Standard Consultation Fees
Our consultations and services attract fees in accordance to our fee schedule. These fees cover the cost of running our practice, its clinical staff and managing the complex care requirements associated with supporting the delivery of medical care in nursing homes.
Standard consultations during scheduled nursing home visits or as otherwise provided by our GPs in-hours are charged according to our fee schedule below.
The doctor’s time required for administration related to the consultation (medical notes, communication with nursing staff and medical decision maker) is included in the consultation time.
Patients may be able to claim Medicare rebates for these services. No Medicare rebate is usually available when the patient is not present for the consultation. The Medicare rebates are applicable to the time spent in attendance to the patient. No Medicare rebate is available for medicolegal correspondence. The Medicare Safety Net may apply to reduce your out-of-pocket fees once a specific threshold is met.
Standard Consultation Fee Schedule
| Medical Service | Total Fee | Est. Medicare Rebate | Est. Gap Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brief Consultation <5 mins (visit or telehealth) | $40 | $17.90 | $22.10 |
| Standard Consultation <20 mins (visit or telehealth) | $87 | $39.10 | $47.90 |
| Longer Consultation >20 mins (visit or telehealth) | $137 | $75.75 | $61.25 |
| Extended Consult >40 mins (visit or telehealth) | $223 | $111.50 | $111.50 |
| Renewal of prescription where no patient attendance occurs | $20 | $0 | $20.00 |
| Medicolegal opinion or correspondence | $95.70 per 15 mins | $0 | $95.70 per 15 mins |
Procedure Fees
GPs at our practice may choose to offer medical procedures to patients at their nursing homes, which are charged in accordance with our fee schedule. These fees cover the cost of providing the services including medical equipment, logistics and the medical service itself.
Prepayment of the full amount may be required. Patients may be eligible for a Medicare rebate towards some of the cost. The Medicare rebate available for skin lesion excisions is often based upon the laboratory-confirmed histopathology which only occurs after the procedure, and this is why the rebate and out of pocket fee is variable.
| Medical Service | Total Fee | Est. Medicare Rebate | Est. Gap Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ear syringing | $105 | $39.10 | $65.90 |
| Skin lesion excision | $320 | Variable | Variable |
| Cryotherapy with liquid nitrogen | $105 | $39.10 | $65.90 |
| Indwelling or suprapubic catheter insertion | $95 | $24.40 | $70.60 |
Medicare rebate usually accepted as full payment for the following services:
Standard Consultations to DVA Gold Card Holders.
Brief telehealth consultations for renewal of prescriptions or referrals that do not require complex reassessment.
Brief consultations for follow-up of simple medical issues (for example, results that do not require significant follow-up or medical management).
Comprehensive Medical Assessments
[MBS items 701/703/705/707].Reviews of or contributions to facility care plans
[MBS items 731 or 92027].Residential Medication Management Reviews
[MBS item 903].
Services provided without charge that don’t attract a Medicare rebate
Medical Certificate Cause of Death completion.
Routine provision of medical opinions about medical diagnoses to support facility funding for patients.
Brief communication with family members where no Medicare rebate applies.
After-Hours Locum Service
For after-hours care, our practice has an agreement with after-hours locum service provider DoctorDoctor.
They can be contacted by telephone at 13 26 60 to arrange patient reviews in the after-hours period.
This is for consultations required:
- Outside the hours of 8:00am to 6:00pm weekdays;
- During the weekend;
- On public holidays.
After-Hours GP Consultations
GPs at our practice may, on a case-by-case basis where clinical circumstances require and their availability permits, offer telehealth or in-person consultations for non-urgent reviews outside their regular visiting hours.
This will attract a private consultation fee in accordance with our fee schedule (Medicare rebate may be available towards some of the cost). Prepayment of the full amount may be required. The same gap fee applies for after-hour consultations as for in-hours consultations. For in-person visits in the after hours period, the consultation fee associated with the medical service is variable because Medicare rebates in the after-hours period are based on the number of patients the doctor sees during the visit, but the services will attract the same gap fee as for in-hours consultations.
Billing process for medical services
DVA Gold Card Holder
The medical service provider claims the patient's DVA rebate as full payment for the service provided, unless the service does not attract a rebate in which case it is charged at our fee schedule.
If a fee is applicable (for example, for medicolegal requests), we send the authorised payment contact an invoice by email or post for the service requiring immediate payment of the full fee(s) for the service(s). Payment may be required in advance for some services.
Bulk billed medical service
The medical service provider claims the patient's Medicare rebate as full payment for the service provided, unless the service does not attract a rebate in which case it is charged at our fee schedule.
If a fee is applicable, we send the authorised payment contact an invoice by email or post for the service requiring immediate payment of the full fee(s) for the service(s). Payment may be required in advance for some services.
Fee associated with medical service
The patient or their decision maker provides prior consent to our practice to provide the service and agree to pay for the service in accordance to our fee schedule.
We send the authorised payment contact an invoice by email or post for the service requiring immediate payment of the full fees for the service(s). Pre-payment may be required for some services.
The patient or their decision maker provides a copy of the invoice to Medicare and claims any applicable Medicare rebate for the service through Medicare, or provides our practice with consent to claim on their behalf to Medicare, and they receive the applicable rebate in the bank account nominated to Medicare.
Once a certain amount of out-of-pocket fees is reached for the year, patients may be eligible for a higher Medicare rebate under the Medicare Safety Net.
To arrange the payment of fees or for queries about invoices received
Contact our practice staff during business hours (9:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday except public holidays) on phone (03) 9017 9000 or by email to belinda@tomorrow.com.au.
We accept bank deposit, credit card and cheque.
If you are experiencing financial hardship, please let our practice staff know by calling during business hours and we may be able to organise a payment plan.
Medicare Safety Net
Medicare Safety Nets can help to lower out-of-pocket medical costs for medical consultations.
If patients need to see a doctor or get tests regularly, they can end up with higher medical costs. Medicare Safety Nets is a government program that can help to lower these out-of-pocket costs.
Medicare Safety Nets have thresholds. When patients spend money on gap and out-of-pocket costs, this can count towards reaching these thresholds. Once patients reach their threshold for the year, then they may start getting higher Medicare benefits and pay lower out-of-pocket costs for medical services.
More information about this program can be found on the Services Australia website at:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/medicare-safety-nets