PATIENT INFO
Welcome New Patients
Welcome to our clinic. We strive to provide excellent GI care to all of our patients.
schedule
How appointments work
Physicians in our clinic conduct both in-office and telephone appointments. Should you have a preference, please notify your GI specialist office directly.
Our office will contact patients directly to notify them of their scheduled appointment to see one of our GI specialists. If your appointment is within 3 weeks, one of our staff will contact you by telephone. If your appointment is more than 3 weeks away and we have your email address on file, you will receive an email notification from a secure platform called Ocean MD with “A Message from West Coast Gastroenterology”. It will ask you to provide your date of birth to validate your credentials so you can access the message confidentially and securely. You will NOT be asked for any personal information other than your date of birth. If we do not have an email address for you on file, you will receive a paper notification by mail sent to your home address.
If you change address, email, or phone number, please contact your GI specialist’s office by telephone to update your contact details.
Preparing for Your Visit
Office appointment:
- Please arrive 15 minutes ahead of your appointment.
- Please allocate up to 60 minutes for your visit
- Please bring your Healthcare card, along with your list of medication/ supplements/ alternative therapies
- If you have Fibroscan scheduled, please ensure fasting for 3 hours before your appointment
- If you do not speak English or have difficulty communicating, please bring a translator
Telephone appointment:
- Please ensure you are available to answer your phone up to 60 minutes before and 60 minutes after your scheduled appointment, in case the physician is running early or late.
- If you have anonymous call blocking setting on your phone, please ensure it is disabled, as the doctor may be calling you from a blocked ID number
- Please have your list of medication/ supplements/ alternative therapies ready to provide to the physician
- If you do not speak English or have difficulty communicating, please ensure a translator is available to assist with your appointment over the phone
Direct to procedure appointment:
- Following the review of your referral, your GI specialist may choose to schedule you for a direct to procedure appointment. If you prefer to have a consultation first, please contact the office to set up an appointment instead
- The office will provide you with all the information for your procedure including the dates/time/location of your procedure along with the preparation details that are required
- If you take blood thinner, diabetes therapy, iron, fiber supplement, please notify the office with the name and dose of medications. The physicians will provide guidance on whether any of these therapies may need to be modified/ stopped ahead of the procedure to ensure your safety during the procedure
- It is not advisable to travel up to 14 days after your procedure, due to small potential risk of complication post-endoscopic procedures
Appointment Reminders
Reminders for telephone or clinic appointments:
- At 8 days prior to your consultation appointment, if we have your email on file, you will receive an email from Ocean MD to remind you of your booking. The secure message will provide you with the appointment details and you can click on a button to confirm the appointment online.
- At 7 days prior to the appointment, if confirmation has not already been received via the Ocean Reminder email or if we do not have an email address for you on file, you will receive a telephone call from an automated reminder service called Cliniconex. The voice message will provide you with the appointment details and you can confirm or cancel your appointment by selecting the corresponding number on your phone. If you do not pick up the call, an automated message will be left with the appointment details and a request to phone the office to confirm attendance of your appointment.
- At 5 days prior to the appointment, if confirmation is still not received, the office will phone you to confirm the appointment and leave a message for callback if we are unable to reach you directly.
- At 3 days prior to the appointment, if confirmation is still not obtained, the appointment will be automatically cancelled and the spot will be offered to the next patient waiting on the list.
Reminders for procedures:
- At 7 days prior to your procedure, an office staff member will contact you by telephone to confirm your procedure booking. This includes ensuring you have the correct date, time, and location for your procedure, that you have received and read through the previously provided preparation instructions, and that you have arranged for a responsible adult to escort you home following the procedure (if you are receiving sedation). If we are unable to reach you directly, a message will be left for callback.
- At 5 days prior to the procedure, if confirmation is not received, the booking is subject to cancellation. We must provide adequate time for patients who are booked at short notice to follow preparation protocols and arrange for an escort home following sedation.
Confirmation/Cancellation Policy
- All appointments (office consultation, telephone appointments, and hospital procedures) must be confirmed
- If you need to make any changes to your appointment, please contact your GI specialist’s office at your earliest convenience
- Please call your GI specialist’s office to confirm your appointment 1-2 weeks prior to your booking
- If you leave a message on our voicemail system to confirm your appointment, you will be automatically confirmed by the office. You will not get a call back from the office, unless the information you provided is incorrect
- Failure to confirm your appointment 1 week in advance may result in cancellation of your appointment
- If you fail to show up for a confirmed appointment OR cancel your confirmed appointment within 3 business days, you may be subject to $200 cancellation fee.
- Failure to attend more than 1 confirmed appointment may result in your discharge from our clinic and a new referral will be required from your primary care provider to another GI specialist.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
See the links below for information for new patients, questions and answers, and helpful resources.
Refer a Patient
Before an appointment can be scheduled, you will need a referral from your physician.
