Terms of Service.

Dr. Saartje Jooris

Family Medicine – Lifestyle Medicine – Homeopathy

Belgium (Flanders)

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These Terms of Service apply to all patients receiving or seeking to receive medical services provided by Dr. Saartje Jooris.

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By booking or attending a consultation, you accept these terms.

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1. Scope of Medical Services

The practice offers three types of consultations:

• General (Regular) Family Medicine

• Lifestyle Medicine

• Homeopathic Medicine

Each service may differ in duration, pricing, and eligibility for reimbursement by the mutuality.

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2. Appointments and Scheduling

2.1 Booking Appointments

Appointments can be booked online via the practice’s booking system on: https://progenda.be/calendars/dokter-jooris-saartje-huisarts-h-geestmolenstraat-76-9160-lokeren?locale=en

If no appointments are available in the online booking system, the patient may contact the practice by phone only between 8:30–9:00 and 12:00–13:00 to book a consultation.

Patients are responsible for selecting the correct consultation type and duration, and for reviewing all relevant information before confirming an appointment. This includes consultation type, duration, price, date, and time. All information is available on the practice website www.dokterjooris.com. The consultation is limited to the type and duration booked.

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2.2 Online Booking Limitations

When booking online, the consultation will be limited strictly to:

• The type of consultation selected; and

• The duration booked.

Additional issues or extended discussions cannot be accommodated unless a longer consultation has been booked.

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3. Consultation Duration and Structure

3.1 Standard GP Consultation

• A standard GP consultation has a duration of up to 10 minutes and it is intended to address one issue per patient

• If more than one issue needs to be discussed, or if the consultation requires more than 10 minutes, a longer consultation (20 minutes) must be booked or an additional appointment scheduled.

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3.2 Longer Consultations

A longer consultation must be booked if:

• You need to discuss multiple medical problems; or

• You want lifestyle medicine or homeopathic treatment; or

• The patient anticipates complex or time-intensive issues.

If, during a consultation, it becomes clear that more time is required:

• A new appointment will be scheduled.

• The current consultation will not exceed the duration booked for that type of consultation. If additional time is required, a new appointment will be scheduled.

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3.3 Multiple Medical Problems

If you wish to discuss several unrelated issues, you must book a long consultation. Otherwise, not all issues may be addressed and the doctor reserves the right to limit the consultation to the booked time.

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4. Minimum Fees and Billing Rules

Full price list can be consulted on www.dokterjooris.com.

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4.1 Minimum Charge

• The minimum billable consultation per patient is 10 minutes, even if the consultation lasts less than 10 minutes.

• If a longer consultation is booked, the fee for that type of consultation becomes the new minimum billable amount and is charged in full, even if it finishes earlier.

• For consultations involving two or more patients together, each patient must pay the minimum billable consultation.

 

4.2 Extended Consultations

If a consultation exceptionally exceeds the booked duration:

• The fee will be adjusted to the next applicable time and content bracket (e.g. a consultation exceeding 10 minutes may be charged as a 20-minute consultation).

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5. Telephone Availability

Due to the recent changes in the law, the practice no longer provides phone consultations nor issues prescriptions by phone.

Telephone availability is only for:

• Booking a consultation if there is no availability on the online system or this is not working.

  • Availability hours for booking a consultation only between 8:30–9:00 and 12:00–13:00

• Cancelling an appointment

  • During the daily phone time slots between 8:30–9:00 and 12:00–13:00

  • If the appointment takes place before the next scheduled phone time slot, you may call outside these hours

  • Late cancellation fees may apply, in accordance with section 7. Missed Appointments and Late Cancellations.

• Emergency calls.

  • IMPORTANT: An emergency is a situation where there is an immediate risk to life, severe injury, or sudden serious illness that requires urgent medical attention.

  • Emergency calls are answered during service hours.

  • Outside the practice service hours, patients should contact the Doctor On Call.

  • If the doctor cannot be reached in case of an emergency, patients should go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency department or call emergency services.

  • Non-emergencies: Calls that do not meet the definition of an emergency will not be taken or addressed as urgent.

 

6. Prices and Surcharges

6.1 Consultation Fees

Consultation fees depend on:

• Type of consultation;

• Duration;

• Time of day.

The current price list is available on: www.dokterjooris.com. Prices may be updated at any time, and the practice reserves the right to make these changes without prior notice. It is the responsibility of the patient to verify these prices before booking their consultation.

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6.2 Evening Surcharge

Consultations starting after 18:00 (6:00 pm) are subject to an additional surcharge, in accordance with practice policy.

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7. Missed Appointments and Late Cancellations

7.1 Missed Appointments (No-Show)

If you do not attend your appointment and do not cancel at least 24 hours in advance:

• You must pay an administrative fee equal to the full price of the booked consultation;

• You must pay this fee before your next appointment at the practice.

• If you do not pay the administrative fee, you will not be able to book any more consultations at the practice.

• The practice will invoice you the administrative fee in all cases, even if you do not schedule another appointment.

• This administrative fee is not reimbursed by the mutuality. As a result, this fee will be higher than the cost you expected for the consultation.

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7.2 Booking Restrictions After No-Show

In addition to the administrative fee, if you do not attend your appointment and do not cancel at least 24 hours in advance:

• The practice will not grant you flexibility to book outside the available time slots.

• The practice may require you to book future appointments by telephone only.

If you repeatedly fail to attend your appointments without proper cancellation, the practice may refuse to schedule future consultations.

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8. Patient Responsibilities

Patients must:

• Arrive on time;

• Select the appropriate consultation type and duration;

• Prepare relevant information in advance;

• Respect the scheduled consultation time limits.

Late arrival may result in:

• A shortened consultation; or

• Cancellation of the appointment, with the full fee remaining payable.

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9. Reimbursement and Insurance

• Reimbursement depends on the type of consultation and applicable Belgian health insurance rules.

• Lifestyle medicine and homeopathy might not be reimbursed by statutory health insurance.

• The practice does not guarantee reimbursement by INAMI/RIZIV or mutualities. Patients are responsible for verifying reimbursement eligibility.

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10. Data Protection and Confidentiality

All patient data is processed in accordance with:

• Belgian medical confidentiality obligations

• The General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR).

 

Consultations may be documented and, where necessary, temporarily recorded using secure systems compliant with GDPR requirements. In certain cases, AI-assisted transcription tools may be used solely for the purpose of generating accurate medical notes. Any temporary recordings are deleted once the medical documentation has been completed. AI-assisted transcription is used only for creating medical notes and does not make any clinical decisions.

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11. Amendments to These Terms

The practice reserves the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. The latest version will apply from the date of publication.