Prince Edward Medical offers after hours services for urgent issues to our registered patients.
Monday to Thursday 5:30pm- 8:30pm – please call our office as early as possible to reserve a same-day or next day appointment. Do not wait until later in the afternoon for a same day appointment hoping for an evening slot, this overwhelms clinic capacity and blocks access to care for everyone. You will be offered a next day appointment if we are at capacity.
Saturdays 9am-11am – please walk into the office if you are a PEM patient with an urgent issue. If the issues is not urgent, you will be rebooked by the staff for a different day.
What constitutes as an “urgent” issue? Some examples may include:
- a child that is sick or has a fever
- suspected bladder infection
- serious infection that you think may require antibiotics
- severe pain
- mental health crisis
What should be a regular visit?
- Needing refills for your long-term medicines
- Follow up for existing concerns previously discussed with your family doctor
- needing notes/forms/documents completed
- Preventative health visits: well baby checks, immunizations, annual visit, cancer screening tests
This service is intended as a way to avoid unnecessary visits to urgent care and walk in clinics:
1. As part of a FHO, we are funded by OHIP to offer you these services to reduce unneeded tests and treatments. Using a walk in or urgent care clinic, results in OHIP penalizing us financially each time you see a doctor that we did not refer you to. This undermines our ability to run a sustainable family practice in the community.
2. The after hours clinic allows the treating doctor to have access to your chart, and your own doctor to see exactly what happened at the visit, including any tests or follow-ups that are required. This helps reduce lost tests and follow up visits (that are often done via telephone).
This system is both in your best interest and Ontario’s healthcare, as it reduces unneeded tests, antibiotic use and allows your doctor receive all reports in a timely manner. It also reduces your wait time, as a specific appointments time will be given to you.
The purpose of this clinic is not simply for convenience, it’s to offer the best care to the most number of patients as possible.
As always, please dial 9-1-1 or attend your nearest emergency department for life-threatening problems.
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