Fees Policy for
General Practitioner Consultations

Armstrong Street Medical Centre is a private billing clinic. Pensioners and Children under 16 years old attract a $15 discount. All patients will need to finalise their accounts at the time of consultation. Payments can be accepted in the form of cash, EFTPOS, MasterCard or Visa. Medicare rebates can be claimed from Medicare into the patient’s bank account if they provide an EFTPOS card at the time of payment.

Mental health consultations, medical reports and dietitian and diabetic educator consultations attract different fees. Some procedures, dressings, vaccines and other items may also incur a separate fee. Please ask at reception for a full explanation in relation to our fees if required.

Patients attending for Work Cover and Transport Accident Claims are charged a private fee. A receipt will be issued so that the patient can claim reimbursement from the employer or the TAC.

Medical examinations and reports for legal, insurance, superannuation, travel, vehicle licences and employment purposes require longer appointments depending on their complexity. The costs of these reports are not covered by Medicare and a private fee will apply. The fee for the report will be determined by the doctor and depend on the complexity and length of time required to complete the report. It is requested that a copy of all of the documentation is provided to the clinic in advance so that the doctor can determine the length of time required to perform the report, the appropriate time to book the assessment and the estimated cost of the report can be provided prior to the appointment being made. The doctor may require pre-payment prior to this being booked at a time suitable for the doctor.

The following is provided as a basic guide to common fees based on the Medicare rebates for consultations with one of our general practitioners as of May 2017.

Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm

Length	Fee	Medicare Rebate	Out of Pocket Expense
15 minutes	$83	$37.60	$45.40
15 to 30 minutes	$130	$72.80	$57.20
30 to 40 minutes	$155	$72.80	$82.20
Over 40 minutes	$210	$107.15	$102.80

Monday to Friday after 6pm, Saturdays 9am to 1pm and After Hours

A $15 surcharge applies after 6pm Monday to Friday and on Saturday to the above fees. Different fees and rebates apply after 1pm Saturday. Fees vary with the length of the consultation. As an example for a standard 15 minute consultation, the following applies.

Time	Length	Fee	Medicare Rebate	Out of Pocket Expense
Monday to Friday after 6pm	15 minutes	$98	$37.60	$60.40
Saturday 9am to 1pm	15 minutes	$98	$37.60	$60.40
Saturday After 1pm	15 minutes	$110	$49.00	$61.00

 

Cancellation and Missed Appointment Fees for General Practitioner Consultations

General practice patients: It is requested that general practice appointments be cancelled at least two hours prior to the appointment by calling the clinic on 9699 4333. General practice appointments cancelled within two hours, or failure to attend an appointment will incur a cancellation fee of $80. Cancellation of appointments before 10 am Monday to Friday and 11am Saturdays are required on the previous working day. This applies to both phone and online bookings.

Mental health sessions with Dr Zappia: Mental health sessions with Dr Jo-Anne Zappia require 48 hours’ notice if cancelling or postponing an appointment, otherwise a cancellation fee for the cost of the session will be charged.

 

Bulk Billed Services

Our regular patients may be eligible for a range of Medicare funded medical assessments. These can be initiated by the patient’s doctor after discussion with the patient. An appointment with the practice nurse will be then arranged for the medical assessment to be performed, after which the patient will attend the doctor. This visit will be bulk billed for eligible Medicare card holders.

Medical assessments covered by this service include:

• GP Management Plan - for patients with chronic disease, in order to arrange a comprehensive written plan of management of the chronic medical condition. Please note for GP Management Plan Reviews a private fee may apply.
• Team Care Arrangement for patients who have had a GP Management Plan put in place and who have complex care needs, and who require other health care providers and allied health workers to be involved in their care. This benefits the patient by allowing them to access Medicare funded allied health support, such as for dietitians, podiatrist, physiotherapists, diabetic educators and exercise physiologists, to assist in the management of chronic disease. Please note for Team Care Arrangement Reviews a private fee may apply.
• Patients aged 75 years old or older are eligible for an annual in depth health assessment, in order to identify early signs of physical and psychological illness, memory and cognitive impairment, and improve the health, independence and quality of life of these patients.

 

Fees Policy for Psychologist Consultations

A surcharge of $15 applies to sessions on Saturdays. There is no discount for pensioners or children in the case of psychologist appointments.

Psychologist Session	Length	Fee	Medicare Rebate	Out of Pocket Expense
Individual Sessions	50 minutes	$180.00	$84.80	$95.20
Couple Sessions	50 minutes	$220.00	Not applicable	$220.00

 

Cancellation and Missed Appointment Fees for Psychologist Consultations

Consultations with the psychologists require 48 hours’ notice if cancelling or postponing an appointment, otherwise patients will be charged the cost for the session.