Introduction of Telephone Appointment Service of General Out-patient Clinics The Hospital Authority (HA) has established the General Out-patient Clinics (GOPC) Telephone Appointment System for patients with episodic illnesses to book appointments. The system aims to improve accessibility of GOPC services, relieve the clinic congestion problem, and reduce the risk of cross-infection among patients queuing at the GOPCs. Currently, the GOPC Telephone Appointment System offers service through about 600 telephone lines 24 hours a day. A patient can book an appointment within the next 24 hours if quota is available. HA calls user s attention to the following: Elderly Appointment Quota Based on previous utilization pattern of elderly, quotas have been reserved for the elderly aged 65 or above with episodic illnesses to enhance their accessibility to GOPC services. Anytime Booking To avoid busy phone lines, members of public can call anytime to make their clinic appointments for the next 24 hours. There is no need to make appointment at designated time slot during a day. Continuous Quota Update The Telephone Appointment System would continuously update the quota status. When there is a cancellation of appointment, the quota will be released back to the system for booking. Therefore patients who are unable to secure an appointment may consider calling back again later for booking. Search for Quota in Nearby Clinics For the convenience of patients and good use of resources, the Telephone Appointment System links the nearby GOPCs together as a network, within which quota of different clinics could be checked and offered to optimize the usage. If the consultation quotas of the called clinic is full, the system will automatically be diverted to the nearby clinics and identify available quotas for public to book via the Telephone Appointment System. Appointment Enquiry and Cancellation The Telephone Appointment System has the appointment enquiry and cancellation function. In case patients cannot turn up for a booked appointment, HA encourages patients to make a cancellation through the system as soon as possible and at least one hour before the scheduled appointment time. The cancelled quota will then be released for open booking by the general public, aiming to optimize the use of public resources.
Notes: Registration is required for using the Telephone Appointment System. If you are a new patient, please bring your original identity document and make registration in person at the GOPC you plan to use in the future. Upon verification of personal data, you may use the Telephone Appointment System for making GOPC appointment. If you encounter any problems while using the Telephone Appointment System, please seek help from your family or friends, clinics help desk, elderly centres or the Personal Emergency Link Service. Patients who fail to attend an appointment and did not cancel the booking for 3 separate occasions within 2 months will be prohibited from using the Telephone Appointment System temporarily. If patients want to use the GOPC service, please enquire at clinic in person.
Steps of Telephone Appointment Booking Please follow the following instructions to make appointments 1 Call the clinic Telephone Appointment System xxxxxxxx 2 Select language Cantonese English Putonghua 3 Input the first six digits of Hong Kong identity card number or registration number of birth certificate xxxxxx (excluding the digit or alphabet in the bracket) 4 Input the year of birth as shown on the identity document of the patient ( e.g. 1936, Input: 1936) xxxx 5 Confirm the ID card number or registration number of birth certificate Correct Re-enter Press (8) (If this clinic is full, you may follow the instructions to choose a nearby clinic) 6 The system provides the earliest available timeslot Confirm the appointment 7 Mark down the date and time of the appointment Write down the information: (am/pm), / / (Date) After confirming the appointment, please bring your identity document and handheld medical record (if any), and arrive at clinic 15 minutes before your appointment time for registration. Latecomers may not be able to receive medical consultation on that day.
8 Obtain a fax copy of the appointment information Repeat the appointment information Enquire the address and the telephone booking number of the booked clinic Terminate the enquiry Press (9)
Steps of Appointment Enquiry & Cancellation Please follow the following instructions to recheck / cancel appointment 1 Call the Telephone Appointment System of the clinic with which you have the appointment xxxxxxxx 2 Select language Cantonese English Putonghua 3 This step is only applicable when the selected clinic is fully booked. If not applicable, please go to step 4. Enquiry or cancellation of your booked appointment Terminate the enquiry Press (9) 4 Input the first six digits of Hong Kong identity card number or registration number of birth certificate (excluding the digit or alphabet in the bracket) xxxxxx 5 Input the year of birth as shown on the identity document of the patient ( e.g. 1936, Input: 1936) xxxx 6 Confirm the ID card number or registration number of birth certificate Correct Re-enter Press (8) 7 Recheck / Cancel Appointment Recheck appointment Cancel appointment Confirm cancellation Select again 8 Terminate the enquiry Press (9) (November 2013) www.ha.org.hk/gopc