How the machine works
Availability
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Office hours
The practice is open for appointments from 10h00 until 16h30 on weekdays and from 10h00 until 13h00 on some Saturdays and public holidays, the dates of which will be published on the Dashboard page. Weekday nights Dr Stander will be available on his phone until 17h00 on weekdays. An after-hour duty roster is shared between the paediatricians in Worcester. If Dr Stander is not on-duty on a specific evening, you will receive an automated response via SMS or Whatsapp (depending on your method of engagement) with the details of the paediatrician who is available. Weekends Dr Stander is usually on call one weekend per month; the exact date of which will always be posted on the Dashboard page. If Dr Stander is not on-duty on a specific weekend, you will receive an automated response via SMS or Whatsapp (depending on your method of engagement) with the details of the paediatrician who is available. When Dr Stander is on call over a weekend, he may elect to have phone calls forwarded to the emergency department at Mediclinic Worcester from 00h00 to 08h00, to first be prioritised for specialist advice by the casualty officer. |
Practice availability
January 2020 Wednesday, January 1 : Practice closed Saturday, January 4 : Practice closed Saturday, January 11 : Practice closed Saturday, January 18 : Practice closed Friday-Sunday, January 24-26 : Dr Stander on call @ Mediclinic Worcester |
Social media & electronic communicationRemember : Rather phone if your little one is ill after-hours. Do not depend on a response to a SMS, Whatsapp or email. |
Yes, we believe that the use of social media and electronic communication in a medical practice can be a convenient and useful tool in delivering a quality service. Here is our take on the appropriate use of telephonic consultations and communications and advice given via Whatsapp, SMS/MMS and e-mail :
Modalities used : All of these modalities are not intended for primary diagnosis. 1. SMS/Whatsapp : Intended for providing quick answers to short questions for known patients with already-diagnosed problems. SMS/Whatsapp messages will not be responded to after 17h00 on weekdays and on weekends if Dr Stander is not on-call for paediatrics at Mediclinic Worcester. 2. Email : Intended for providing advice and support to known patients with chronic (longstanding) conditions. Expect a delayed response (within 24 hours), unless sent over a weekend, when a response could be expected on the Monday of the following week. Office hours : Dr Stander will respond to messages sent via Whatsapp, SMS/MMS or email if and when he has time available during the day. If the day is fully booked, Dr Stander may not be able to respond - please phone the practice if your Whatsapp/SMS has not been answered within a reasonable time. Advice will not be given via Whatsapp, SMS or email for : - Patients not known to the practice. - New, undiagnosed problems. Appropriate advice and medication can only be provided after a physical consultation. A proper diagnosis is the only acceptable start to a cure. Phone calls directly to Dr Stander's cellphone : Calls will be diverted to the practice reception during office hours. Weekday nights & weekends : If Dr Stander is not on duty on or over a specific evening or weekend, he will not be responding to messages sent via Whatsapp, SMS/MMS or e-mail. Be sure to check his Whatsapp status in this regard - it will indicate either that he is available or, if not, to which paediatrician your call will be diverted. You are advised as a parent to not depend on a response to a message sent via Whatsapp, SMS/MMS or e-mail. If your little one has a problem after-hours, phone (079 294 3199)! You will always get in touch with a paediatrician by phoning this number. Dr Stander reserves the right to ignore SMS/Whatsapp messages. This will be done if the nature of the message is found to be inappropriate, abusive or contravening the principles outlined above. These consultations may be charged. Due to the workload generated and liability incurred by consultations via telephone, Whatsapp, SMS/MMS or email, Dr Stander may charge a fee for the service rendered according to his own discretion, based on the complexity and duration thereof and for the writing and sending of prescriptions that have resulted from them. |
Money mattersNo nasty surprises. Know what you are in for. |
Running a medical practice like this one, is expensive. All staff deserve market-related salaries and Dr Stander certainly deserves remuneration at least comparable to that of a paediatric consultant, with the same qualifications and level of experience, in the public sector. We tried keeping the cost of private medical care as low as possible for as long as we possibly could. The dream of running a practice at medical aid tariffs (avoiding co-payments) could not be realised. From May 2016, the practice had to start issuing co-payments for medical aid members belonging to certain medical aids. In an attempt to protect as many medical aid patients as possible from these co-payments while ensuring a sustainable practice, we have signed payment arrangement contracts with most major medical schemes. From 2016 the practice operated as a partial cash practice. Currently, this means that medical aid patients need to pay a minimum fee of R400 on the day of the consultation once their funds are depleted and non-medical aid patients need to settle the full consultation fee on the day of the visit.
By settling your account timeously, you are making it better for all practice patients, enabling the practice to keep consultation fees as low as possible. Patients are welcome to enter into reasonable payment arrangements for outstanding balances on their accounts. The practice cannot function as a credit provider for medical advice and care given. Currently practice billing policy : 
Current emergency department billing policy :
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Discovery Health ID
The practice has partnered with Discovery Health ID to harness the advantages technology can bring to efficient healthcare service delivery. The Discovery Health ID platform can assist Dr Stander in your child’s healthcare management :
1. The Electronic Health Record contains useful information on previous diagnoses, prescriptions and test results. An insight into previous diagnoses made or medicines prescribed by other paediatricians or general practitioners (all over the country and world) can positively influence the diagnosis of a recurrent or ongoing problem, apart from avoiding unnecessary duplication in the requesting of costly special investigations.
2. The application for the approval of chronic medication for a chronic disease (like asthma) is a click away. No more paperwork. No more waiting.
3. Acute medication can be prescribed directly to your pharmacy from a mobile platform. This helps with telephonic prescriptions after-hours or over a weekend, especially if pharmacies do not allow prescriptions via SMS.
To realise the benefits this platform offers to your child, you need to give consent for Dr Stander to have access to your child’s Electronic Health Record. There are various ways in which this could be done. Click here for more information.
1. The Electronic Health Record contains useful information on previous diagnoses, prescriptions and test results. An insight into previous diagnoses made or medicines prescribed by other paediatricians or general practitioners (all over the country and world) can positively influence the diagnosis of a recurrent or ongoing problem, apart from avoiding unnecessary duplication in the requesting of costly special investigations.
2. The application for the approval of chronic medication for a chronic disease (like asthma) is a click away. No more paperwork. No more waiting.
3. Acute medication can be prescribed directly to your pharmacy from a mobile platform. This helps with telephonic prescriptions after-hours or over a weekend, especially if pharmacies do not allow prescriptions via SMS.
To realise the benefits this platform offers to your child, you need to give consent for Dr Stander to have access to your child’s Electronic Health Record. There are various ways in which this could be done. Click here for more information.