Terms and Conditions

The following Terms and Conditions apply to all patients of OT&P Healthcare and associated clinics ("OT&P"), which are part of the Pacific Primary Health Care Group ("PPHC"). Please read the following and confirm your acceptance by ticking the "accept box" at the end.

OT&P adhere to the Medical Council of Hong Kong's Code of Professional Conduct. A copy of the code can be downloaded from the Medical Council's website.

OT&P are internationally accredited by Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS). Our original accreditation was obtained in March 2010 and follows a 3 year program to continually improve standards at OT&P. Information about ACHS can be found on their website.

Whilst our general opening hours are 9 AM to 6 PM Monday to Friday and 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, some clinics do vary. OT&P do not provide out of hours cover. If you ring the office number, you will be advised to call 999 in an emergency, or to attend a hospital. Some private hospitals in Hong Kong do offer out of hours clinics. The government also has a network of Accident and Emergency Departments. For full details on the opening times of our individual clinics, please refer to our website.

Patient Records

It is extremely important for us to verify each patient's identity for the safe management of patients. Please provide a valid HKID/Passport at registration to comply with legal requirements by Department of Health for safe administration of drugs and treatment.

Patient Records are held for a minimum of 7 years from your last visit. This time may be longer in a number of circumstances, including when we are legally required. Patients agree that records can be held in physical and/or electronic form. We take great care that secure systems are used and that confidentiality is maintained at all times.

Patients are responsible for providing accurate information to staff, as medical advice and treatment can based on the information provided. As we need to keep our records up to date, please inform reception if you have changed your Address, Phone number, Email address or Medical history. OT&P will not be held responsible for the consequences of incorrect or incomplete information.

As part of OT&P's international accreditation, ACHS may review patient files. You may opt out of this review process. If you wish to do so, let our reception staff know.

A copy of your medical records is available on request. Should you require a full copy of your records, we shall supply them within a reasonable timescale and an administration fee may be charged. Legal guardians may request a copy of medical records for minors. Should an adult require a copy of their medical records, they must do so themselves. A partner or spouse cannot request medical records on behalf of their partner.

Should you leave Hong Kong, we strongly urge you to request a copy of your medical records before you leave.

Patient Rights and Responsibilities

The Hong Kong Medical Association has published a document, "The Rights and Responsibilities of a Patient" which is available at http://www.hkma.org/english/pubmededu/hkmaedu.htm

Fees & Insurance

Our fee schedules are posted in our clinics. A copy of these are available on request. For payment, we accept cash or major credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and Amex. We also accept some mobile wallet payments. OT&P does not offer credit facilities and patients will be required to pay the bill before you leave the clinic. If a delegate is sent to collect medication, they shall be asked to pay before being given the medicines. Only one original receipt will be issued for treatment. If a patient requests a duplicate receipt, it will be marked as a copy.

Some of our patients have health insurance. Medical insurance agreements and coverage are between the insurance company and the patient. Our doctors have no control over what is included in your insurance policy, nor can they be expected to know all the details of your coverage. It is always to best to be clear about fees before you receive a treatment and you should check with your insurer whether you are covered or not.

As medical professionals we have a duty to provide accurate clinical information and diagnosis on medical certificates provided for third parties. This includes all documents relating to medical insurance. Asking any member of our staff to falsify this information is requesting an action which is not only unethical but potentially fraudulent.

Some insurance companies allow patients to utilize a direct settlement agreement for their bill. If you are using direct settlement, you will be asked to produce your insurance card at each visit. Should we be unable to confirm the status of the policy as active, you will be asked to settle with a credit card and make your own arrangements to collect refund from the insurance company.

Where there is a dispute regarding whether an insurance company will pay for a treatment or consultation, the patient who received the treatment or consultation is liable for the payment to OT&P. Any dispute between the insurance company and patient should be settled in line with the insurance company’s policy guidelines and/or complaints procedure.

Should OT&P have to take legal steps to recover an outstanding payment from a patient, this will be done under Hong Kong law. Our patients accept to cover all costs incurred in taking such steps of recovery, as part of our charges.

Data Privacy

As part of the PPHC group, OT&P are committed to protect your privacy and will, at all times, observe the requirements of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap.486, Laws of Hong Kong) in the collection, use and maintenance of your personally identifiable information ("personal data"). Where your personal data is used within the PPHC group for marketing purposes, medical information will not be shared without your consent.

In certain circumstances, including, but not limited to the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap.599) (Notification of Infectious Diseases), the law may require us to share your personal & medical information. Where possible, we aim to notify you in advance, however, this may not always possible.

Where a patient provides us with details of their health insurance company and policy in relation to settling a payment, the patient authorizes OT&P to release personal and medical information to that insurance company for the purposes of settling the bill.

Outsourced Testing, Scans & Imaging

OT&P aim to manage external service providers so that care and services are safe and of the highest achievable quality. Outsourced testing services include but are not limited to Laboratory and Radiology testing. There is a policy to select and manage these providers and agreements in place which covers provision of professional services, quality assurance and confidentiality and data protection.

OT&P keeps a register of service providers and evaluates them on an annual basis. We aim to ensure our service providers are complying with relevant standards and regulatory legislation. Where possible we use laboratories, which are accredited to international standards. Local Hong Kong service providers are visited and assessed by a trained quality auditor. Nevertheless, OT&P cannot be held responsible for negligent acts or omissions by external service providers who are not directly supervised by us. Copies of your test results are available on request.

Should physical copies or X-rays or scans be provided, we encourage patients to take them home as we cannot store these and you may need them for comparison at a later date. X-rays not taken home in one year and scans within two years will be shredded and only the radiologist report stored in the patient records

Dedicated Pharmacy

OT&P holds a wholesale pharmacy license. Our pharmacist oversees every aspect of sourcing, medicine management and dispensing. All products come from approved suppliers. Our pharmacist visits our clinics on a regular basis to give advice, support staff and undertake audits. Holding a wholesale license gives us the ability to import medicine according to patients' needs, which can be invaluable for patients with certain existing treatments. In general, the price charged to patients for medicines is higher than the cost of sourcing them. You may choose to obtain your medicine here, or take your prescription elsewhere.

It is a dangerous practice for pharmacists/clinics to accept and return to stock the unused portions of prescriptions, there would no longer be any assurance of the strength, quality, purity and/or identity of the articles. For the best interest of all our patients and to comply with best practices standards for medicines management, OT&P will not accept return of drugs to our stock once they have been out of the clinic. This is relevant to whole or part prescriptions.

Whilst we endeavour to action repeat prescription requests as soon as possible, 24 hours notice should be given. In some circumstances, a consultation may be required before a repeat prescription is provided. There may be occasions where we do not have stock of particular medicines.

Risks

Medical treatments can have risks and side effects. Your doctor will discuss these before treatment. You may ask questions regarding treatment prior to giving consent.

Cancellation Policy

For some of our therapy services, we require notice of at least 8 business hours if any patient wishes to cancel their scheduled appointment, without incurring any charges. Late cancellations and missed appointments may be charged a fee, if we are not able to fill the time slot. If we do fill the slot with another patient, there will be no charge.

If your health insurance company is being billed for your treatments, we will not be able to bill them for any missed appointments or late cancellations. The patient will be required settle the charges and may, in turn, bill the insurance company on their own, if they wish to do so.

Please note that all patients are responsible to pay for the time they have reserved with the therapist, regardless of the time they arrive and when they actually begin their session.

For information on specific services, ask at reception.

Complaints Procedures

We are committed to providing the highest standards to our patients. Should you have any suggestions for improving our service, we would welcome your feedback by emailing us at cs@otandp.com

Should you feel the need to make a complaint about OT&P service, we would like the chance to address this directly with you. We have a complaints procedure which is available upon request. Should you feel it necessary, you can contact the Medical Council.