Do you accept new patients?

Unfortunately, at present we do not. Please, check with us again in the future.

 

How do I get registered with this clinic?

As soon as our practitioners' lists will open again, you will be able to download our Registration Form (one for each registrant) and drop it in at the front desk with your valid Alberta driving licence or ID that proves your current address in the province, and your provincial insurance card. When you drop the form in, you will be able to book an appointment with the Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner you want to register with.

 

If I book a meet and greet appointment with the Family Physician or the Family Nurse Practitioner, does it mean that I am automatically registered with them?

No. On the meet and greet appointment you and the physician or nurse practitioner will agree together on whether you will be registered as a patient or you need the attention of another physician or nurse practitioner.

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How long is an appointment in your clinic?

The average appointment with a Physician is 10 minutes. Some patients require extra care and will be booked for 20 minutes. A complete physical examination with the Physician or with the Nurse Practitioner will take about 30 minutes. All RN-led walk-in appointments are 30 minutes long. Nurse Practitioner's appointments are 20 minutes long.

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Do you offer walk-in appointments?

We currently do not offer walk-in appointments.

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What if I cannot make it to my appointment?

If you cannot make it on time for your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible. If the appointment is canceled more than 24 hours before the scheduled time, there will be no fee. If it is cancelled less than 24h before the scheduled time the system will generate a $40 missed appointment fee ($150 for a missed CPX appointment, and $80 for a missed mental health one). Alternatively, you may decide to reschedule your appointment for another day that is more convenient for you. Rescheduling the appointment will automatically waive the $40, $80 or $150 missed appointment fee. However, if a patient cancels or reschedules more than three appointments consecutively, a charge of $40 will apply before the next appointment may be scheduled. This is to make sure that other patients who genuinely need access to healthcare services are not hindered by other patients who regularly cancel their appointments every time.

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Do you offer over-the-phone consultations?

In some specific occasions our physicians and advanced practice nurses may consult you over the phone for certain conditions. You will be advised by the Medical Office Assistant who will take your call when this is possible. Our Medical Office Assistants are trained to offer you an over-the-phone consultation with either a physician or an advanced practice nurse when your need is deemed urgent under our traffic light system.

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I have received over-the-phone instructions from a Medical Office Assistant, but I want to speak to a physician or a registered nurse.

If you have received instructions from one of the MOAs of this clinic, we strongly suggest that you follow them because, in turn, they have been instructed by a physician or a registered nurse to do so. Even if you spoke to a physician or registered nurse, they would tell you exactly the same. If you absolutely want to speak to a physician or registered nurse, you can book an appointment with them when a slot is available. However, it is very unlikely that they will tell you anything different than the MOAs because they were precisely the ones who instructed the MOAs to pass that specific message. If you follow the instructions of the MOA, instead, you will waste less of your time, and you will leave that appointment slot with the MD or NP or RN free for somebody else who has more urgent needs than you.

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I am a patient visiting from another Canadian province, can I be seen as a walk-in patient?

No. We currently do not offer walk-in appointments. However, should the service restart in the future, we would accept patients from other provinces. If you visit from Federal Canada, please have your provincial health insurance card with you together with your driving licence or ID card, and you will be able to see the Physician or the Nurse at no cost. If you are a visitor from Quebec, your RAMQ card will not cover you for a Family Physician or Nurse visit. Instead, there will be a $150 out-of-province fee for your visit if you choose to see the physician and $80 if you choose to see the nurse practitioner instead.

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Who is exempt from paying out-of-province fees (visiting from Quebec) when seeing the physician?

Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces

Active members of the Canadian Armed Forces

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I am a patient visiting from overseas, can I be seen as a walk-in patient?

No. We currently do not offer walk-in appointments. We offer services only to patients who are registered with us. However, should the service for unregistered patients restart in the future, we would accept patients from other countries for walk-in visits. There is a $150 out-of-country fee associated with this service if you choose to see the physician and $80 if you choose to see the nurse practitioner. For follow up appointments (non CPX) prices may vary. Please CLICK HERE to see the full price range for privately offered services.

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Who is exempt from paying out-of-country fees when seeing the physician?

Visiting active members of the US Armed Forces

Visiting active members of the Israeli Defence Forces

Visiting active members of the British Armed Forces

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Are all the services that you provide covered by Alberta Health Service insurance?

No. Some services are paid out of pocket or through your private health insurance. For a full list and price, please CLICK HERE. All services offered by the nurse practitioner are out-of-pocket as they are not covered under Alberta Health Insurance. 

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Who is exempt from paying administrative out-of-pocket fees when seeing the physician?

Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces

Active members of the Canadian Armed Forces

Active members of the Calgary Police or RCMP

Retired Calgary Police or RCMP officers

Active members of the EMS and Calgary Fire Department

Retired EMS and Calgary Fire Department officers

Visiting active members of the US Armed Forces

Visiting active members of the Israeli Defence Forces

Visiting active members of the British Armed Forces

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What languages do you offer services in?

We offer services in English, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Italian, and Tagalog.

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Why don't you allow Physicians or Nurses to accept gifts from patients?

At Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic, we strongly believe in delivering the highest standards of ethical care. We do not believe that there is any instance where accepting a gift from a patient, for a Physician or Nurse, does not amount to bribery and corruption. While we do understand that these may not necessarily be the intentions of the patient offering a gift of gratitude to a healthcare professional, we never believe that it was morally and ethically appropriate for that professional to accept that gift. The gift must be politely refused by the professional in all circumstances. To learn more about why we do not allow Nurses or Physicians to accept gifts, please read the official statement and policy regarding gifts and bribery from the Clinical Manager by CLICKING HERE.

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What type of health professionals work at your clinic?

There is a variety of health professionals working at our clinic. Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic applies minimum standard requirements for each group of staff that are in line with current laws and best practice standards. If you would like to know more about the professional profile of our members of staff and the minimum requirements to work with us, please CLICK HERE.

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What is the difference between a Family Physician and a Family Nurse Practitioner?

A Family Physician is a health professional who holds a Medical Degree and a Master's Degree in Family Medicine. A Family Physician generally trained for about eight to ten years to become one. A Family Nurse Practitioner is a health professional who holds a degree in nursing, two years of post-registration full-time registered nursing practice and a Master's Degree in Family Nursing Practice. A Family Nurse Practitioner generally trained for about eight to ten years to become one. Even though their academic education is different, their scope of practice, capacity to treat and diagnose, as well as their medical knowledge are virtually the same. As a result, you may decide to register with either a Family Physician or with a Family Nurse Practitioner. 

 

What is the difference between a Family Physician and a Registered Nurse in this clinic?

A Family Physician is a health professional who holds a Medical Degree and a Master's Degree in Family Medicine. All Registered Nurses in this clinic hold a university degree in Nursing and as an additional requirement, either a minimum of 3 years of full-time family medicine or emergency medicine experience or a Master's Degree in either Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine or Occupational Health. The scopes of practice of a Family Physician and a Registered Nurse are different, even though sometimes these may overlap. For example, a Registered Nurse, may perform certain tasks that often are performed by Physicians, like assessing patients’ history, vital signs, carrying out a full body examination. Our Registered Nurses are all qualified to see patients on a walk-in basis, and may even be able to prescribe Schedule 1 medications, just like a physician. To learn more about the similarities and differences between a Family Physician, a Nurse Practitioner, a Registered Nurse and other professionals and what restricted activities they are allowed to perform in Alberta, feel free to CLICK HERE.

 

What is the difference between a Registered Nurse and a Family Nurse Practitioner?

While both hold a Bachelor of Nursing from a recognized university, Nurse Practitioners have a Master or Doctorate degree in Family Nursing Practice, which trained them to diagnose illnesses and conditions, treat diseases, and prescribe all medications independently just like a Family Physician does. A Registered Nurse may only perform these tasks if aided by a precise and specific protocol. For this reason, a Family Nurse Practitioner may act as a primary care provider and have patients registering with them. A Registered Nurse may not be able to function as a regular primary provider and, as a result, you will not be able to register with a Registered Nurse but only seen them on an occasional basis, when you need an urgent appointment and a Family Physician or Family Nurse Practitioner are not available at that time.

 

What is an MOA and why are they allowed to carry out some of the tasks that normally are carried out by Registered Nurses?

MOA stands for Medical Office Assistant. In general, an MOA is an undergraduate diploma offered by colleges or universities all across North America. All our MOAs are clinically trained, and as an additional requirement, and to be able to legally offer POP CoRN services together with the Nurses, CRMC's Medical Office Assistants must either already hold registration with the Alberta Health Care Aide Directory or be enrolled in the Competency Assessment Program leading to professional registration as a Health Care Aide. This means that while the MOA profession is not regulated, our MOAs are still regulated members of staff with a code of conduct and legal/professional responsibilities. All our MOAs are also obliged by contract to abide by the Canadian Nursing Association Code of Ethics and by the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta Standards of Practice. As a result, whatever is disclosed to any of our MOAs is kept strictly confidential and all MOAs in our clinic comply with legal and professional standards that distinct professional Nurses.

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Why do all your members of staff wear a uniform?

All members of clinical staff in CRMC wear a ​uniform for many reasons. A uniform helps to protect both members of staff and the community from infection transmission. The CRMC uniform can only be worn inside the premises and a strict protocol regulates it use, and its routine care. Furthermore, the uniform elevates the medical and nursing professions to the level of probity they deserve: a physician or a nurse wearing a uniform will not make a patient with less financial capabilities feel in a position of weakness when planning their own care with the health professional they are consulting. On the contrary, we believe that a physician or nurse who cares too much about their appearance and about showing their financial capabilities through their clothing completely lacks professionalism and cares very little about any embarrassment that they may cause to their clients when they consult them. Lastly, experience and research has proven that the adoption of clinical uniforms reduces the risk for staff abuse while improving the inter-professional co-operation among the different members of the team. To learn more about our staff uniform policy, please CLICK HERE.

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What are the rights and responsibilities of patients at CRMC?

PATIENT/CLIENT RIGHTS

Our professional preparation and values guide us to adopt ethical behaviour and treat our clients with dignity and respect. As a patient or client of Cranston Ridge Medical Clinic (CRMC), you have the right to:

 

• Obtain complete, clear information about the nature of your condition, your treatment plan and what you can expect in the future.

• Be informed about CRMC policies and practices related to your care.

• Involve your family appropriately in your care.

• Attend scheduled appointments to review your follow-up progress.

• Ask questions and be involved in making decisions that will affect you.

• Refuse services at any time during your care, and end the relationship with the clinic and the physician.

• Be referred to a more appropriate health care provider if you need treatment not available at CRMC.

• Be treated without discrimination of your age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or medical condition.

• Know your care will not be affected if you file a complaint or appeal a clinical decision

• Know your personal information is kept private and shared only with the members of the team of CRMC involved in your care and with the organizations that you have agreed to be referred to.

 

PATIENT/CLIENT OBLIGATIONS

As patients and clients of CRMC you are expected to abide by the following obligations:

 

• To treat all members of staff, whatever their role, with respect and dignity

• To treat all other patients, you may interact with, using respect and dignity

• To refrain from using threatening, aggressive or offensive language, both verbal and non-verbal in every situation

• To refrain from being physically threatening or violent

• To come to your appointment on time and at least 10 minutes ahead of schedule

• To comply with all CRMC policies and regulations while inside the premises

• To comply with staff directions and orders in case of emergency or natural disaster

• To inform CRMC at least 24h in advance if you cannot attend a scheduled appointment - if you cannot do so, you will be asked to reschedule the appointment for another day; failure to agree to reschedule the appointment will result in a $40 missed appointment fee (for regular visits) and $150 missed appointment fee (for physical exams) being issued to you. At this point, a new appointment or any other service, including record transfer to other clinics, will only be possible after the $40 or $150 fee is paid in full.