The Center For Health And Sports Medicine

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a referral from my Family Doctor to be evaluated at the Centre?

No. Visits to the Centre are not required to be arranged by your Family Doctor. The advantage of having your Family Doctor referring you though, is a letter will be sent to your Family Doctor outlining your visit by the attending physician for the initial visit, and for the subsequent visits. Patients are encouraged to make appointments directly with one of our skilled therapists, as they are as capable to diagnose, and treat the injuries that patients come complain of.

Do patients have to pay for his/her visit with the attending physician?

Any patient who has coverage through their respective Provincial Health Care Insurance, British Columbia to New Brunswick (excluding Quebec) is covered by their respective plan for the medical visits only. All other services @ the Centre are privately billed to the patient at the time the service is provided.

Do I have to see a medical student when I visit the Centre?

The Centre is committed to educating the patient, on an on-going basis, but also it acts as a leader in both sports medical and sports therapy education. We have many trainees, of varying levels, attend at the Centre for part of the their sports medical or sports therapy education. So much of the trainees learning experience depends on the direct contact they have with the patient. The patient does not have to be seen, or treated, by the patient, but it will contribute significantly to their overall learning experience. The patient also learns a lot about their condition, and its management, from the on-going interaction. The Centre is affiliated with the University of Toronto’s Department of Family & Community Medicine and the School of Physiotherapy, both as part of the Faculty of Medicine at the U of T.

How can I pay for my Sports Medical Services at the Centre?

Payment for all services can be made by Cash, Visa, Master Card, Debit Card, or Personal Cheque. All services are expexted to be paid after each treatment. For patients who require a series of treatment sessions, arrangements may be made to pay for sessions on a weekly basis.

What happens to any outstanding accounts?

Any outstanding accounts must be cleared before future appointments will be scheduled. Any personal cheques that have insufficient funds will be charged $25.00, in addition to the original outstanding invoiced amount owing. Delinquent accounts will be sent to our collection agency for final payments. All delinquent accounts will interfere with any future therapy appointments to be booked at the Centre.

What is the wait time to be assessed at the Centre?

We try to book patients at our earliest convenience to be assessed, and treated, as early as possible. We try to assess acute injuries within 24 hours of their initial phone calls/emails, but this is not always possible (ie/holidays, vacations, etc). We will certainly try to contact the patient to at least guide him/her on the initial steps to the treatment of his/her injury. The wait time, in general, for a sports medical assessment is 2 months. Many patients do not need to see the Sports Medicine physician before seeing the therapist.

Do I have to have an X-Ray/MRI/CT Scan/Soft Tissue Ultrasound or other investigation before I see the Sports Medicine Physician or Therapist?

No. This will be determined at the time of your initial assessment.

Why do I have to pay for a second assessment when I have already seen the therapist for the same problem before?

The first appointment with the treating Sports Therapist is always an Assessment, and its fee is higher than for a treatment session. More time is spent to do the patients assessment, and if time alots, a treatment will also be initiated. This is not always possible, depending on the area affected, but the therapist does his/her best to offer some initial treatment as well. If more than a month passes since the initial treatment has ended, the therapist will have to do a reassessment to update him/her where the patient is at in his/her recurrence. We don’t want to make any assumptions that everything is the same as things were the last time that they were seen at the Centre. This lack of assessment could lead to an incorrect diagnosis and treatment.

Can I e-mail the Centre?

Absolutely. Our website address is chsm.net, and you can e-mail us at information@chsm.net.

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"Committed to Educate, Not Just Rehabilitate"

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