Your First Visit
How to book, what happens when you come in, and what to bring
Booking an appointment
Phone us on 011 782 7809, or email gerrit@gferreirainc.co.za, and we will find a time that suits you. We are open Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 16:30, and Friday from 8:00 to 16:00.
Some medical aids need a referral from your doctor before you can claim, so bring one if you have it. If you are paying for yourself, you do not need one.
If you are in Johannesburg Surgical Hospital or Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital, ask the ward or your surgeon to call us: our team sees patients there.
What happens at your first visit
You will see one of our prosthetists and orthotists: Gerrit Ferreira, Antois Ferreira or Casper Steenkamp. We start by listening: what has happened, what your doctor has said, and what you want to get back to doing.
Then we look at the part of the body concerned, and at how you stand, walk and move. If you are being fitted for insoles, that may include a walk across our RS footscan.
We explain what we recommend and why, and how long it will take. Anything made for you, such as insoles, a custom brace or a prosthesis, starts with measurements, a scan or a cast.
What to bring
- Your ID and your medical aid card
- Your doctor’s referral, if you are claiming from your medical aid
- X-rays, scans or reports about the problem, if you have them
- Any brace, insole or prosthesis you already use
- The shoes you wear most, if it is about your feet, knees or hips
- Clothes that let us see the area easily, such as shorts for a knee
Costs and medical aid
We are not a cash practice: we claim from most medical aids ourselves.
If we do not deal with your medical aid, or you have no benefits left, you settle the account at your visit.
The account must be settled in full before you take anything home. That is so whether your medical aid pays, you pay the part it does not cover, or you pay it all. For a prosthesis, you pay a deposit first and the balance before you receive it.
We help you through your medical aid, including Prescribed Minimum Benefits: conditions that medical aids must cover by law.
After your first visit
If something is being made for you, we make it here and see you again to fit it. How long that takes is different for each person, and we will tell you at your visit. At the fitting we check how it fits and works, adjust it, and show you how to wear it and look after it.
Finding us
We are at 112 Beyers Naudé Drive, Roosevelt Park, Johannesburg.
There is parking at the practice, and the whole practice is accessible for wheelchairs and for anyone who finds walking difficult.