Fees

Our fees from the 1^st of July 2023

Today Medicare rebates do not cover the full cost of providing you with medical care.  Medicare rebates were frozen for several years and the July 2023 increase of 3.6% is well below CPI.  With rising costs, the Medicare rebate now covers less than half of the actual cost of providing high-quality medical care. The income from a consultation goes toward the running of the entire clinic and is not just to cover the doctor’s fee. This includes reception and nurse wages, utilities, medical consumables, insurance, registrations, maintenance, cleaning and accreditation fees.

At Chandlers Hill Surgery, we value providing you with quality care.  For us to continue to provide this care, it is necessary for there to be an out-of-pocket fee.   This fee varies based on time and complexity of the consultation.

 Fees from 1^st July 2023

We will continue to direct bill (bulk bill) Medicare for

• Immunisations that form part of the National Immunisation Program
• Chronic Disease Management Care Plans and MBS Health Assessments (once off health assessment for 45-49 year old patient who are at risk of developing chronic disease and annual heath assessment for patient aged 75 year and over)
• Children aged 0 – 4 years

Repeat Scripts and Referrals

Quick repeat prescriptions with appointment are bulk billed for pensioners, children under 16 years and HCC holders.  For all other patients, a repeat prescription with an appointment will be charged at a discounted consultation rate, of a $16. 00 gap.  Normal consult fees will be charged for any other requests in this consult for all patients. For repeat prescriptions without an appointment a fee of $21.00 will apply for all patients and must be paid before the script is provided. No Medicare rebate will apply.

Telehealth Service

Telehealth services are billed at the same fee as face-to-face consultations due to the time it takes to provide the appropriate clinical care. Under Medicare rules, telehealth services can only be undertaken if you have had a face-to-face appointment in the surgery in the last 12 months or have COVID.

 Bulk billing and reduced fees are not available on Saturdays as costs are higher on weekends. (Private rate applies for all patients)

Payment of fees is required in full on the day of consultation and can be made by Cash, EFTPOS and Credit Card.  The Practice has facilities to enable immediate refund of Medicare Rebates.

The decision to increase fees has not been made lightly and during this time of many challenges and change we thank you for your loyalty to our practice and our team. We have actively campaigned governments for higher Medicare rebates and to raise awareness of this issue. Please speak to your local federal MP to raise your concerns that Medicare rebates have not kept up with inflation.

If you are facing financial difficulty please discuss this with your doctor. If you are bulk billed for a service you may not necessarily be bulk billed for subsequent services by the same doctor for different doctors. Fee discounts are at the discretion of individual doctors.

Some consultations such as those for work-related injuries, third party motor vehicle injuries, insurance medicals and work place medicals do not attract Medicare rebates and sometimes need to be paid in full at the time of the visit. Please discuss this with reception staff.

Procedures

A higher gap will apply for procedures including mirenas, iron infusion, biopsies and skin lesion removals. Your doctor will discuss this fee with you.

Payment of accounts

Full payment of your account would be appreciated at the time of consultation. EFTPOS, and all major credit cards are accepted.

Accounts are transmitted directly to Medicare – if your bank details are registered with Medicare and the account is paid in full, your Medicare rebate can be reimbursed immediately back into your bank account.

Or we use the Tyro system where benefit can be placed straight back into your bank account using a debit card (not credit card).