Terms & Conditions

SUMMARY
1. The Patient gives consent to be treated by Yovanka Torrente & Associates
2. The Patient gives consent to be billed for treatment and devices as prescribed by the Practitioner.
3. The Patient takes full responsibility for settlement of their account and is liable for any and all collection costs associated with this.
4. The Patient gives consent to the practice to disclose relevant ICD10 codes to their Medical Aid/Funder for billing, on referral letters, requests for special investigations (e.g., radiology, pathology) etc.

INFORMED CONSENT
Informed consent would be required by you for any treatment or procedure performed by the Healthcare Professional/s of the practice. The practice is obligated, by your individual rights, to discuss the clinical aspects, financial implications pertaining to your health status, the diagnostic process, as well as the different treatment options available to you. You have the right to withdraw your informed consent at any stage and refuse any medical care advised. Should your treatment include a referral to other Healthcare Professionals you are required to provide informed consent to their respective treatment and professional fee policies. You hereby provide consent for the exchange of clinical information between all relevant or referred Healthcare Professionals, medical schemes, and their administrators or appointed managed care organizations.
Under the provisions of The Children’s Act, children may consent to certain medical treatment from the age of 12 years. Parents / guardians are, however, required by law to cover the expenses incurred for the healthcare of their children. Healthcare Professionals should safeguard any healthcare information obtained from these children, keep it confidential and only disclose information subject to the child’s consent. Please request the practice management staff to provide examples of these conditions, should you require any further information.

WHAT DOES YOUR MEDICAL AID COVER?
In the current medical aid environment, patients may purchase lower cost medical aid benefit options with restrictions on treatment and medicine, fewer benefits, limited hospitalization and restricted surgical cover. In addition, medical aids often appoint public hospitals as their designated service providers. Your treatment, healthcare costs, and quality of your professional care can be severely affected by the type of medical plan you belong to and the generalization of statements such as “100% cover” by your medical aid. Often these statements may not correspond with all aspects of treatment you may require. These limitations often prove to be problematic for your Healthcare Professional, as your right to access acceptable and appropriate medical care and management is often influenced by your choice of medical aid cover. It remains your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the benefits and terms and conditions associated with your chosen medical aid benefit option. It is important that you know your benefit status with regard to the extent of your healthcare cover. Also ensure that you familiarize yourself with referral restrictions, savings account balances, registration and pre-authorization processes, waiting periods and other requirements. The Medical Schemes Act 131 of 1998 and its regulations entitle members of a medical scheme to comprehensive information on their benefits and limitations of their plan. Ascertain the exact amounts your scheme provides for, in terms of consultations, procedures and treatments as well as what your medical aid will cover. Where a designated service provider has been appointed by your medical aid, it remains your responsibility as the patient to familiarize yourself with any medical and financial restrictions when consulting a non-designated service provider.
With increasing interventions from your medical scheme, please be aware that the practice will not allow the medical scheme to violate the Healthcare Professional’s clinical independence. Where medical aid or its advisors intervene to overrule your Healthcare Professional’s preferred diagnostic approach or treatment, your Healthcare Professional accepts no responsibility for consequent adverse outcomes. You may be requested to allocate responsibility to medical aid and its medical advisors in the event of adverse treatment outcomes.

PRE-AUTHORISATIONS
If pre-authorization is required for any medical procedure or treatment, it remains your responsibility to ensure that the planned treatment is covered by your medical aid. It is also imperative to ensure that the necessary finances are put in place to cover the non-insured costs. It also remains your responsibility to furnish the practice with the relevant information and authorization numbers. The practice may assist you with this process, dependent on the individual medical aid’s terms and conditions. Where your medical aid questions any aspect of your treatment, your Healthcare Professional may submit a letter of motivation to the medical aid and insist on a peer-to-peer discussion if appropriate.

SETTLING OF ACCOUNTS AND CO-PAYMENTS
To avoid confusion regarding payment policies and to maintain the professional healthcare standards of the practice, you can be provided with the current practice payment options and policies. Accounts will not be rendered for services not delivered, neither will accounts be delivered to someone who did not receive the service, or someone legally entitled to such account. The practice staff can inform you should the practice have any arrangements in place with your medical aid.
The practice reserves the right to claim directly from you in which case you will be provided with a detailed invoice that is payable immediately after treatment, unless authorization has been obtained by the medical aid/funder. You have the option to claim this back from your medical aid should you wish to do so. The practice actions all account subject to the National Credit Act, The Consumer Protection Act, the Medical Schemes Act and the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act.
Please take note of this practice’s billing policy in relation to costs for services rendered. Where an exact price cannot be presented, a quotation could be provided, subject to its own terms and conditions. Due to the billing policy, a co-payment may have to be levied by medical aid or the practice.
You (or your parent/guardian) always remain liable for the account, for services rendered by the practice even if you are insured by medical aid or any other third party. This agreement does not prevent the practice from taking all reasonable and practical steps to recover any outstanding amounts from any obligated party. The practice reserves the right to charge interest on your outstanding account that are due from date of service up to maximum interest allowed, in terms of section 2 of the Prescribed Rate of Interest Act.
It remains your responsibility to inform and update all personal and medical aid information with the practice and to keep the practice regularly informed with regard to any changes on your contact details, benefits and list of dependents. Please note that the use of someone else’s medical aid card with or without such a person’s consent or knowledge constitutes fraud. The practice will report such instances to the medical aid concerned to protect the practice from being regarded as a cooperative in committing fraud.
The practice reserves the right to charge a service fee for any credit given in terms of the provisions of the National Credit Act, Act No. 34 of 2005. In terms of section 101 (1) (c), an initial service fee per transaction may be charged for each credit amount.
Thereafter this fee may be charged on a monthly basis for each month the credit balance remains. In terms of section 101 (1) (d), interest may be charged on the account for each month the credit amount is not paid by you. Where legal action is instigated for the recovery of costs for services rendered or goods provided, collection costs may be imposed to the extent permitted by Part C of Chapter 6 of the National Credit Act, Act no 34 of 2005. In terms of section 101 (1) (g) collection costs may be imposed to the extent permitted by Part C of Chapter 6 of the National Credit Act, Act no 34 of 2005.

ON PRICING & PAYMENT

ALL PRIVATE AND FOREIGN PATIENTS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY UP FRONT AND IN FULL FOR THEIR TREATMENT AND APPLIANCES.

The client and/or patient hereby agrees to receiving treatment and/or appliances supplied by the practitioner representing this practice and agrees to allow the submission of the relevant diagnostic code (ICD10) to the medical aid in order that they may pay the account on behalf of the member.
Please note this practice is not affiliated with any other health care practitioner/hospital and all accounts are to be settled directly with us even if the patient is in hospital at the time of treatment.
The account may be submitted directly to the medical scheme on behalf of the client who undertakes personal liability for all amounts payable to Yovanka Torrente & Associates in respect of treatment and other services rendered to the patient notwithstanding that the patient may be a member or a dependent of a medical aid/benefit scheme and be entitled to compensation.
Please note – our charges are based on the fee schedule set out by SAOPA, but these prices may be marked-up by 300%. Should your medical aid tariff price be less than our prices you are fully liable to settle the difference not covered by your medical aid.
As we are a Discovery preferred provider those patients who may be members of Discovery Health will be charged at the Discovery rates. Should your medical aid not settle the account, for whatever reason, you are fully liable to settle the difference not covered by your medical aid.

Custom Orders:

Custom orders are quoted and billed separately from standard items. Please note that pricing is subject to change based on the final specifications and manufacturing requirements.

Co-Payments:

Yovanka Torrente & Associates do their best to be in line with medical aid tariff and NAPPI rates. On occasion, the prescribed rate may be lower than the cost of the item. In this event, a co-payment will be required. Regardless of the medical aid allocated rate, this amount is patient liable and to be settled by the person responsible for the account.

Orthopaedic Shoes:

Medical aid does not pay for shoes. In the event that you or your child requires a pair of shoes, a co-payment of R3500.00 will be required per pair.

DISPARAGEMENT:

Subject to the applicable law, the undersigned client hereby agrees that he/she or any of its representatives shall not in any way publicly criticize, disparage, call into disrepute or otherwise defame or slander Yovanka Torrente & Associates practitioners, subsidiaries, affiliates, successors, assigns, offices, directors, employees, agents, attorneys or representatives, or any of their businesses, products or services, in any manner that would reasonably be expected to damage the business or reputation of the Yovanka Torrente & Associates name, businesses, products or services. The undersigned client agrees that if he/she breaches this clause, that Yovanka Torrente & Associates will have no option but to commence with an application for Defamation against the member and all legal costs will be sought for against the client on an attorney and client scale. In the event that the practitioner institutes legal action against the client, as a result of an unpaid outstanding account, or disparagement, the client agrees to be liable for all legal costs to be calculated on an attorney and client scale as well as tracing the collection fee due. The client agrees to a 25% admin & collection fee, which may be added on to the account. The client acknowledges that until such overdue accounts are settled in full the account will be handed over to a debt collecting agency and failure to settle any outstanding debts may, in the end, lead to you being placed on a list portraying your credit record. By signing this document, the client agrees to join the database, receive emailed statements and/or SMSs or phone calls relating to follow-ups and/or the status of their account. The client also agrees that the practice may keep their records and information. ON RETURNS OF GOODS/APPLIANCES The Consumer Protection Act allows goods to be returned in the following circumstances only relevant to Orthotists & Prosthetists.

Please note many devices are imported & the delivery time may vary/change depending on shipping delays.
1. Custom or Customized goods will not be accepted for return.
2. Upon return of any goods, we will refund you the price paid for the goods, less any amount that we may, in terms of the Consumer Protection Act, charge you for the use and/or restoration, repacking etc. of the goods.
The Consumer Protection Act permits us to refuse to accept, for return, goods that we cannot accept for reasons of public health, e.g., goods tailored for your body. We can also refuse to accept goods that have been used, partially or entirely disassembled, physically altered, permanently installed, affixed, attached, joined or added to, blended or combined with, or embedded within other goods property. If you have specifically stated that you want the goods for a specific purpose and the goods do not fulfil that purpose and we said it would, or if the goods are not of the quality we promised, or are not in good working order, or are supplied in a defective state, you may also return the goods, subject to the following provisions in the Consumer Protection Act:
We will accept goods back for return in cases of a proven defect in the goods as we supplied it to you, or where the goods do not comply with the quality standards it had to comply with, or where we made a promise in relation to the product which has not been fulfilled. In these cases, we will, at our and our suppliers’ discretion, either refund or repair the goods.
Note that we must allow an appropriately qualified person or body to evaluate the product when you return it, and such a person or body must first confirm that there is a defect or quality problem with the product prior to any refund being issued.
Also note that if you have made any changes to the goods or tried to repair it yourself, we would not be able to assess whether the product was problematic as it was supplied to you, and you will not have the right to return, refund or repair.
If you, the client, has freely chosen a particular style, model or type of product and the product is a standard, off the shelf one (i.e. not ordered and manufactured specifically for your measurements) we may accept such goods if they are in their original packaging and suitable for re-sale by us. Returns are not permitted merely because you have changed your mind on the goods.

SICK CERTIFICATES
The practice will only provide sick certificates should the specific condition warrant such a certificate. If a diagnosis is provided on the sick certificate, the certificate will be handed only to you, unless otherwise specified by you in writing. Discretion in disclosing your condition or diagnosis to your employer remains with you. If you or your employer considers claiming for a disability, you may be required to disclose the nature and extent of such a disability to your employer, insurance company and/or other third party, where applicable.

MEDICAL AID SUBMISSIONS, PMB APPLICATIONS AND REPORTS
The practice can submit to medical aid on your behalf. An administration fee of R15.00 will be charged for each submission. PMB Applications can be done on your behalf by the practice. The application and report associated is charged for at a rate of R350.00. Reports are charged at a rate of R350.00 per application.
COURIER CHARGES
Courier charges are for the patient’s account. These charges are based on the size and weight of the parcel and will be confirmed at the time of booking. As a guideline, the standard flat rate is R120.00 – R180.00 for deliveries within Gauteng and R200.00 – R400.00 for deliveries to other provinces. No additional fees are added by our practice — this is charged directly at The Courier Guy’s standard rate. We utilize uber courier as well, these costs are dependent on the distance required to travel and will be disclosed at the time of booking.

CONFIDENTIALITY
All information handled by the practice is regarded and treated as strictly confidential by the Healthcare Professional and the practice staff. Should you belong to a medical aid and the medical aid forwards such an account to the principal member of the medical aid, confidentiality may be compromised. Legislation compels the practice to provide certain information to the medical aid on the accounts. Failure to submit the correct codes might lead to the claim being incorrectly paid or rejected. Regulation 5(f) of the Medical Schemes Act (published in the Government Gazette No 20556 on October 20th, 1999) states that an account to a medical aid must contain the relevant diagnosis. This must be submitted as an ICD-10 diagnostic code. It has become necessary to disclose these ICD-10 codes on referral letters, requests for special investigations (e.g., radiology, pathology) etc.
In the event of a third-party request for confidential information from the practice, and in doubt regarding the safety of confidentiality processes, the practice may insist on following the standard operating procedures legislated in the Promotion of Access to information Act (PAIA) and/or its equivalent Acts and rules. Requests for access to information kept by the practice can be lodged to the information officer in accordance with PAIA.
Your de-identified information may be used for epidemiological research or practice business planning and may be passed on in a de-identified format to 3rd parties for further processing. For accurate health care planning, it is important that adequate information is included in these types of analyses. Your participation in this regard is highly appreciated.
The client agrees that this agreement constitutes the sole and entire agreement between the parties and no warranties, representations, guarantees or other terms and conditions of whatsoever nature contained herein shall be of any force or effect.
We are not a registered FSP and thus will not be entering into any payment plans or agreements.

CONSENT FOR INFORMATION SHARING
The provision of healthcare services is founded on a relationship of mutual trust between patients, their families, and healthcare professionals.
In order to provide the most effective care, it is essential that all relevant information pertaining to your child’s health and therapy is shared openly with our team. We kindly request that you do not withhold any information that may be pertinent to your child’s assessment or treatment.
Please be assured that any information you provide will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. We will only disclose information to other parties with your explicit consent, unless there is a concern that nondisclosure would place your child at risk of harm. In such cases, we are legally and ethically obliged to act in your child’s best interests. We encourage the sharing of assessment findings and treatment progress with other professionals involved in your child’s care, including school staff, as this collaborative approach often leads to better outcomes. However, we respect your right to confidentiality and acknowledge that you may choose to limit such sharing.