Where possible; it is preferable to arrive at least 5 minutes prior to the appointment time for an initial consultation. This allows office staff to ensure recorded details are correct and to scan to computer any relevant paperwork.
It is important to have the following:
- A valid referral (or ensure one has been previously sent to Dr. Mackie).
- Medicare card.
- Private Health Insurance card (or details).
- A knowledge of where any XRAYs / Scans / Blood test results relevant to the presentation or medical conditions have been performed.
- A current list of prescribed (and over the counter) medications.
- A list of medical conditions suffered.
- A memo or written list of any questions you may have about your condition.
Consultation Format and Investigations
The greatest amount of information regarding medical conditions is obtained by a discussion of symptoms and background medical history.
Dr Mackie may use an AI scribe program to generate the notes from his consultation
- Commonly used in medical practices, an AI scribe software will provide the Doctor with notes generated by voice-to-text services
- Dr Mackie uses these notes to assist with generating his letters to referring medical practitioners
- AI scribe programs reduce the time spent by doctors making hand-written notes or spent on their computer during a patient consultation
- The AI scribe program is complaint with Australian medical standards and no voice recordings can be kept long-term following consultations
- The software uses security systems to limit access to Dr Mackie's practice
Additional information is obtained by a physical examination, which sometimes can be quite brief and used to confirm the history-determined most likely pathology.
Tests / investigations are often used simply to confirm expectations.
If the appropriate investigations have not yet been arranged or performed then Dr Mackie will usually arrange for them and will often contact patients by letter with a summary of the results.
Sometimes it will be necessary to return for a further consultation to discuss results or make further treatment plans.
Dr Mackie and staff endeavour to keep as accurately as possible to allocated consulting times. Only very occasionally is Dr. Mackie delayed by an emergency operation or ward review of a sick patient. The majority of delays during office consulting sessions arise from the late arrival of patients or from patients presenting with inadequate referral information and medical details.
Dr Mackie consults from a single room, as it provides the opportunity to greet patients in the waiting room and (in many cases) observe their movements whilst moving into the consulting room.
Dr Mackie's consulting fees have been increased very infrequently since 2005. For most patients the fees are discounted significantly lower than recommended fees of the Australian Medical Association.
