Each and every doctor who is located in the practice sets their own fees. The fees below are indicative only.

The practice is a mixed billing practice and full payment of fees on the day of examination is appreciated. The fee charged will depend on the GP you see, the type of examination required, and whether or not you have any current concession cards. To allow us to provide this service we will need your Medicare card and an EFT card. Rebates are normally in your bank account within 2 hours.

It is not the policy of this practice to issue accounts for later payment. We ask that all accounts be paid at the time of consultation. The practice accepts Visa, Mastercard, Bankcard, EFTPOS and Debit cards.

Each and every doctor who is located in the practice sets their own fees. In most case we attend to bulk bill concession card holders, Gold Card DVA, patients who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and children under the age of 16 will be bulk billed for standard consults. We do charge private fees for procedures – a full fee schedule is available at the front desk.

New patients to the practice or patients who have not been seen within the past 2 years will be charged a private initial consult fee. Subsequent visits may be bulk billed if eligible. Again this is dependent on the service provider you see.

Unfortunately, the amount set by the Government for GP services is insufficient to cover the costs of providing a high quality service.

In most cases the Medicare rebate is less today than it was 15 years ago. This means that, dollar for dollar, the Government is actually contributing less today for Medicare rebates than it did 15 years ago. When inflation is factored in, the government is paying up to 36% less.

Clearly the current situation is not sustainable for either our services providers or for us as the facility manager from a purely economic standpoint. Technology and productivity improvements cannot keep pace with the loss in revenue and the spiralling cost of rapid changes in technology and clinical practice.

Both Balance and our service providers value their own time, the contribution of the facility staff and the patients themselves, and think they are worth more than the small value the Government puts on the medicare service.

At the same time, we understand the patients at this practice may be experiencing financial difficulty and believe services should be available to all patients on equal terms regardless of their socio-economic circumstances. As such the discretion to bulk bill when there is a genuine financial need will be taken into account by each and every doctor.

We understand that there will be times that you will not be able to keep a scheduled appointment with the GPs at this location.

With this in mind we would appreciate that if time allows that you give us at least 1 hours’ notice if you wish to cancel or change your appointment.

A non-attendance with no contact on 3 or more occasions may result in a cancellation fee of $80 being charged.

A 24 hour cancellation policy applies to all of the Allied Health Providers at our location which will result in 50%-100% of the total cost of consultation being charged if an appointment is cancelled with less than 24 Hours’ notice.

This fee will also apply for appointments with non-attendance.

If you fail to attend 3 appointments you may no longer be eligible to be bulk billed at the location of the GP you are seeing and will be charged the current practice fee for all future appointments. This includes Allied Health appointments.

To avoid being marked as failed to attend, the following cancellation notice is required:

• Cancel Doctor Appointment: minimum 1 hour notice required
• Cancel Allied Health Appointment: minimum 24 hours notice is required. (if under 24 hours notice is given, any cancelled or unattended appointments will incur a cancellation fee and MUST be paid before any further appointments can be booked at the practice. Please ask reception for individual Allied Health cancellation fees).

If you arrive more than 5 minutes late for your appointment, you will be marked as failed to attend.

The doctors at this location are committed to the health of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and the facility service provider participates in the Closing the Gap Program to better the health of our local community.

What is closing the gap?

Closing the gap is a health program helping Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders to access better healthcare and cheaper medicines.

What does the program consist of?

This program combines better healthcare, cheaper medicines and healthcare coordination.

What do I have to do to access this program?

Access to the closing the gap program is as easy as seeing a GP at this location.

To have access to this program all you need to do is book an appointment to discuss it with your regular GP.

If you don’t have a regular GP why not come in and see one of our GPs to get you on the right track.

Note: Proof of aboriginality certificate from elders may be required.

What are the benefits of the program?

If you suffer from a Chronic Disease or are at risk of developing one you can get your Medications cheaper or even free.

For those that have a Chronic Disease you may be entitled to up to 10 subsidised* referrals to an Allied Health Provider including:

• Physiotherapy
• Podiatry
• Speech Therapy
• Physiology Services
• Dietitian
• Osteopath

* Some fees may still apply for the services. Referrals may only allow a Medicare rebate to be claimed.

Is there anything that I need to do?

To be eligible for the program you will need to have a yearly health assessment with your regular GP.

This assessment will take 45-60 minutes and consists of time spent with our practice nurse as well as your GP.

You may also be required to have more regular appointments if you suffer from a Chronic Disease.

Registration for access to cheaper medications needs to be done at the beginning of each year.