January 19, 2022 – Update on Online appointment booking – 3:30pm
Online appointment booking is now working!
NEW! (Update: January 6, 2022)
OMICRON variant impact on AMC operations – January 6-28, 2022 (inclusive).
In light of the high transmisability of the OMICRON variant and current high caseloads, we are taking the following precautions:
-our Physicians and/or their staff may call you to change your already scheduled in-person visit with them to a telephone visit if it is not an urgent issue.
-our Physicians will continue to see patients with urgent issues.
-if you are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 (runny nose, sore throat, coughing, fatigue, headache), please stay home. Call us to change your appointment to a phone visit.
-In-person visits to our Walk-in Clinic are continuing but can only be booked once you have a telephone visit with one of our Walk-in Clinic physicians. Our Walk-in Clinic physician will determine if the nature of your issue requires an in-person visit. You will then be booked into a specific time by our Walk-in Clinic staff. Our Call Center staff will only be booking telephone visits into our Walk-in Clinic until January 28, 2022. We are taking these measures to keep our front-line healthcare workers safe and working during this critical period.
-Our Diagnostic Imaging (xray, ultrasound, mammograms and cardiac testing) remains open. You will notice our staff wearing different masks and faceshields for your (and their) protection.
With your help, we can get through this turbulent period and restore our family doctor and walk-in clinic in-person services soon. Thank you!
*Please continue to stay safe. Limit your social contacts.
**Wear a better mask (surgical, KN95, N95).
**Monitor for symptoms. Read this updated list: COVID-19 Updated symptom list
**Stay home if you have any symptoms. Read this: You have COVID19 symptoms – Next steps
**Exposed to someone who has COVID-19? Read this: Next steps – if you’ve been exposed to COVID-19
**Read about changes on COVID-19 testing here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/1001387/updated-eligibility-for-pcr-testing-and-case-and-contact-management-guidance-in-ontario
***Get boostered if you are eligible. Book here: https://covid19.ontariohealth.ca/
***Still have questions about COVID-19? Here’s a good Q&A from Family doctors: Click on this link: https://dfcm.utoronto.ca/confused-about-covid
**Read our email to AMC patients that try to answer the most common questions by clicking here: 2022-01-06 Message to AMC Patients – Website version
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Walk-in Clinic – Telephone Visit First (Update: January 6, 2022)
Our Walk-in Clinic continues to operate on a booked appointment basis only for a) in-person and b) telephone visits. Our ‘in-person’ list has a designated time for your appointment while our telephone list is on a ‘first come first served’ basis. So..if you have called in to make a telephone visit or if you have booked an appointment online for a telephone visit, our physicians are going down the list of booked patients in sequential order. And, just like our pre-pandemic Walk-in Clinic in person, you may have to wait for a physician to be available to speak to you. If you booked online, you will see an ‘appointment time’ but please be advised that this is NOT a time when you should expect to receive a phone call from our Walk-in Physician.
NOTE: Please be advised Opioids/Narcotics will not be prescribed or renewed in the Walk-In Clinic unless you have a family doctor at the Albany Medical Clinic. A limited renewal would be processed from any of the doctors in our Walk-in Clinic – so please see your family physician for controlled substance prescriptions.
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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Albany Medical Clinic has not closed its doors to patients. Our doctors continue to see patients.
However, during this Omicron surge, doctors are mostly seeing patients by telephone but are also scheduling in-person visits as the medical situation merits.
To book an appointment with your family doctor, you can book online by clicking either at the top of this page, clicking the ‘Book a family doctor appointment’ to the right or clicking here BOOK ONLINE . If you wish to book an in-person visit with your family doctor, call 416-461-9471. Booking agent staff will be able to advise you of available appointments.
Just this past week, we have implemented an update to our telephone system. Instead of waiting on hold, you can choose to get a call back from the Clinic! With this feature, you do not lose your place in the queue – our system will dial you when you are at the top of the queue ready to have your call answered! We hope you will find this new feature helpful – we know that it has been difficult to get through to the Clinic and have your call answered. We continue to try and improve our ability to get your call answered!
Coming in for an in-person visit?
Please make sure that you do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and take a moment to read the screening signs before you enter the elevator. For physician appointments, you will already have had COVID-19 screening on the phone or by email when your appointment was being confirmed but if you are feeling unwell on the day of your in-person visit – don’t come in; call to switch your appointment to a telephone visit. Please be patient as we carefully re-open and increase our in-person visits!
We continue to have decals on the floor of the lobby to limit the number of patients in the lobby at any time. If you arrive and all the decals are filled, please wait to enter until there is availability.
We continue to limit our elevators to 4 patients at any time.
We continue to limit the number of patients in the building at any time by continuing to limit the number of chairs in our waiting rooms.
DO NOT bring food or drink into the Clinic for your visit.
Finally, as a Clinic, we strongly recommend and encourage that all eligible patients get the COVID-19 vaccine. Continued re-opening and returning to a more normal operation depends on vaccination and continued compliance with public health initiatives. Stay safe and please get vaccinated!
If you are coming into the Clinic, please wear a mask – and if it is a surgical mask, KN95 or N95 – even better!
Having a phone visit with your family doctor?
If you need to send a medical photo to your doctor, click here for guidelines on how to take a quality photo.
When you have your photos ready to send, click ‘SUBMIT DOCUMENTS’ in the top right of this page.
NOTE: Doctor telephone calls to you may show on your phone as ‘Blocked Caller’ or ‘No Caller Id’. Please ensure your device is set to allow calls of this nature and that you still pick up.
NOTE: Please be advised Opioids/Narcotics will not be prescribed or renewed in the Walk-In Clinic. Please see your family physician for controlled substance prescriptions.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in Ontario
If you have specific questions about getting vaccinated, please make an appointment to discuss with your family doctor directly.
Find out more information on the COVID-19 vaccine by clicking this link: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-vaccines-ontario
Here are the ways that you can get a COVID-19 vaccination:
- Website – Online Booking – Province of Ontario – Click on this link to use the Province’s booking system: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/
- Pop-up mobile clinics – In hotspot postal codes, community leaders are organizing pop-up clinics. Check social media and flyers posted in your community for details.
NOTE: At this time, the Albany Medical Clinic is NOT planning any additional vaccination clinics nor give the COVID-19 vaccine on site. Rexall Pharmacy, on the ground floor of our building, is administering the COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna/Pfizer). Please contact Rexall directly to make an appointment.
NOTE: The Albany Medical Clinic has implemented a COVID-19 vaccination policy. 97% of physicians and staff are fully vaccinated. Non vaccinated team members are required to be tested twice a week prior to starting work, if onsite.
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Patient Appointment Reminders by Email! (Update: October 30, 2021)
We are sending out email appointment reminders to patients with booked appointments with our Nursing Station, Family Doctor and Specialist appointments. Follow the instructions to confirm your appointment and don’t forget to complete the Covid-19 screening questionnaire! Want an email appointment reminder? Make sure we have your email address!
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Our NURSING STATION will be open Monday to Friday and will only be accepting booked appointments; no drop-in appointments until further notice. (Ear Syringing, Injections, etc.) Please call our Call Centre at 416-461-9471 to book your Nursing Station appointment.
Our DIAGNOSTICS DEPARTMENT will be CLOSED on Saturdays and Sundays until further notice. (X-ray, Ultrasound, ECG, Holters, etc.)
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Online Booking Tips:
– Have your Health Card number ready.
– If we have your email address, an email confirmation will be sent automatically after booking your appointment if you click on ‘Email confirmation’. (You can then cancel your appointment online if you needed to!)
– Online bookings can be cancelled online with a minimum of 24 hours advance notice*
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Information for Patient for Virtual Care
COVID-19 is placing stress on Canada’s public health system. Our clinic is starting to offer virtual care to make sure that we can continue to care for our patients safely and effectively. This means that we will be using video and audio technologies for some patient visits rather than asking all patients to come into our office. Some of these technologies are provided by the Province. Others have been provided by vendors such as Google, or Apple to help make discussions with your care provider as easy as possible during these difficult times. Some health concerns can be addressed with virtual care alone, but in some cases your doctor may ask you to visit a hospital or other health-care facility if necessary, for a physical examination.
We do our best to make sure that any information you give to us during virtual care visits is private and secure, but no video or audio tools are ever completely secure. There is an increased security risk that your health information may be intercepted or disclosed to third parties when using video or audio communications tools. To help us keep your information safe and secure, you can:
• Understand that this method of communication is not secure in the same way as a private appointment in an exam room.
• Use a private computer/device (i.e., not an employer’s or third party’s computer/device) and a secure internet connection. For example, using a personal computer or tablet is more secure than using someone else’s computer, and your access to the Internet on your home network will generally be more secure than an open guest Wi-Fi connection.
You should also understand that virtual care is not a substitute for in-person communication or clinical examinations, where appropriate, or forgoing to an Emergency Department when needed (including for any urgent care that may be required).
If you are concerned about using video or audio tools for virtual care, you can ask our office to arrange for you to visit a different health-care provider or other health-care center where you can be seen in person. However, please note that visiting a health care provider in person comes with a higher risk of coming into contact with COVID-19 and the possibility of spreading the virus.
By providing your information, you agree to let us collect, use, or disclose your personal health information through video or audio communications (while following applicable privacy laws) to provide you with care. In particular, the following means of electronic communication may be used or video conferencing (including but not limited to Skype, Facetime, etc.).
