Frequently Asked Questions
We receive thousands of queries each week, but many of them tend to be similar to one another.
Read through our frequently asked questions and perhaps you’ll find an answer you’re looking for right here!
What if I don't have medical services plan coverage?
If you are a BC resident you must enroll in MSP. Click on this link to find out how to apply.
What are Shoreline's clinic standards?
TEAM BASED PRACTICE
We cannot guarantee a preferred gender for your primary care provider (PCP); you may request a chaperone for visits of a sensitive nature. Because our PCPs also serve the Saanich Peninsula Hospital, you may at times be seen by other clinic PCPs in order to meet your needs in a timely manner. We may discuss your care needs with Island Health staff as needed to coordinate your care in the hospital and the community.
LOCUMS
Locums are a highly sought after resource that are essential to our Clinic’s model of care. Many of our PCPs work routinely away from the clinic, providing inpatient care to both attached and unattached patients at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital as well as supporting other primary care services. In their absence, we arrange for a locum to cover their practice. Please do not avoid booking with them. If our locums are not busy seeing patients, they will not return to work for us in the future. This will significantly impair the quality of care we aim to provide to all patients in our communities.
RESIDENTS AND MEDICAL STUDENTS
Most of the PCPs at Shoreline Medical are Preceptors to UBC/UVIC Medical Residents and Students. This is our opportunity to share our knowledge, and our patients, and to provide the invaluable experience of clinical medicine. Many of our Residents have completed their programs and then returned to work at Shoreline as PCPs, so please help us teach this next generation. It is understood that there may be circumstances where you would prefer that there not be a medical student present, and this will be respected.
REGULATED MEDICATIONS
Some medications have the potential to cause physical and/or psychological dependence. For your safety, and as recommended by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, you may be required to sign an agreement before these medications will be prescribed.
MISSED APPOINTMENTS
Everyone’s time is valuable. Our cancellation policy requires patients to provide at least 24 hours’ notice if they need to cancel or reschedule an appointment. Failure to do so will result in a fee of $45.00 for a 15-minute appointment or $60.00 for a 30-minute appointment. When patients provide us with the required notice, it allows us to offer the appointment slot to other patients in need of care.
PRESCRIPTION REFILLS
Our PCPs want to provide you with the best care possible. Medications are prescribed to last until your PCP needs to reassess you. All prescription refills require an appointment, and all primary care providers do telephone appointments for your convenience. Please be aware that we do not fill prescriptions that are faxed from your pharmacy.
Thank you for trusting us with your health care needs.
What is Shoreline's policy on patient expectations?
We are striving for a positive team atmosphere and are here to help you. Please know that the vast majority of interactions that we experience with our patients are very positive. We are grateful to have the opportunity to be partners in your health and wellness.
All staff and primary care providers (PCP) are expected to treat you and each other with respect. We expect that you will treat us with respect as well. Inappropriate behavior, as outlined below, will not be tolerated.
Violation of this policy may be grounds for termination.
RESPECTFUL COMMUNICATION
Harsh language, threats, cultural insensitivity and/or intimidating behavior will not be tolerated. We have a zero tolerance in this regard. Should this happen, you will be asked to seek your medical care outside of the Shoreline Medical Clinics.
INCLUSION, DIVERSITY AND GENDER NEUTRAL PRACTICES
We respect and support people of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. We respect and support the LGBTQ community. We support and believe in cultural equality and being culturally sensitive.
Patients must be comfortable with receiving medical care from all of our diverse colleagues. When assigned to a PCP, requests for a particular one will not be accepted. We work in a team based environment, and if your PCP is unavailable, you will be seen by one of their colleagues.
Who owns Shoreline Medical?
In short – you, the community. We are owned and operated by a charitable organization called the Shoreline Medical Society. The priority of the society is to implement the full vision of a network of primary health clinics. See our society page for more information.
What does team-based care mean for our patients?
If you are assigned to one of our team of family physicians, he/she will be your Most Responsible Provider (MRP) for health care needs. However, you will not necessarily see your MRP on every visit to the clinic. The good news is that your health care will not have to match with your physician’s availability, thereby increasing your access to care when you need it. Our team of doctors is connected through Electronic Medical Records accessed in every patient room, and your charts are maintained with the assistance of our team of professionals. more information.
Do I have to pay directly for services provided?
Most medical visits are covered by Medical Services Plan of BC, so if you are registered for MSP then you will not be charged for a medical visit. There are some services which MSP BC does not cover, and these “uninsured” services require payment from the patient (or the patient’s Extended Health Insurance company). A patient who does not have valid MSP BC coverage will have to pay for their doctor’s visit. View fees list here.
Who looks after me if I am admitted to hospital?
To promote continuity of care our family physicians actively support the Saanich Peninsula Hospital. The good news is, if you are at any time admitted to the local hospital, you will be seen by a member of the team. It also means that your physician is on a rotation to be away from the clinic one in every eight weeks. During your family doctor’s hospital rotation, he/she will be covered by the other team doctors and/or a locum.
What if I don't have a family doctor?
We are working very hard to develop a network of medical clinics, to recruit new doctors, so that we can help you find a doctor. If you live on the Saanich Peninsula in our catchment area and do not currently have a family doctor, please register with BC Health Registry.
Until then, the best option is for you to consistently use the Walk In Clinic for your health care needs. Although you won’t have an MRP (Most Responsible Physician), you will have the benefit of your medical chart, lab work, and past visits being available to the physician you see through our Electronic Medical Record system.
How do I sign up for a Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner?
Shoreline Medical Society has transferred our patient registration list to a new way to connect you to healthcare services and a healthcare provider called the Health Connect Registry (HCR).
Registering using this online tool adds you to a local waitlist for a healthcare provider. You may also register your family or a person in your care. If you were already on our registration list, you will have been contacted via phone or email for your consent to move you to this Community wide Health Connect Registry.
Here you can sign up online to have your name added to the Community-Wide Waitlist for residents that reside in the Saanich Peninsula area.
Please note that providing a healthcare provider for residents of the Saanich Peninsula community is very limited at this time. You will be contacted when there is capacity to attach you to a healthcare provider.
Sign up here>>> www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry/saanich-peninsula
Will I see a medical trainee when I come for an appointment?
Shoreline Medical is committed to being a Teaching Centre for rural family practice residents. We do this in two ways by taking a resident under our wings in practice to work through their residency and by partnering with Saanich Peninsula Hospital in providing rural electives. In both cases, the medical trainee is under the guidance and mentorship of our team of physicians for all direct patient interactions. Our teaching program is beneficial in recruiting future physicians to the Saanich Peninsula.
What is the Health Connect Registry (HCR)
To learn more about the Health Care Registry, click on the link below.
What about flu vaccines?
Flu vaccines are annually now from local pharmacies. Please click here to find one near you.
Why can't I get through on the phone lines?
We completely understand your frustration when you can’t get through!
Our incredible staff are overwhelmed by the high volume of phone calls they receive on a daily basis. It is with the utmost respect that we ask each of our patients to only call when necessary and be understanding of the demand on our frontline staff.
How do I book an appointment online?
You can log in through the Health Myself Portal. If you are not registered, that’s ok; there is a link right below the phone number on our home page. In order to book an appointment, you must have a family physician at Shoreline. You will be guided through a step by step process to book a telehealth appointment.
Why can’t I get my prescription refilled without an appointment/why has my prescription that was sent from my pharmacy not been filled yet?
We know this is hard but we do not refill prescriptions without an appointment with a Physician. A medical review is necessary. Your doctor gives you the amount of medication needed to get you to the next appointment that he or she feels is necessary to check in with you again. This just means that you have to identify when you are going to run out and plan a visit in advance of that.
Our staff will not take refill requests over the phone, nor do we respond to pharmacies faxed requests asking for a renewal of your prescriptions. Please understand that due to the volume of patients requiring prescriptions we cannot possibly address these requests outside of a scheduled appointment with a physician. Please note that if you are going to run out before your appointment, your pharmacist can provide an emergency extension of your medications.
When is my specialist appointment, my imaging study?
Due to COVID-19, all tests and specialist wait times are longer than previous. When a referral is sent off to a specialist or to the radiology department, it is their office that books that appointment.
We often receive notice that they have received the referral, but we do not always know when the appointment is going to be.
Please do not call and ask for this information, you just have to wait to hear from the specialist’s office or we will call you if we receive it. If your symptoms change and there is greater urgency, you should make an appointment with your family physician to alert them to this.
What happens when my family doctor has no appointments available during the time frame I wish to book?
We work as a team at Shoreline. If your physician is not available, we strongly encourage you to book online with one of our locum physicians who are covering the practice. They will have access to your medical files and notes that your physician has left for continuity of care. There are also certain visit types that you can book directly with the nurse on our team.
I have a medical concern and am looking for other resources in our Community. How do I find them?
The most complete resource is Pathways, the community resource directory. You can find it here: victoria-southisland.pathwaysbc.ca
How can my new primary care provider or I get a copy of my medical records?
Patients or primary care providers can request a copy of medical records by completing this form and submitting it back to us by Pomelo or by dropping it off at the clinic (we have a mail slot patients can use if they like which is located at our front entrance).