WellFemme Booking Terms and Conditions

DEFINITIONS

Under these Terms and Conditions, “Client” refers to anyone booking a WellFemme consultation online.

“Telehealth” is the use of electronic information and communication technologies by a healthcare provider to deliver services to an individual at a different location. Clients who book a WellFemme consultation are consenting to the provision of health care services by WellFemme via Telehealth.

The benefits of a Telehealth consultation are that clients do not need to physically travel to the consultation location and therefore can access specialised care which may not otherwise be easily available to them.

INFORMATION HANDLING

Australian privacy laws which apply to the privacy and confidentiality of medical information also apply to Telehealth consultations.

Clients have the right to withhold or withdraw consent to the use of Telehealth at any time either verbally or in writing, without affecting their rights to future care or treatment.

WellFemme does not routinely record Telehealth consultations and does not authorise clients to make their own recordings of Telehealth consultations. If either party has a reason for wishing to do so, this must be verbally agreed beforehand and recorded in the medical notes by the clinician.

Clients’ medical information will only be stored on secure, cloud-based medical software and will not be held on any insecure website or computer elsewhere.

For details of how WellFemme’s clinical software provider (Halaxy) collects and handles your data please refer to: https://www.halaxy.com/article/privacy . For information about their data security measures click here.

Email addresses and phone numbers are required so that WellFemme can contact clients regarding their appointment. Clients booking with WellFemme agree to receive SMS and email reminders unless they contact WellFemme directly to withdraw consent at hello@wellfemme.com.au. Emails will also be added to the WellFemme mailing list to receive information updates and newsletters, but clients can opt out from this at any time.

WellFemme will use secure email or document transfer systems to convey information to clients wherever possible, but the receipt and handling of that information is the clients’ own responsibility. If their email service is insecure it may potentially allow unauthorised access to information received and sent by the client.

WellFemme will take all reasonable steps to mitigate these risks and protect the information sent and received, but the security and confidentiality of all electronic communications cannot be guaranteed.

WellFemme may share information with clients’ usual doctors and/or the Australian e-Health record system with clients’ consent, but clients can withhold or withdraw that consent and/or choose which information is shared.

LIMITATIONS OF WELLFEMME CONSULTATIONS

There are potential risks with Telehealth consultations:

1. The video connection may not work or may stop working during the consultation, or
2. The image or audio transmitted may not be clear enough to facilitate the consultation. In either case, clients will have the option to complete the consultation by telephone, reschedule, cancel with full refund or make other arrangements with WellFemme.
3. Telehealth limits a practitioner’s ability to perform physical examinations, so clients may be directed to see another medical practitioner in person if the WellFemme doctor believes it necessary.

WellFemme is not a General Practice; our scope of practice is strictly limited to clients’ clinical needs related to menopause or perimenopause. WellFemme doctors will not treat or advise on any unrelated medical conditions.

Booking a consultation does not guarantee that you will be provided with any particular treatment or medication. Treatment options may be discussed and negotiated with clients, but prescribing is at the discretion of the treating doctor after a thorough assessment based on medical history from pre-submitted intake forms and questioning during your consultation. WellFemme doctors will not prescribe any treatment that they consider inappropriate or unacceptably risky for the patient, as per their terms of medical registration and insurance.

FEES AND CHARGES

The client is responsible for fees that apply to their Telehealth consultation. Online bookings require a 50% payment upfront using a credit card. Your credit card number will be stored in your secure cloud-based personal profile, to be debited with the remaining 50% of the appointment fee at the time of your consultation. Please phone us on (02) 6179 8724 during weekday business hours if you prefer to book and pay the full fee in advance over the phone without your card number being retained.

Online credit card bookings attract a charge imposed by the software provider of 1.5% plus $1; this fee is added to the consultation fee paid by the client. Clients who wish to avoid paying this credit card fee should contact WellFemme at hello@wellfemme.com.au for other payment options, such as direct bank deposit.

For financially disadvantaged clients: if we agree to delay prepayment and/or accept a reduced deposit we will record credit card details to debit the applicable fee in cases of non-attendance or late changes/ cancellations.

Clients who are Australian citizens holding a valid Medicare card usually will be eligible for a Medicare rebate. WellFemme collects Medicare card details to facilitate the processing of rebates on clients’ behalf as an additional service, but it remains the Client’s responsibility to claim their rebate from Medicare if processing fails for some reason.

Medicare details are stored securely and not shared with any other entity except Medicare. In cases where bulk-billing is offered and accepted, the client assigns their benefit directly to the practitioner who has rendered the service (as per Department of Human Services form DB4E- Bulk Bill voucher).

LATE NOTICE CANCELLATION/ FAILURE TO ATTEND

Clients may make booking changes or cancellations up to 2 days before their consultation without charge by contacting us at hello@wellfemme.com.au. Late-notice cancellation or failure to attend may result in the applicable cancellation fee being debited from the client’s credit card as follows:

• 24-48 hours prior: $20
• 12-22 hours prior: $50
• 2-12 hours prior: half the consultation charge
• Cancellations within 2 hours of the appointment time or failure to attend: Full consultation fee is forfeited.

MULTIPLE RESCHEDULES

You may reschedule your appointment up to three times if needed, with a minimum of 48 hours notice. Any further reschedules after that will incur a $50 admin fee, and rescheduling or cancelling within 48 hours of the appointment time will incur additional fees as listed above.