Fee Changes from 13 Nov 2023
Bulk-bill (weekdays only) exclusion applied*
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Pension card
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CenterLink Health Care card
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Commonwealth Seniors Health card
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DVA Gold card
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Care plan & Health assessment
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B12 injection, Flu & Covid Vaccine
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Covid PCR Test ONLY
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Removal of suture (excision done by our Dr)
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Home medication review
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Reprinting Referral/Imaging/Pathology/Scripts
*Exclusion: We do NOT Bulk-Bill Iron Infusion, Skin Check, Excision, Biopsy, Cervical Screening, Mental Health consult, non-medicare rebatable consults, non-medicare card holders, employment medical, commercial driver's license, Implanon/IUD removal and insertion.
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Weekdays Consultation Fees starting from 13 Nov 2023
Weekend Consultation Fees
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Full Skin Check: Separate Consultation Required.
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Fees for Follow up/Discussion of Results: the doctors’ discretion.
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Fees for other procedures: Please discuss with your Doctor.
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If you have extenuating circumstances or are experiencing financial difficulties, please discuss this with your treating Doctor.
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Dressings will be charged at cost price.
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Liquid nitrogen therapy - Non-medicare rebatable fee: $15 - $50
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Payment is required at the time of consultation by cash, credit card or Eftpos.
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Online claiming is processed on the same day.
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Accounts outstanding 30 days: $10 account keeping fees applied. May be sent to the Debt Collector.
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Fees for the transfer of patient records is $50.00 (including GST) in electronic form only.
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Cervical Screening with Nurse: out of pocket $35.
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Cervical Screening with Nurse or GP: Pathology fee may be applied, please check your eligibility with your Nurse/GP first. More information: Who should get a Cervical Screening Test
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All initial workers compensation visits are payable on the day and will be charged at AMA recommended rates.
Once a claim has been established and a claim number is given by your insurer we will give you an account to be forwarded to your insurer to pay us directly. Any disputed accounts remain the responsibility of you the patient. -
Non-Medicare rebatable consultation such as employment medical, certify copy, guarantor for visa purpose, etc will incur an additional fee which is not medicare rebatable.
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Patients without a medicare card need to pay full amount. For example: oversea visitor.
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Seeing our nurse alone will incur an out of pocket fee of $60 per 30 minutes block if patients don't want to see the doctor.
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We do NOT bulk bill immunisation services (adult & child). You will be charged as per weekdays and weekend fees table.
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Cosmetic services and pricing (Botox, filler, Thread lift, etc) click here.
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Why do we charge a fee for medical services?
At Parkes Street General Practice the quality care that you receive is a product of the dedication and expertise of Doctors, our staff and well-equipped facility.
Current and previous governments have failed to regularly increase the Medicare rebates. This means Medicare rebates have never kept pace with the cost of living and have never covered the true cost of delivering quality medical care.
We are conscious that some of our patients are unable to afford the fee.
This change is required so that our Practice can continue to provide you and your family with high quality healthcare whilst also covering the ever increasing costs of running a business in Sydney especially while under a Medicare freeze environment.
Parkes Street General Practice has chosen to continue to subsidise your healthcare by setting our fees lower than the current recommended fee schedule set by the Medical Association of Australia (AMA). Please see fee schedule below for details.
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Medicare rebates generally appear in your nominated bank account within 24 hours. If you are unsure if you have a linked bank account, or need to update any details, you can do so through your MyGov or Medicare Express app.
Our reception team is very happy to help you through this process if required.
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Care Plan and Health Assessment Utilization
We will still bulk-bill all Care Plan and Health Assessment consultations for all eligible patients. Please speak to our nurse/GP for more information on this.
For any patients who no longer wish to attend our practice due to this change, we will offer a free of charge medical record transfer (normal cost $50) to whichever practice you decide to relocate to. Please speak to reception to organise this. We would like to thank our patients for their kind understanding as we make this change.
Non-attendance/Cancellation fee Policy
We require a minimum of 3 hours notice for any appointments. Cancellations within 3hrs or non-attendance will attract a cancellation fee:
- $50 for a standard consultation
- $70 for an extended consultation.
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Is there a charge if I need my doctor to sign a form or to certify a copy?
Medicare considers some government forms to be eligible for completion during a consultation and can be medicare rebatable. In all other circumstances completing and signing forms will incur an additional fee, which will not be eligible for a Medicare rebate for example guarantor for visa purpose, certifying copy, etc. When making an appointment, please let our reception team know which form you want to complete with your doctor to allow enough time and for information about any fees.
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Who pays out-of-pocket fees?
Any patient who does not meet any of the Bulk-Billing criteria will be charged out-of-pocket fees for the consultation.
Patients without a medicare card need to pay full amount. For example a new born babies and International visitors.
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Patient without a medicare card
There will be no medicare rebate for doctor consultation nor pathology test if you are an international visitors. Please consult with your private health fund.
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Medicare Rebate
We submit your claim to Medicare and rebates generally appear in your nominated bank account within 2 days. If you are unsure if you have a linked bank account, or need to update any details, you can do so through your MyGov or Medicare Express app. (Follow these steps to register your bank account)
Our reception team is very happy to help you through this process if required.
A Medicare Rebate is available on most services provided and this will reduce your out-of-pocket costs for the consultation. This out-of-pocket cost is commonly referred to as the 'Gap'.
International visitors or patients who do not have a Medicare card, will not be able to claim the Medicare Rebate. However, international visitors may be able to claim something back from their travel insurance or health fund. Please check with your respective agencies.
Some services such as Pre-Employment, Insurance Medicals or commercial drivers medicals, do not have a Medicare Rebate and full fees are payable. Our staff will endeavour to advise you if the service you require falls into this category.
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Payment Methods
Any fees incurred must be paid on the day of the consultation.
Accepted payment methods are cash, EFTPOS, Amex, Mastercard and VISA.
Why is there a gap?
Providing high quality health care costs money and the government rebate provided through Medicare falls a long way short of covering all the costs. Just like for you, the cost of our utilities have risen (rent, electricity, insurance, cost of specialised equipment, human resources and computers and so on), medical centres are just as affected by these rising costs as anybody else and especially so in a Medicare freeze environment. For this reason, we have introduced fees for some consults to ensure you still receive quality health care from experienced and highly trained practitioners all within a well-resourced and pleasant practice environment.
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The Government’s indexation of Medicare rebates has not kept pace with the rising cost of practice. On average, AWE and CPI increase by 3.3% per year to cover the rising costs of practice. Medicare rebates only increase by 2.1% per year.
The difference is a decrease in the value of your rebate. Making your rebate worth less every year.
This image below from the AMA illustrates how the 'gap' has widened over the last 30 years.
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