PRACTICE POLICIES

Booking process: 

Please call for an appointment. Our support staff will ask you a few simple questions in order that we may book you a suitable appointment. Please be aware that in order not to run over time and keep other patients waiting, we may ask you to return on another day to complete the consultation if you have not booked adequate time. 

A standard appointment is up to 12 minutes length and only allows the discussion of one problem or two simple problems. 

Mental health conditions, chronic diseases and requests for second opinion or complete medical review require long and sometimes prolonged consultations. If you do not end up needing the longer time, you will only be charged a standard consultation. 

Skin cancer examinations and women’s health check ups also require longer consultations. 

Online bookings can be made here.  If booking online please ensure you have requested adequate appointment time.

Consulation Fees: 

We are a private billing practice. Our fee structure for consultation items can be found here

Missed appointments: 

If you cannot make your appointment, please phone ahead and let us know. If you do not arrive, or cancel within 48 hours of your appointment, there is a missed appointment fee. You will need to pay this fee before you are able to book future appointments with us.  

The Fee for a missed medical consultation is $95

For a missed cosmetic appointment the $50 booking fee is forfeit.

Communication:

Our administration and support staff are all trained to handle your requests for information and timely appointments. We regret that our doctors are unable to return private calls to patients and while administration staff are happy to take a message, it is not always possible for your doctor to return your call. If in doubt, it is best to schedule an appointment. 

Requests to complete paperwork: 

All forms that you require your doctor to complete will require an appointment. If you are unable to schedule an appointment, we can quote you a private fee of the cost of completing your paperwork without an appointment.

Results: 

Your doctor will notify you when ordering tests on how you are to receive your results. In most instances you will be asked to schedule a follow-up appointment. Our support staff are not medically trained, so if you still have a query about your result, it is best to schedule an appointment with your doctor. 

Referrals: 

An appointment is required for all referrals to specialists other than General Practitioners.  If you require a repeat referral you may wish to order this via our website (FAQ-Online services). Please note that fees apply.  Please ensure you have an in date referral before attending a specialist appointment as Medicare strictly forbids the backdating of referrals. 

All referrals to Allied Health Practitioners under Medicare require you to have a chronic disease recognised by Medicare and a Chronic Disease care plan and team care arrangement in place. We are happy to assist you in developing a plan if it is suitable for you. Further information about can be found at: 
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-medicare-allied-health-brochure.htm 

Prescriptions:

An appointment is required for all prescriptions. It is important that we see you regularly in regards to your medication to ensure you are on the correct dose or if the medication is still right for you. 

Privacy: 

We value your privacy. Upon joining our practice you will be asked to read and sign our privacy policy.  Our full privacy policy can be found here

All information provided by you to the practice is strictly confidential. Sharing your health information with other health professionals will always be discussed with you. Your information is stored securely. If you wish to access your health information please discuss this with your doctor. Copies of specialist letters should be requested direct from the specialist concerned. 

Problems or complaints: 

If you experience any problems with our services or wish to make a complaint we want to hear about it. Usually this is best resolved face to face. If you would like to advise us about a problem, please contact us either by telephoning our support staff or by sending a letter or an email. We take complaints seriously and will do our best to resolve them. If you have an adverse outcome, we need to know about it so we can make changes to avoid similar problems occurring again. 

In the event that you feel unable to resolve the problem directly with us, you can contact the NSW Health Complaints Commission on 02 9219 7444