Are you accepting new patients?
Do you have walk-in hours?
We offer limited same day/next day appointments with a physician, which we ask you please call the clinic for an appointment. These are offered to anyone whether you are a patient of the clinic or not. These appointments are similar to a walk-in type appointment in that you can receive the care you need, however this does not register you as an enrolled patient of the clinic. We also have same day care on some Saturday mornings; schedule released quarterly.
What kind of appointments do you offer?
We offer a variety of appointment types to suit the time required and the goal of the consultation. The reception staff can help you decide what the optimal appointment for your needs is. Please note that it is your right to have a chaperone present for any sensitive examinations, and this is a common practice at the clinic.
- “Same day/next day” appointments: These are offered to registered and unregistered patients of Open Health, similar to a “walk-in” appointment but scheduled ahead of time over the phone. The purpose is to offer quick access to care whether you have a doctor at our facility or not. However, these appointments do not provide enrollment into our clinic. If you have a registered provider at our clinic already, these appointments may end up being with a different provider depending on availability and the urgency of your needs.
- Complete physical examination: Between 20-30 minutes
- Regular visit (in-person or virtual/telephone): Between 10-15 minutes
- Procedure: Typically 20-30 minutes; this can include (but is not limited to) tissue biopsies, minor laceration repairs, removal of stitches, etc.
- Driver medicals and spirometry: Between 20-30 minutes
- Appointments also available by phone or virtually
What is a virtual or telehealth appointment?
A virtual appointment consists of audio and video communication between you and your clinician from your cell phone or home computer. You will receive a text or email link with instructions on how to log in and connect. Please be ready 5 minutes before your appointment time to review the prompts and permissions. Headphones or earbuds are recommended for best sound quality, but are not necessary. If the video link does not connect, your doctor will call you on the phone instead.
A Telehealth visit consists of your clinician calling you on your cell phone or landline. If you miss the phone call, please call the clinic as soon as possible to determine if the call can be attempted again or rescheduled.
Many health issues can be managed over the phone or virtually without the need to be seen in-person (at least not initially). If a prescription is needed, this can be directly faxed by your clinician to the pharmacy on your file. Please ensure that your information is up-to-date when you schedule your appointment.
Can I get my prescription refilled without an appointment?
A prescription requires a follow-up visit at the end of the script, typically occuring between 3 to 6 months after. A pharmacy may request a short refill for you until a follow-up visit is arranged. The clinician will usually honour this request with the understanding that a follow-up visit is being scheduled, however, this depends on the type of medication. There will be no prescription refills without an appointment for narcotics, stimulants, and sleep medications.
What do I need to bring to my appointment?
-MB Health card or other provincial health card
-List of medications you are currently taking
-Pharmacy location used for your medication. We can typically directly fax your prescription to many Manitoba pharmacies.
-A translator if English is not your first language and you would prefer to speak in another language.
What services do you offer?
The physicians and nurse practitioners at Open Health Niverville are family practice clinicians who can diagnose, treat, and manage your mental and physical health concerns. When a medical issue requires a referral to a specialist, the consultation request is completed by your clinician. They are also trained and equipped to perform minor procedures in the clinic, such as (but not limited to): skin/tissue biopsies, laceration repairs, removal of stitches/staples, IUD insertions, foot care, etc.
Our clinic is a collaborative centre with many different Southern Health-Santé Sud professionals. We are happy to share that we have mental health workers (for both children and adults), chronic disease management specialists (registered dietitians & nurses), and a team dedicated to our Child and Youth Services. These services can be referred to by your provider, and can be accessed on the Southern Health-Santé Sud website. Visit https://www.southernhealth.ca/en/finding-care/ to learn how self-referral works.
In addition to this, we have a full-time primary care nurse who can provide care without a referral for appointments such as suture removals, flu shots, B12 injections, Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI) tests, wound care, and wart treatments, among other services. You do not need to be a registered patient of the clinic to access care from our primary care nurse; please call the clinic for an appointment.
At this time, Manitoba Public Health nurses have been delegated for COVID-19 efforts including contact tracing, vaccinations, and education. Baby and child immunizations are available through your registered physician at Open Health Niverville.
What are uninsured services?
Uninsured services are services provided that are not covered by Manitoba Health. When you see your clinician, there is a bill submitted on your behalf to Manitoba Health. The fees are established through contract negotiations between Doctors Manitoba and the Government of Manitoba. The list of items that Manitoba Health will pay for is not exhaustive nor is it inclusive of all possibilities; hence what is called uninsured services. These include items such as medical reports requested by insurance companies, legal reports, transfer and access to medical records, and sick notes, for example.
What forms of payment are accepted at the clinic?
We can accept cash, cheques, debit, and most major credit cards. Credit card payments for any required uninsured services can also be completed over the phone with our staff using our point-of-sale software.
What is the difference between a nurse practitioner and a physician?
In a primary care context, there is little difference between the two disciplines in what they can do. A nurse practitioner (NP) has received a master’s qualification after completing a Bachelor of Nursing. They are independent practitioners in their own right and can see many of the same variety of presentations and cases that a physician can. The two disciplines work well together and readily consult each other for information.
Do you have a lab?
Yes. The lab located inside Open Health is run by Diagnostic Services Manitoba and is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Access to the lab is by appointment only but we are happy to announce online booking effective March 28, 2022. Please visit the website home page for a link to the online booking site for Lab appointments. We can still help you over the phone by calling the clinic however.
Typically, lab appointments are being booked one week ahead of time. Please arrive only a few minutes before your appointment time.
Lab samples are taken directly to Bethesda Hospital for analysis and can take anywhere from 2 to 7 days to be received.
What is your cancelation policy?
We ask for 24 hours notice for any cancelations. Any missed appointments without a cancelation notice may result in a fee. We understand that emergencies do happen, so we ask for as much notice as possible. If you are experiencing any cold or flu symptoms at the time of your in-person appointment, please do not attend the clinic. Instead, we ask that you call the clinic to change the visit to a virtual or telephone appointment. Read our entire cancelation policy here.