TERMS AND CONDITIONS AGREED TO BY PATIENTS / PARENTS AND LEGAL

GUARDIANS

ABOUT THIS PRACTICE – AskDrJane

This is a general medical practice. Our approach to healthcare is to partner with our patients in achieving good health outcomes, in which both patient and healthcare professionals share responsibility.

Our approach to treatment is initially an online consultation. Should we ascertain that the medical assessment, treatment, and care is not suitable to be performed virtually, we will recommend that the patent goes to see a medical practitioner physically.

ON TIME OF PERFORMANCE OF SERVICE

Although we will do our best to render the services at the time we set, sometimes a previous patient may require a longer time or an emergency has to get preferences. By agreeing to our services, you agree to this uncertainty. We will, if possible, inform you if we run late.

PURPOSE AND NATURE OF HEALTHCARE

1. You confirm that you consent to be assessed understand that in healthcare results cannot always be predicted or guaranteed. Results also depend on how one’s body reacts to the treatments and/or procedures.
2. You confirm that you understand that your own disclosure, and behaviour (or that of a person legally under your care) may affect the outcome of the healthcare received. You agree to truthfully and wholly to the best of your knowledge and abilities, disclose accurate information, and follow the instructions provided to you by the healthcare professional you are consulting with. If you do not follow the instructions as stated above, you undertake to not hold Ask Dr Jane and its staff liable for any negative consequence.

PATIENT / CLIENT / CONSUMER DUTIES (NATIONAL HEALTH ACT, 2003)

1. You must adhere to the rules of Ask Dr Jane and any instructions given to

you by the staff or healthcare professionals.

2. You have the right to ask questions and to have them answered. If you do not ask any

questions, we will assume that you have understood everything and are fine with everything.

3. You and/or your family or other persons that come to Ask Dr Jane should

not harass the healthcare professionals and staff. They must be treated with respect. If not,

we are allowed by law to refuse to treat – or to continue to treat you or your children. In such

cases, we will refer you to another practice.

PRICING/FEES AND PAYMENT

1. Ask Dr Jane bills according to a billing policy.
2. Fees can be obtained from website, contact number, and ‘WhatsApp’ service on request.
3. What medical schemes pay for healthcare differ from scheme to scheme, and from option to

option. Should you have concerns about the amounts paid by your scheme, you would need

to contact them directly.

4. All accounts must be settled within 30 calendar days of the date on the account. If you have

not received an account from us within 30 days, please let the practice know immediately.

5. By choosing Ask Dr Jane, you –

• Consent to us submitting the account to your medical scheme. This does not mean that the

scheme has received the account or that they accept liability for the account. Please confirm

that with them.

• If you do not want any particular account to be submitted to your medical scheme, please let

us know before you leave Ask Dr Jane within 30 days after your consultation

• Confirm that the person indicated on the practice form as belonging to the scheme as the

principal member or dependent, is indeed a member with a valid membership at the date of

visiting the practice.

6. Patients who are not on medical schemes are requested to settle the account after the

consultation / procedure.

7. All adults (persons over the age of 18) remain fully liable to settle the full account, irrespective

of:

10.1 whether your scheme gave pre-authorisation; or

10.2 whether you are a dependent on someone else’s medical scheme

In some cases, medical schemes will only pay a portion of the treatment costs, and there is then still a part of the costs/fees outstanding. You are liable to pay this to us within 30 calendar days of the date appearing on the account you receive from Ask Dr Jane.

8. If your account is not paid after the required number of days, we will give, in terms of the

National Credit Act, notice of 20 working days that your account is in arrears. If you fail to

settle the account within another 10 days, the account will be handed over for debt collection.

This may result in you having a bad credit record. We reserve the right to charge the

maximum amount of 2% interest per month, as allowed by the National Credit Act on all

outstanding amounts. You will also be responsible for all costs relating to the debt collecting,

such as commissions and fees levied by the debt collector and/or attorney.

9. If you feel that your medical scheme should have paid in full, you can lay a complaint at your

scheme’s internal complaints process, and thereafter the Council for Medical Schemes at

complaints@medicalschemes.com

COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS

Ask Dr Jane aims to ensure that all complaints and concerns are addressed appropriately and expeditiously. When visiting Ask Dr Jane and using the services and products offered, all patients / consumers and their accompanying persons will, in the case of any complaints or concerns, use the practice’s complaints policy and form as a first port of call. Both the policy and form are available on our website.

CONFIDENTIALITY

1. This document constitutes a contractual agreement by Ask Dr Jane to protect all personal information in confidence and aligns with the ethical and professional duties placed on healthcare professionals to preserve confidentiality. Please refer to our POPI policy for further information and read in conjunction with this document.
2. In general, we keep all our information confidential, and as per detailed in our Privacy Policy.
3. We will use your information only to provide healthcare, and in the following cases, to which

you agree by signing the patient information form:

• Patient registries, where your healthcare information is entered into a database which allows

the Ask Dr Jane to get a better understanding on what is happening to patients

and care. The info in this case would be anonymised

• Conference presentations, round table discussions, academic meetings, etc. where

healthcare professionals gather to discuss patient care and scientific advances. In these

cases, when we use your case as an example, we will ensure that you are not identifiable at

all. Where you have agreed to have photographs taken, those will only be used in a manner

that does not identify you.

4. The following special cases exist where the law compels us to disclose your personal and/or

health information and by agreeing to our services, you acknowledge this legal duty that we

have to disclose:

• To your medical scheme: a diagnostic code and details of the treatment and/or operation, so

that the scheme can evaluate whether if falls within your benefits.

• To the Compensation Commission or the Road Accident Fund, if you want to claim from them

in cases of work-related illness or injury, or in the case of a motor-vehicle accident, all details

they require of us.

• To referring healthcare professionals or others involved in you care: Information that is

necessary and in your best interest will be shared with such healthcare professionals in terms

of the National Health Act.

• To the cancer registry, which database is managed by the National Department of Health and

the NHLS and is used to ensure better planning and responses to cancer.

5. Some medical schemes provide all information on all the dependents on a scheme to the

principal (main) member. We do not accept liability for any personal or health information that

is disclosed as a result and you should direct queries on this to the medical scheme you

belong to.