Fees & Policies
Mission Statement
- We aim to provide the highest standard of patient care whilst incorporating a holistic approach toward diagnosis and management of illness
- We are committed to promoting health, wellbeing and disease prevention to all patients
- We do not discriminate in the provision of excellent care and aim to treat all patients with dignity and respect
- We believe providing safe and effective health care is one of the cornerstones to a healthy community
Fees
Consultations
We Bulk Bill Health Care Card holders, Disability and Aged Pension Card holders, Veteran Affairs Card holders and children under the age of 16 for all consultations. Consultations without these discount services are privately billed and payment is required on the day.
Billing remains the discretion of the treating doctor.
Workers Compensation and Motor Vehicle Accident accounts are to be paid for by the patient until liability has been accepted in writing from the insurance company stating a valid Claim Number.
Fees apply for other services such as Medicals and Vaccines. Please ask our friendly reception staff for more information.
Procedure Fees
All procedures are privately billed. Prices will be explained at the consultation, with Pension and Health Care Card holders receiving a discounted rate.
There may be a small charge for consumables in the treatment room or dressings so that we can use the best ones for your needs.
These fees are not claimable from Medicare and are required to be paid on the day.
Policies
Consultations
Consultation is by appointment; however urgent cases will be triaged and seen on the day. For appointments please phone: (08) 9493 3146.
Booking a long appointment; If you require an insurance medical, review of a complex health problem, counselling for emotional difficulties, or a second opinion, please ask the receptionist for a longer appointment when you book.
If more than one member of your family needs to see the doctor at the same time, please ensure you book a separate appointment time for each family member and don’t forget to bring along all relevant letters, x-rays and test results from other doctors.
Cancellations
Please remember that time is valuable to all of us. If you fail to attend an appointment without warning or explanation, this practice may not be able to offer you booked appointments in the future. A fee may apply.
Workers Compensation and Motor Vehicle Accidents
These accounts are to be paid for on the day, by the patient. Once your claim has been accepted, you can then claim the amount back from the insurance company. We do not send accounts to the employer but will forward them to the Insurance Commission or insurance company when liability has been accepted in writing.
Home Visits
Home Visits during normal hours are available at the discretion of the doctor. If the need is urgent and our doctor is unable to make a home visit, it is possible for the surgery to arrange for a locum doctor to attend. Please call the surgery to arrange this on (08) 9493 3146.
For afterhours home visits please ring the locum directly on (08) 9321 9133.
How to Access your Medical Records
Practice Nurses and Allied Health Providers
Appointments
Complaints
If you are unhappy with any aspect of our care, please feel free to talk to your doctor or the practice manager.
We believe problems are best dealt with within the practice, but if you are still dissatisfied you may contact the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office on Phone: (08) 6551 7620
Fees & Policies
Forest Lakes Medical Centre is a Mixed Billing Practice.
The clinic had to review the billing that was currently being made to patients and found that the majority of patients that are attending the clinic don’t hold a Concession Card.
So a decision was made that if patients couldn’t provide us with a Concession Card we would have to start privately billing them for the consultation.
We do understand that sometimes there are patients that have financial hardship so it will be up to the Doctors discretion to continue Bulk Billing those patients.
We also Bulk Bill children under the age of 16 years, hence us being a mixed billing practice.
With this change it will enable the Doctors to spend more time with their patients when consulting.
For a standard consult without a Concession Card is $70.00. The Rebate you will receive from Medicare the same day of consult is $39.10.
We please ask patients who require a longer appointment to advise the Receptionist so that you have that time to spend with the Doctor. The standard consultation time is 10-15min.
Workers Compensation and Motor Vehicle Consultations require a claim number from the Employer or Insurance Company. Until the practice receives that claim number with all the details that the invoice needs to be sent to the fee will have to be paid on the day of consultation. You will receive the amount you paid through your Insurance Company when you provide them with the receipt we provide you.
When a patient requires clinical treatment at the practice sometimes a fee for the consumables will have to be paid on the day. The patient will be advised of this before the treatment is provided.
Some vaccinations are free from the Government but if they are not covered a fee will apply to those vaccines. The patient will be advised before the vaccination is provided to them.
Driver’s License Medicals are not covered by Medicare so a fee will apply. Please check with the Receptionist when making the appointment.
If you have any questions that we haven’t covered please don’t hesitate to call the Practice on 9493 3146.
