Application to become a patient

Because this practice is already bigger than ideal (both in terms of patient access and staff stress), a policy of tightly restricted access has been adopted, essentially "closing the books". This means the only "casual" patients we can see are visiting family of currently registered patients. We will however consider some exceptions to registering new patients on a number of grounds.

Policy

Those likely to be accepted as registered patients are:

1. Family of existing registered patients;
2. Previous patients "in good standing" who had been away from the district and have returned.
   ["Good Standing" means didn't leave with a bad debt or ill feelings!];
3. New to the district applicants are also considered if they ask nicely! See below.

ALL applicants without exception must ask politely, in writing...

Send to:
Dr K T Blayney PO Box 447 Hāwera 4640 or to
k.blayney2@orcon.net.nz or
preferably deliver in person to 24 High St. Hāwera

• What do I say? -whatever you like, but it MUST include three essential items:
  1. Your name/s, a return address and phone number, not just a signature.
  2. That you understand and accept the fact that this is a private non-PHO practice.
     [as we are independent of the government Primary Health Organisation (PHO) system, you will NOT be enrolled in a PHO and will NOT receive any of the government's additional funding for "all" New Zealanders]
  3. That you are willing to pay your unsubsidised fees without complaint. [Unless you arrange an automatic bank payment, you will be expected to pay at the time of the service, we no longer run accounts and cannot afford bad debts -see FEES and how to afford our fees].
• Do I have to write? -only if you want to become a patient. If you can't be bothered, neither can I. This has proven to be a very effective control on numbers so there are no exceptions to this requirement.
• But I am free to select any doctor -yes, and as we are a private practice, I am free to not accept anyone, which is primarily anyone who can't be polite enough to ask. It is very simple.
• Can I apply by e-mail? -of course. Please use the practice e-mail at k.blayney2[at]orcon.net.nz, as only personal messages should be sent to my GMAIL address. Please also include a "snail mail" address to allow us to send practice information and transfer of notes request. Please do not use our email to request medical advice, we do not offer a "Patient Portal" nor remote "Telemedicine" except for COVID-19 patients - see Important New Practice Policy.

• What happens next? -if you are needing to be seen quickly, you will be given an appointment as a "casual patient". You will then be given (or posted) a standard reply outlining how the practice is run and how to obtain your old notes (or give permission for us to request them). If you don't like the way the practice is run, feel free to go elsewhere.

• Are there people we won't accept?
  
  I cannot accept anyone:

  • who as a patient of another local GP has been
    1. referred to me (say for minor surgery), or
    2. who has been seen by me as a supervisor at another practice
    for at least 6 months after being seen (for medico-ethical reasons);
  • who won't ask in writing;
  • who has no confidence in me;
  • who wants a GP to provide drugs or certificates but not medical advice;
  • who wants to remain enrolled in a PHO under another GP;
  • who complains about having to be seen for medical care, there are subsidised on-line practices if you don't want face to face (Kanohi ki te kanohi) care;
  • who doesn't intend to pay for our medical services (see Fees page), if you expect Government subsidies (other than GMS), there are subsidised practices available for you.
  • who complains about our fees. If you want subsidised fees, go to a subsidised clinic. However, you need to understand that our unsubsidised fees are similar to what PHO practices receive (on average) with Capitation BEFORE they charge patient fees see here and even lower than many city practices' patient fees (who also get substantial Capitation and other subsidies), so our GP income is VERY low. The fees we charge now are still much lower than other unsubsidised professionals with far less training and qualifications such as vets, dentists, optometrists, hairdressers and lawyers who arn't expected to subsidise their clients.
     
    

    Comparison with capitated practices: The easiest way to make a comparison is to see what a capitated practice receives on average for a young (say a 4 year old) child which is $178 [$495 p.a. plus GST divided by the average yearly utilisation rate of 3.2 for this age -see MoH listed capitation-rates. [This amount does not include the extra funding for "Practice Component", Management Services, Health Promotion, Services to increase access (SIA), Primary Options for Acute Care (POAC), CarePlus, Long Term Conditions funding, Palliative Care Visits funding etc. received by PHO practices but not by those practices independent of PHOs] Our PHO independent practice can claim a General Medical Services (GMS) benefit of $35.78 (GST incl) for a 4 year old. Added to the 10 minute fee of $40 the total our practice recieves is $75.78 (over $l00 less than capitated practices recieve) to run a full practice and pay GST.

    
    
• Can I have you as my GP but go other providers (Nurse Practitioner, Iwi Clinic, Telemedicine etc) when I wish?
  • If you don't have confidence in our care for the "easy bits", and/or not be prepared to pay for it, why would I want to take on the "difficult bits" without charging proper specialist rates?
  • How can I offer holistic care if I am excluded from aspects of your health care?
  • If something needs care or expertise not available in this Practice, it is better to be referred from our Practice to a service that can provide it (such as an appropriate specialist), so we then remain aware of overall health needs.
  • The main exceptions are:
    1. Emergencies (chest pain, stoke, major trauma, difficulty breathing etc) - call an ambulance and/or go directly to ED
    2. Mental Health Emergencies - contact the Crisis Team, now called the
       "Assessment & Brief Care (ABC) Team" Free Phone 0508 292 467
    3. After-hours urgent care that cannot wait - use ED or an A&M clinic
    4. Maternity care is no longer offered so find a Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) as soon as you find you are pregnant. For medico-legal reasons we will only deal with unfunded non-maternity medical problems in pregnancy. See Maternity (Obstetric) Care
       
  • In short, the answer is "this situation fragments care and is incompatible with our preferred practise, so if you want this, you may be better with a "health professional" who doesn't specialise in family medicine." [actually that was the medium answer, the short answer is "no"].

  Use this to apply to the surgery

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