What an appointment costs

This practice bills some patients and bulk bills others. What decides which one applies to you, and what you pay if it is the first, is all on this page.

How billing works here

Chapel Street Medical Centre is a mixed billing practice. Two different things happen at reception depending on who is standing at it.

Bulk billed

Medicare is billed directly and you pay nothing on the day. Whether this applies depends on who you are rather than on what the appointment is about.

Fee paying

You pay at the appointment and Medicare pays a rebate back to you. The difference between the two is your out-of-pocket cost.

If you are not sure which one you fall under, ask when you book. It is a short conversation beforehand and an awkward one afterwards.

Consultation fees

These are the fees for an appointment with Dr Battat. Out of pocket is what the appointment actually costs you once the rebate is back.

Who is bulk billed

Bulk billing is available to these patients under the practice's current billing policy:

• Patients under 16
• Department of Veterans' Affairs card holders
• Pensioners
• Concession card holders

Bring the card with you. A pension or concession card has to be current for the practice to bill Medicare directly against it.

Paying, and getting the rebate back

Fees are paid at the time of the appointment. Reception lodges your Medicare claim when you pay, so you do not have to claim it yourself, and in many cases the rebate is back with you before you leave.

If it cannot go through on the day, you will get a receipt and can claim it yourself through your Medicare online account.

The Medicare Safety Net

If you see doctors often, or someone in your household does, the Safety Net is worth knowing about. Once your out-of-pocket costs for out-of-hospital services pass an annual threshold, Medicare pays a higher proportion of what you spend for the rest of that calendar year.

Individuals are enrolled automatically. Couples and families are not, and this is the part people miss: you have to register as a family before your costs are counted together, even when everyone is already on the same Medicare card. Registering is free and only has to be done once.

Only fees you have actually paid count towards a threshold, so an account left outstanding does not contribute until it is settled. The thresholds are indexed every January, which is why the current figures are not printed here.

• Medicare Safety NetsServices Australia: how the thresholds work, and how to register a couple or a family

Fees that are not listed here

The figure above covers a standard consultation. It is not the practice's whole fee list, and presenting it as though it were would be misleading.

Long consultations, care plans, health assessments, procedures and the on-site podiatry are billed according to what is involved and whether a Medicare item number applies. Some attract no charge at all. Ask reception what a particular appointment will cost when you book, and you will have the figure before you commit to the time.

Changing or cancelling an appointment

An appointment is time set aside for one patient. If you cannot make it, call the practice on (03) 9534 5151 during opening hours and the time can go to someone who needs it. We do not charge a cancellation fee. We only ask that you let us know on the day.