Terms and conditions of this practice

Fees are set according to the following principles:

​

1. This Practice charges a standard tariff or the tariff as set out by the medical schemes with which we are contracted. The following factors could influence the tariff: membership to a medical scheme; the medical scheme; the contract with the medical scheme; the plan or option of the medical scheme.

​

2. This Practice has contracted several medical schemes to ensure that you do not have to make a co-payment. Where your medical scheme is unwilling or has not entered into an agreement with this Practice, you could be responsible for a co-payment or the total amount of the consultation. This would depend on whether your scheme can guarantee direct payment of the balance of the account. If you do not belong to a medical scheme, you will be responsible to settle your account at the time of every consultation.

​

3. Please note that some medical scheme plans or options do not provide for these services. Irrespective of medical scheme membership or involvement, you remain fully responsible for the full settlement of the account. You are responsible to ascertain the benefits and limits of your medical scheme and to obtain any authorisation from your medical scheme which might be necessary. 

​

4. The practice is currently contracted in with Discovery (Excluding Keycare options), Bonitas, Fedhealth, Polmed, Bankmed, Momentum, Medshield and GEMS. 

​

5. We reserve the right to end contracts with any scheme. It remains your responsibility to confirm with reception that we are still contracted with your scheme prior to any consultation.

​

6. Our fees cover your Practice visit (i.e. the consultation and or psychotherapy). 

​

7. Our fees exclude the costs of the hospital (e.g. ward fees), pathology (for blood tests) and therapists involved in your care. You have to discuss their fees with them.

​

8. Hospital visits and hospital emergencies are charged at the fee which your medical aid pays for the service rendered, regardless of whether we are contracted in with them or not. Should your medical aid refuse to pay any fee for a service rendered, or if you are a private patient (i.e. not a member of a medical aid scheme), we will charge the fee as set out by HealthMan. These fees are freely available on their website: www.healthman.co.za

​

9. Please note that the cost of healthcare sometimes depends on how your body reacts to treatments and/or operations. The law allows us to step in to save your life, or to prevent or reduce harm to you. We will charge for the cost of this.

​

10. 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.

​

11. By choosing the Practice, you agree to:

11.1 The Practice submitting the account to your medical scheme. This does not mean that the scheme has received the account or that they accept liability. Please confirm this with your scheme. If you do not want any particular account to be submitted to your medical scheme, please let us know before you leave the Practice.

​

11.2 Your medical scheme membership (principal member or beneficiary) being valid at the date of healthcare delivery.

​

11.3 Informing the practice of any change in your contact- or medical aid- or billing details.

​

12. You, if you are an adult, remain personally and fully liable to settle the full account, irrespective of whether your scheme gave pre-authorisation, pay in full, or not. This also applies if you are a dependent on someone else’s medical scheme.

​

13. In terms of the National Credit Act, if your account is not paid after 30 calendar days, we will give 20 working days notice and if you fail to settle the account within 10 days, we will undertake debt collection processes. This may result in you having a bad credit record. We will charge the maximum amount of 2% interest per month on all outstanding accounts. You will be responsible for all costs relating to debt collection. 

​

14. If you feel that your medical scheme should have paid in full, you can lay a complaint at the Council for Medical Schemes by fax: (012) 431-0608 or at complaints@medicalschemes.com

​

15.1 Members of certain medical aids require a specialist referral number from their general practitioner before a claim can be made with their scheme. This number is generally valid for 6 months. Without such a number the member remains liable for the consultation fees, regardless of PMB registration. It is the member’s responsibility to obtain this number prior to consultations.

​

15.2 For members of medical schemes that are not contracted in with the practice a co-payment may apply. The practice does not claim at all from certain medical schemes and the member may be liable for the entire cost of consultation. This payment is due regardless of whether PMB has been approved. Please find out from the practice if this applies to you.

​

15.3 For a first consultation, two codes are billed for the majority of medical aids. This comprises a 0162 and 2974. The 0162 is paid at the time of the consultation and can be claimed back from your medical aid if you have funds available. The 2974 may qualify for prescribed minimum benefits (PMB’s), but if not, the practice can claim directly from your medical aid if proof of funds are provided, but if not, this amount also needs to be paid at the time of your consultation.

​

15.4 For follow-up consultations, the practice may bill therapy or consultation codes and these depend on the time spent on the consultation. Your condition may qualify for PMB’s, please ask the psychiatrist about this during your consultation and if applicable, application must be made at the time of consultation.

​

15.5 For more information on the billing practices, whether the practice is contracted in with your medical aid, codes and amounts payable, please enquire from reception prior to your visit.

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 preference. By agreeing to our  services, you agree to this uncertainty. We will, if possible, inform you if we run late.

We do not accept communication by Whatsapp or any social media. We do accept communication by  telephone and email. If you need urgent assistance or advice, please go to the nearest emergency  room.

The practice aims to ensure that all complaints and concerns are addressed appropriately and  expeditiously. When something is a concern or problematic, use the practice's complaints policy and  form (available from reception staff). The practice urges all persons to use this avenue before taking  any action at any external entity.

1. This  practice endeavours  to protect all personal  information. 

2. We will use your information only in relation to your healthcare. In general, we keep all your  information confidential, also when you are a child over the age of 12. We can only release  information with your written consent, even if a family member requests the information. Please  use our standard consent to disclosure form to authorise this.

3. The law compels us to disclose your personal information and by agreeing to our services, you  acknowledge this legal duty that we have to disclose:

3.1 To your medical scheme: a diagnostic code and details of the treatment and/or operation, so that  the scheme can evaluate whether it falls within your benefits. 

3.2 Information that is necessary and in your best interest will be shared with other healthcare  professionals in terms of the National Health Act.

4. Some medical schemes provide all information on all the dependents on a scheme to the principal  (main) member. We are not liable for any personal information disclosed as a result of the scheme’s  practices.

1. In healthcare, results cannot be guaranteed. Results also depend on how one’s body reacts to the treatment.

2. Your behaviour may affect the  outcome of the healthcare received. You will requested  to follow the instructions provided to you. If you do not do this,  the Practice and its staff cannot be held liable for any negative consequence.   

You may have been brought into contact with this practice due to the processes described in the  Mental Healthcare Act, which prescribed those processes, and we are bound by it. If you have any  questions as to how this Act works, please ask us.

1. We will obtain your consent for substitutions. If you are offered a substitution at a pharmacy level,  ask the pharmacist for information. The law only allows for generic substitution and not therapeutic  substitution.

2. Pharmacy- and health legislation prevents us from taking back or refunding any medicines, unless  there is a proven quality or performance fault with the goods and the supplier will deal with the  matter.

1. You must adhere to the rules of the Practice and any instructions given to you by 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 the Practice 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. In such cases we will refer you to another practice.

You will be required to grant the Practice  consent to process the personal data for the purpose of treatment, care, and management of psychiatric conditions and for the administration of the Practice (including international transfer of information to the servers of Google Workspace solutions, EMGuidance Limited e-scripting platform and/or Cliniko Practice Management solutions).

ThE pratice uses a digital e-scripting platform called PrescriBIT to create and issue digital prescriptions for its patients. The PrescriBIT e-scripting platform is owned by EMGuidance Limited (‘’EMGuidance’’). EMGuidance will collect information about you directly from this practice and your medical aid or other medical practitioners that you have consulted with. EMGuidance may also collect information about you from authorised third party databases to detect and prevent abuse and fraud on the PrescriBIT platform.

​

EMGuidance may also be required to share your personal information with public bodies or other parties to comply with applicable legal obligations, including in terms of the following legislation: 

- Health Professions Act 56 of 1974 (and its regulations);

- Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965 (and its regulations); and

- Pharmacy Act 53 of 1974 (and its regulations).

​

EMGuidance may also share certain de-identified information with outside parties for statistical or research purposes; or for marketing, advertising, or other uses. Reasonable safeguards are employed to ensure that any de-identified information cannot be re-identified.

​

All information transmitted to and from the PrescriBIT platform is via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to secure servers and that information is then encrypted. Encrypted information is only made accessible to authorised personnel or to the authorised personnel of its service providers, who are bound by legal duties of confidentiality.