms
• urinary symptoms (possible urinary tract infection)
• musculoskeletal injuries
• rash
• abdominal pain
• acute gastrointestinal symptoms

It is not appropriate to present for an appointment for:

• prescription refills
• assessment of issues that have been ongoing for some time
• follow up of longstanding medical issues

Patients presenting for non-acute issues will not be seen in the Urgent Care Clinic that day. They will be directed to call the clinic the following Monday morning to arrange an appointment with their Primary Care Provider.  

 It is our hope that by instituting these clinics we will take some pressure off of the local Emergency Rooms. We intend to run these clinics every Saturday unless that Saturday specifically falls on a STAT Holiday.

Warm Regards,

The Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre Team

 

Maternity Leave – Dr Leigh Waters

A message from Dr Waters:

I have good news to share – my husband and I are thrilled to be welcoming our first child in May! I will be taking a year long maternity leave beginning May 1st.  In my absence, I have secured a temporary replacement, with Dr. Hatef Mottaghi. He comes highly recommended, with excellent experience, and I feel confident that you are in good hands. Here is a brief message from Dr Mottaghi:

“Hi everyone! My name is Dr Mottaghi, and I will be covering Dr Waters during her leave from May 2023 until the end of April 2024. I am thrilled to be a part of this practice and looking after all of you! From a diverse international background, I studied medicine in Australia and finished
family medicine residency in Ottawa. I deliver comprehensive care in three languages (English, French, Persian), with an emphasis on patient ownership and empowerment of their care. I have interests in pediatric and adolescent health, having had further training in child health through the University of Sydney. I also have special interests in sports medicine, and gender variance. In my spare time, I enjoy the great outdoors and attending theatre productions, or taking up a new sport! I look forward to providing continuity of care to you soon!”

 

Upcoming Changes at Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre

This letter is to notify you of our office policy on uninsured services. OHIP does not pay for all services that patients request from physicians. Services that OHIP does not pay for are called “uninsured services”.

Unfortunately, due to increasing costs associated with running our clinic, as well as decreasing compensation payments from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), we must change how we deliver certain services here at the Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre.

Please note that if you had previously received any of the below for free, it was because your physician chose not to charge you a fee for that service. Exceptions may still be made depending on the circumstances.

From April 1st, 2023, patients will be charged for any services not covered by OHIP. For an extensive list of those services, they will be posted in all the exam rooms and throughout the clinic.

The fees contained in the enclosed list are in accordance with the 2023 edition of the OMA Physician’s Guide to Uninsured Services.

The more common services include:

• Ear Flushes to clear ear wax ($25)
• Liquid Nitrogen treatments ($25 – Up to 3, $10 for each additional)
• Excluding those for cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions
• Kenalog/Cortisone joint injections ($15)
• Fax Prescription renewals received from pharmacies ($20)
• Sick Notes ($22)
• Notes for Allied Health Services ($25)
• These include massage, physiotherapy, mental health counseling services, among others.
• Uninsured Vaccine Administration ($20)                                                               

All uninsured services must be paid in full when rendered; office staff will provide a receipt upon settlement of your account. Note that our office accepts cash, debit and credit card payments. 

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

 

Notice of Practice Share between Dr. Boeckner and Dr. Rattan

Dr. Boeckner and Dr. Rattan are excited to announce a new change to their practices, called a practice share.

Firstly, we would like to say it is a privilege caring for you and getting to know you over the past several years. Our practice model may be changing, but we are committed to providing quality medical care at the Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre.

As you are aware, we are both currently in the clinic on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On the other days of the month we spend time providing coverage in the following settings:

• ●  Kemptville Hospital Inpatient Unit
• ●  Kemptville Hospital Convalescent Care Program
• ●  Queensway Carleton Surgical Day Program

Here at the Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre, several physicians with similar sized practices have paired up and merged their practices with great success in the past. This is called a Practice Share Model.

In a Practice Share Model a patient is under the care of two physicians. Each of the two physicians works alternating weeks in-clinic providing patients with full time coverage Monday to Friday every week of the year. Patients are welcome to follow up with either physician at any time by pre-booking an appointment or by calling in for a same day appointment.

We are happy to announce that on February 27th, 2023, we will be starting a Practice Share. We both have established practices here at the Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre and have been working together for several years.

The current medical environment with the pandemic, increase in work obligations and strains on the medical system is leading to physician burn-out and we are hoping that this model prevents this from happening to either of us.

What does this mean for patients?

1. Even better physician access as one of us will be here Monday through Friday every week and should be able to see patients with urgent issues more quickly.
2. You can still choose to pre-book within a couple of weeks with either one of us if you have a non-urgent issue and prefer to see a specific doctor.

For specific appointments that pertain to diabetes follow ups, periodic health exams, and opioid/narcotic prescription refills you must book only with your original doctor.

We want to assure you that we will continue to make every effort to provide you with excellent and prompt medical care.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer Boeckner and Dr. Gurender (Gord) Rattan

 

Practice Share FAQ for Dr. Boeckner and Dr. Rattan

1. What is a Practice Share?
A Practice Share is essentially 2 Physicians combining their practices and then working
alternating weeks. It actually gives our patients 5 days a week of coverage in the clinic
as opposed to our current 3 days per week of coverage.
2. Are you leaving the clinic?
We are not leaving the clinic. Each physician will be in the clinic every other week
providing the same quality of medical care.
3. Why are you starting a Practice Share?
The last few years have been difficult with the pandemic, strains on the medical system
and increased work hours. We are choosing to start a practice share to prevent us from
burning out and to allow us to continue to give you good and timely medical care. This
also allows us to dedicate time to providing care at the Kemptville DIstrict Hospital and
the Queensway-Carleton Hospital.
4. How can I get an appointment with you? Can I choose who I see?
You can call the office for an appointment, as you have done in the past. If you have a
non-urgent issue, you can choose to book with your physician of choice. If you have an
urgent issue, you will have to see the physician that is working that week.
5. If I’m not seeing my usual physician (ie Dr. Rattan), how will the other physician
(ie. Dr. Boeckner) know my medical history?
Whichever physician you are booked with will have access to your medical chart, which
includes your history, previous tests ordered, specialist reports etc. The physician will
review your chart in advance to ensure they are up to speed on your medical history.
6. Does this mean I’ll have less access to a physician?
While it may seem like your physician is in the clinic less, Dr. Rattan and Dr. Boeckner
are now a team. Prior to this change each physician was in the clinic 3 days a week.
Now one of the physicians will be working every day Monday to Friday, giving our
patients more access than they had in the past.
7. Do I have to see the other physician?
No, you can continue to see your usual physician for non-urgent issues, recognizing that
they are in-clinic every other week. For urgent same day issues you will be booked with
whichever physician is working that day/week.

 

Practice Closure – A letter from Dr Pelletier

Dear Patients,

After prolonged and difficult deliberation, I have reached the decision that I must step down from my role as family physician. The reasons are multifactorial, and center around personal health, family obligations, and the lack of systemic and governmental support to primary care. It is therefore, with regret, that I am informing you of my practice closure, which will take place on September 18th , 2022. My locum physician will be available to you up until this date. Despite an exhaustive search to find a successor over the past many months, I have been unable to find a physician who is willing or able to take over my practice. I recognize that it maybe difficult to find a new family doctor. To this end, I have included the following resources suggested by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario:

Health Care Connect
This Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) program matches people who don’t have a regular family
health care provider with physicians and nurse practitioners in their community who are accepting new patients. To
register for the Health Care Connect program, call 1-800-445-1822, or visit the MOHLTC website for more
information.

Your local hospital
Hospitals often know which of their physicians are accepting new patients, and may be able to provide a few
contacts.

Community Health Centres
If you have a local community health centre, it may be taking new patients. These centres provide primary health
care and prevention programs through physicians and a variety of other health professionals. Keep in mind that most
only provide services to people who live within their community. A list of community health centres in Ontario is
available on the MOHLTC website.

Local newspapers
Some physicians, including those who are new to an area or who are beginning to establish a practice, will advertise that they are accepting new patients in local publications. Your medical records will be available upon request, in accordance with provincial regulations.
It has been a pleasure taking care of your health care needs over the past years.

Sincerely,

Dr. Anne-Marie Pelletier

 

On Friday March 4th, 2022, Rideau Crossing Family Health Centre will no longer be actively screening our patients upon entry.  

If you are experiencing any symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19 (If you have one of the following symptoms: Fever/chills, cough shortness of breath, decrease or loss of smell or taste OR two of the following symptoms: Extreme fatigue, lethargy, or malaise, muscle aches or joint pain, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, sore throat, rhinorrhea or nasal congestion, headache, abdominal pain, conjunctivitis/pink eye or decreased appetite), OR if you live with someone with symptoms or who’s tested positive for COVID-19 and you have not tested positive in the last 90 days, we ask that you do not enter the clinic.  

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms,

Please contact the North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre as they are by appointment only. Please contact them at 613-258-3192 to book an appointment or through their website https://portal.healthmyself.net/northgrenvillecovid19assessmentcentre/guest/booking/form/6a2c29fd-99ea-4072-be49-7811b88c9cd8#/agRg/book/type

North Grenville COVID-19 Assessment Centre

15 Campus Dr, Kemptville.

HOURS: Sunday through Friday from 9am – 5pm. CLOSED SATURDAY.

It should also be noted that they do not offer care visits on Sundays and will no longer be open at all on Sundays as of Sunday March 13th, 2022.

We continue to request that you come alone to your appointments.  One caregiver or parent. 

We ask that patients prior to entering the vestibule wear a mask.  Once inside the vestibule, please sanitize your hands using the provided sanitizer and change out your mask using a surgical mask that will be provided. Please re -sanitize prior to entering the clinic and approaching the front desk to check in.

 

Please adhere to the signage as our waiting room has been sectioned off to ensure social distancing. Once your visit has concluded, we ask that you follow the arrows to exit the clinic through the side door to ensure the flow of one-way traffic.  

If you are immunocompromised, have a medical condition that prevents you from wearing a mask, or are not vaccinated against COVID-19, please contact the clinic prior to your scheduled or unscheduled visit.

We thank you for adhering to our policy to keep everyone safe.

We continue to offer ongoing COVID vaccine appointments for our patients as supply is available.  Please call our receptionists to book an appointment. 

 

 

 

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What I need to know about Tick Bites:      lyme-disease

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Please take note of some important changes:

 EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, PHONES WILL BE ANSWERED

FROM 8:30AM TO 12 NOON AND FROM 1PM TO 4PM