General - Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I get my child to see a Paediatrician? Dr. Goldade sees children on a referral only basis. They need to be referred by another physician, often your Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Goldade does not see healthy children for "primary care".

2. Why is Dr. Goldade's wait time so long? Dr. Goldade's wait-lists have grown exponentially, and we truly appreciate your frustration in sometimes being unable to see a medical professional (including Dr. Goldade) in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, there are just not enough Paediatricians in Calgary to take care of all the patients.

A personal note from Dr. Goldade: "If you are as equally frustrated (as I am) regarding the lack of timely resources in Alberta, you must complain to your MLA here. Complain loudly to them, as we are ALL working hard and are feeling exhausted. Know that I'm a parent too, and share in your frustration. As well, check out my thoughts in the Government Advocacy section of this website. If you feel you or your child have an emergency and cannot get in to see me, please see your Family Physician, go to a walk-in clinic or go to an Emergency Room."

3. How do I book a follow-up appointment? You are required to book all follow-up appointments. It's best to organize the follow up appointment at the end of any visit, or you can message our office through the OCEAN Patient Message Portal. Our office will not contact you to book follow up appointments. Dr. Goldade usually visits with your child every 6-8 months. If it's been more than 12 months since your child has been seen, you will need a Referral from your Family Doctor to be seen again. Prescription refills or brief messaging do not count as a Visit.

4. How do I cancel or re-book an appointment? To cancel an appointment, use the OCEAN Patient Message Portal to let us know (the sooner the better). We need to cancel appointments manually.

     You can book your own appointments through the Ocean Booking Portal.

     If less than 24 hours (1 full business day) is given, you will be subject to a missed appointment fee. Please refer to the Office/Patient Services section for more information. If your child can’t join, it’s totally okay for a parent to attend the appointment alone.

5. I'm running late, what do I do to avoid a missed appointment fee? If you’re unable to attend your scheduled appointment, please text us at 403-620-4204 as soon as possible. For urgent admin issues only, you may email our admin staff at drgoldade@gmail.com. They will review your options with you — such as switching to a phone call with Dr. Goldade — but in most cases, the appointment will need to be rescheduled, as our office runs very on time.

6. Should I come early to the Virtual appointment? You are encouraged to join the Virtual Visit 5 mins early. Ensure your microphone and camera are working.

7. Why is Dr. Goldade late at times? This can happen for a variety of reasons, most commonly because a family before you arrived late to their Virtual appointment. You can help us avoid this by ensuring you arrive early on the call so your child is ready to see the doctor at the scheduled appointment time. 

8. Why do I have to pay for "uninsured services"? Uninsured services are not covered by Alberta Health Care. The cost of these services are based on suggestions from the Alberta Medical Association. To review a list of uninsured services, please refer to the Office/Patient Services section.

9. Can I email forms or reports or questions to Dr. Goldade? We now use the OCEAN Patient Message Portal for all secure communication, including sharing reports and forms. Email is no longer used for sending medical documents, as it is considered insecure.

10. Can I phone Dr. Goldade? You will not be able to speak to Dr. Goldade by simply calling in or emailing. We can try to accommodate a phone call or a Virtual Visit but it still needs to be scheduled via email.

11. Why do I need a re-referral for my child to see Dr. Goldade? A re-referral is needed once your child's file has been closed or if it has been more than 12 months since your last In Person visit. This may happen if your child does not follow-up with Dr. Goldade within the recommended time period (usually within 6-8 months) or if Dr. Goldade feels no follow up is required. Prescription refills or brief email do not count as a Visit.

12. My child has behavioural/learning problems. Will Dr. Goldade provide us with counselling? Dr Goldade is not a Psychologist nor a Counsellor. She is not a Psychiatrist. She does not provide Psychoeducational Assessments, and she does not provide Primary Care. She will assess your child from a medical perspective and make recommendations based on that. She considers herself to be a "coordinator/collaborator/case manager".

13. Why am I charged for a Doctor's Signature? Any Doctor's time is very valuable. You may be asking for a simple signature but if their name is being put on the form, the doctor likely needs to read the form/letter and ensure it's accurate. Even if this takes 5 minutes, it takes time and this is considered an "uninsured service". In other words, your Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan is actually not free. Another example is that a Lawyer would also likely charge you for a signature for the same service (and likely charge you quite a bit more). The administrative burden of practice has greatly increased in the last few years. Forms are the major cause. Remember, these forms are NOT paid for by the Alberta Health Care Plan. Hence, here is some information and recommendations on how you can help with these forms (and get them back to you as quickly as possible):

• Any Form you send me (e.g., Insurance Forms, Access Calgary Transit Forms, Forms for School/University) requires time to review the file and complete. It GREATLY helps me if you can complete the form in total (even the doctor’s part). You live with your child and know much more about them than I do. It then makes it so much easier for me to review and then sign. If you then send me the form DIGITALLY (and all typed) up, this process will go much much faster! Think about doing all that you can to save time. If it takes me a long time to complete the form, it may take longer to get out of my massive ToDo pile, and there may be more of a charge for the extra length in time.
• There are several ways to apply for the Disability Tax Credit (see FAQ #15)
• AISH forms are my least favourite to complete. They can take up to 3 hours of uninterrupted time to complete. Again, it GREATLY helps me if you can complete the ENTIRE form (your child’s diagnoses, comments about effect on daily activities, medications, etc.). If you don’t do this, then it may take a very long time to get the form done. It’s best done digitally and all typed up. Then you can send me the digital version and I can review / sign it. Fee is anywhere between $200 - $600. If you can provide most of the data, the cost can stay low. Best way to get an AISH application done is via the Independent Living Resource Centre of Calgary, ILRCC, and they do AISH applications for Calgarians. ILRCC 3359 27 Street NE Calgary 403-263-6880 ed@ilrcc.ab.ca
• Note that many forms can be completed by Psychologists as well, but ONLY after they have gotten to know your child, and have done a previous assessment. They often charge much more than I do.

14. How do I get a copy of my child's file? You can obtain a copy of a full file for a fee. There is a basic $60 fee to get the process started. But there will likely be additional fees such as:

• $45 per 15 minutes for the doctor to review the file.
• $6.75 per 15 minute for technician time.
• On average, the fee is around $100. If you wish to have a paper version of the file, this will be much more costly as it takes more time and you will be charged for the paper. And if you wish for a copy of the file prior to 2006, this will cost even more, as the paper file is in storage and will need to be retrieved.
• While the actual file transfer may only take a few minutes, our office staff may be busy and not able to complete this task for several days-weeks. They will inform you when the file transfer has been completed.
• If you wish to have our office process a request for a copy of your child's chart please print, sign and return the form below along with a $60 DEPOSIT. You will be billed for the BALANCE once the request has been processed and the balance calculated.

15. How do I complete the Disability Tax Credit? There are several ways to complete the paperwork for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC).

1. You can engage a Psychologist to do the DTC for you. They tend to charge about $220 for one hour of work (but that's if they already know your child). It could cost more if they don't.
2. Dr. Goldade can also help with the DTC. But, at this time, Dr. Goldade can't guarantee a quick turn around (unless you help with the application). There are several ways to help make this process MUCH easier (and more likely for you to get the DTC quicker):
   • We strongly recommend that you register for a workshop with Ms. Audrey VELTRI. For no cost, she can also help you complete the form. You need to register for her workshop at: Register for a free online workshop with Ms. Audrey VELTRI, CFP®  via this link.
   • This is a virtual workshop which Ms. Veltri runs monthly. In this session you will learn how to navigate the process of applying for the Disability Tax Credit and discover ways to maximize potential benefits. She will help you work through the application form, and you can fill it out alongside her. She will also discuss how once APPROVED you can maximize the credit, how to claim it on an ongoing basis, and discuss other government and financial supports that are available. Families can register for the workshop. Note that Audrey may suggest some financial advice, but you are under absolutely no obligation to accept it. The following topics will be discussed.
   • • What is the credit
     • Who is eligible
     • How do you apply
     • Maximizing your refund
     • Other Tax Credits
     • Other Government Supports
     • Financial strategies for Canadians Living with a disability
   • Then we ask you to complete the ENTIRE 16 page form yourself. You can download the NEW form (from the DTC website - Download and fill out with Acrobat Reader)
   • • Yes, we know that the CRA site states: "Medical practitioner completes Part B. Part B must only be completed by the medical practitioner. Applicants cannot complete Part B themselves. If an applicant completes Part B themselves, it will not be processed." But we ask that you download the whole DTC form and complete the doctor's portion (Part B) as best as you can (you know your child best!)
   • You will then send an electronic copy of Form B to Dr. Goldade to review. It must come to Dr. Goldade in a version that we can open, manipulate and sign.
3. If you prefer not to complete the new digital form, please note that this creates additional administrative work, as we would need to manually copy and paste your responses into the system. This process is quite time-consuming and may result in an added fee.

Note that the fee for Dr. Goldade to review and sign the DTC form is $100.

Additional DTC Resources:

• Benefits2 is an online Disability Tax Credit application service, they charge a flat $99 fee to compete the application for you.
• There is a Facebook group called Disability Tax Credit Canada, DTC Solutions, hosted by LuCinda J Mutindo. This is a great resource where you can get templates, tips and tricks for completing the application, chat with other families, and for $100 flat they will fill out the application for you.

16. I've been asked to pay a fee for a Letter, how do I pay? You can pay Dr. Goldade for a variety of fees (No Shows, A letter of diagnosis, the Disability Tax Credit, etc.) via a number of methods:

• Cheque (payable to Dr .Goldade Professional Corporation). Ensure that the cheque states your child's name and what the cheque is for
• Cash
• Via eTransfer (to drgoldade@gmail.com)

We do not accept Debit payment and we do not process Visa.

17. Divorced or Separated Parents

Our goal is to provide the best possible medical care for your child. We want to ensure that all caregivers are involved and informed when it comes to the health of your child. This can be a particular challenge when parents/caregivers are not living within the same household. Below is some important information regarding office policies:

• Appointment booking: If one parent books an appointment, it is their responsibility to inform the other parent of the upcoming appointment.
• Appointment reminders: Our office will only be sending one reminder email to the preferred email on file. Our EMR (Electronic Medical Record) allows only one email address in the email field at this time. It is the responsibility of the parent receiving this email to pass along the information.
• Attending appointments: We encourage both parents to attend the appointments so that the information can be provided to both caregivers at the same time. Dr. Goldade will not be booking separate appointments for parents. If parents are unable to attend together, we encourage alternating which caregiver accompanies the child to their appointment. If only one parent attends the appointment, it is their responsibility to communicate information regarding diagnosis and treatment plan to the other.
• Medical records: Unless otherwise stated in legal documents, we will assume that both parents have access to their child’s medical record.
• Legal documents: We may request copies of pertinent legal documents (custody arrangements, etc.) to ensure our staff know who can provide consent, attend medical appointments, and have access to the medical record.
• Relationships: We recognize that co-parents may have difficult relationships with differing opinions on parenting and medical treatment, challenges with communication, and a hard time with scheduling. While we strive to support families, it is not the role of the paediatrician or office staff to mediate these difficulties. It is the expectation that co-parents treat each other and the our staff with kindness and respect.

18. Is it Pediatrician or Paediatrician? In Canada, we use Paediatrician. In the USA they use Pediatrician. We like the Canadian way.