Fees and Charges
Dapto Medical & Family Practice has implemented
‘Mixed Billing’ from 1st October 2022*
Dear Patients
Dapto Medical and Family Practice has been a fully bulk billed medical practice since it opened in 2002. Unfortunately Government health spending for primary care services is simply not keeping up with the rising healthcare costs. As a consequence, the provision of high quality services is simply not sustainable if funded by the Medicare rebate alone. Therefore, we have made the very difficult decision to introduce a gap fee in order to continue providing the highest quality of care that our patients deserve. The consultations fees are listed below. Please also take the time to read the “frequently asked questions” below, or speak to our reception staff for more information.
We understand the impact this may have on the community and encourage you to write to your local Federal member of Parliament and the Minister for Health.
TELEHEALTH CONSULTS [Telephone Appointments]:
From the 01.11.2022 Telehealth Appointments will incur an out-of-pocket-fee
*FEES MUST BE PAID FOLLOWING THE TELEHEALTH via HOTDOC or your call will be transferred to reception after the telehealth with the Doctor
To be eligible for a Telehealth Consult, a patient must have been seen Face to Face within 3 months for patient safety, security and patient verification.
[standard consult] Patient Charge: $ 76.50 | Medicare Rebate: $ 41.40 | Out of pocket (GAP): $ 35.00
| Consultation Type | Patient Charged | Medicare Rebate | Out of pocket cost | |||||||||
| *Please note MBS fees increased from 01/11/2023 | ||||||||||||
| Less than 5 min [Level A] | $44.60 | $19.60 | $25.00 | |||||||||
| 5 -19 min [Level B] | $77.85 | $42.85 | $35.00 | |||||||||
| 20 -39 min [Level C] | $127.90 | $82.90 | $45.00 | |||||||||
| 40 min and over [Level D] | $177.15 | $122.15 | $55.00 | |||||||||
| ANTENATAL VISITS Antenatal visits regardless of concession card holders will be charged private fees due to the complexity of the visits | $80.65 | $45.65 | $35.00 | |||||||||
| Saturday Surcharge Concession Card Holders [Pension & Children] 5 -19 min [Level B] | $67.85 | $42.85 | $25.00 | |||||||||
| Saturday Surcharge Concession Card Holders [Pension & Children] 20 -39 min [Level C] | $117.90 | $82.90 | $ 35.00 | |||||||||
| Telehealth Level A [Telephone Consult] | $44.60 | $19.60 | $25.00 | |||||||||
| Telehealth Level B [Telephone Consult] | $77.85 | $42.85 | $35.00 | |||||||||
| Commercial Driver's Licence | $165.00 + GST | non-Medicare rebatable | $165.00 + GST | |||||||||
| Employment Medical | From $165.00 + GST | non-Medicare rebatable | From $165.00 + GST | |||||||||
| Implanon Insertion & Removal Procedure MBS 14206 & 30062 *Inclusive of Treatment Room Fee | $158.35 | $93.35 | $65.00 | |||||||||
| Implanon Insertion Procedure MBS 14206 *Inclusive of Treatment Room Fee | $99.50 | $34.50 | $65.00 | |||||||||
| Implanon Removal Procedure MBS 30062 *Inclusive of Treatment Room Fee | $123.85 | $58.85 | $65.00 | |||||||||
| Ingrown Toe Nail Procedure *Inclusive of Treatment Room Fee | $147.45 | $82.45 | $65.00 | |||||||||
| Iron Infusion - Standard [< 60 min] Procedure *Inclusive of Treatment Room Fee | $217.90 | $82.90 | $135.00 | |||||||||
| Iron Infusion - Long [> 60 min] Procedure *Inclusive of Treatment Room Fee | $257.15 | $122.15 | $135.00 | |||||||||
| Skin check 5 -19 min [Level B] | $77.85 | $42.85 | $35.00 | |||||||||
| Skin check 20 -39 min [Level C] | $127.90 | $82.90 | $45.00 | |||||||||
| The fees for other skin cancer procedures should be discussed with your doctor. A gap fee will usually apply and this will vary according to the degree of complexity, the site of the lesion and size of the lesion, as well as how the wound is reconstructed. | ||||||||||||
| Treatment Room Fee Additional cost added to Procedures when Treatment Room is required. This fee covers the cost of resources involved in providing these treatments. | $30.00 | non-Medicare rebatable | $30.00 | |||||||||
| Cancellation Policy: NO SHOW to Booking & Failed to Give 2 Hours Notice | $30.00 | non-Medicare rebatable | $30.00 | |||||||||
| Cancellation Policy Allied Health: NO SHOW to Booking & Failed to Give 2 Hours Notice | $50.00 | non-Medicare rebatable | $50.00 | |||||||||
To facilitate faster processing of rebates from Medicare, please make sure that your bank details are linked with Medicare.
You can update these details through the following link:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/medicare-online-account-help-update-your-bank-account-details
Preferred Method of Payment
EFTPOS payments: Visa, Mastercard, Credit card and debit card payments
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to make it to your appointment, please provide at least 2 hours’ notice so we can offer your appointment to another patient. Where patients do not provide 2 hours’ cancellation notice, they will be charged a cancellation fee of $30.00, [Allied Health $50.00] which is not claimable on Medicare. If you need to cancel your appointment, please phone us on 42616888 or if you have made your appointment online, please cancel your appointment through HotDoc. Please note this cancellation fee will also apply to all Allied Health.
We will Continue to Bulk Bill:
- Children UNDER 16 years old *Saturday Surcharge applies
- Patients with Centrelink issued Pension Card *Depending on Doctor and/ or Procedure charges may still apply & Saturday Surcharge applies
- Patients eligible for Veterans affairs *Depending on Doctor and/ or Procedure charges may still apply
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples [Patient must have completed an Aboriginal Health Assessment MBS 715 completed within 12months] *Depending on Doctor and/ or Procedure charges may still apply & Saturday Surcharge applies
- Recalled appointments (e.g., results) *Depending on Doctor and/ or Procedure charges may still apply & Saturday Surcharge applies
- Chronic disease management plan and reviews
- Annual health assessment for people aged 75 years and older
Allied Health Services
Mixed Billing Applies for Allied Health from 1st March 2023- Please review revised fees.
For Patients with a valid GP Management Plan prepared by their GP, Allied Health visits will be bulk billed with no gap for Podiatry, Psychologist and Dietitian visits.
The following fees apply to those patients who do not have a valid GP Management Plan or have used all allocated 5 visits from Medicare:
| Service | Initial | Review |
| Podiatrist | $85.00 | $75.00 |
| Psychologist | $85.00 | 75.00 |
| Dietitian | 120.00 | 85.00 |
Mixed Billing Details
In-line with the new fee structure of Dapto Medical and Family Practice, our Dietitian Dionne, will be implementing Mixed Billing from 1st March 2023.
*Please note
· Patients with a valid Enhanced Primary Care Plan [EPC] referral from the GP will be eligible for the Medicare Rebate.
· Medicare limits the number of visits for allied health providers to 5 per calendar year collectively.
· To facilitate faster processing of rebates from Medicare, please make sure that your bank details are linked with Medicare.
· Alternatively, if you have private health insurance with extras cover, Dietitian services may be reimbursed by your health fund.
Allied Health Practitioners will Continue to Bulk Bill:
- At their own discretion
- Children 16 years and under
- Patients eligible for Veterans affairs
- Centrelink issued Pension card holders
Workers Compensation
Our Doctors look after Work-Cover cases – the Fee’s for Workers Compensation are according to the AMA guidelines
Fees Policy – Frequently Asked Questions
- When will the new Fees commence? 1st of October 2022
2. Why are the GPs introducing a fee when they have been bulk-billing for so long?
Unfortunately, the Medicare rebates do not cover the full cost of providing quality GP care, including the costs of all of the overheads that go into running a practice, and as such the GPs and the practice have been subsidising the shortfall in the cost of healthcare for a number of years. The MBS rebates have been indexed at a much lower rate than CPI over the past 30 years, e.g. the MBS was indexed at 1.6% in July 2022 and current CPI is running at 5.1%. The GPs working in our practice are all highly trained, very experienced specialist GPs, and are committed to providing the highest level of care possible. The fees have been set to enable that level of care and commitment to continue.
3. How have the GP fees been set in your practice?
The fees set by the GPs working in our practice have been determined by factoring in the true cost of healthcare, good record keeping, the cost of continued GP training and education, the cost of equipment and I.T., insurance, rent and practice support staff costs etc. The fees set are also less than the Australian Medial Association (AMA) recommended fees. The AMA’s standard consultation fee is $86.00.
4. Why can some GPs in other practices still afford to bulk-bill when your GPs are introducing gap fees?
All practices are set up differently, however typically where GPs are solely bulk billed, they need to see a higher volume of patients in order to keep the business afloat. Our GPs want to continue to provide the highest quality of care.
5. Doctors are already paid very well through Medicare, why should they be able to put their fees up?
Medicare rebates are the rebates provided to patients, and are not the fees set by the government for GP payment. Where a GP bulk-bills a patient, they are accepting the Medicare rebate as the full fee for that service. The Medicare rebates do not properly cover the costs of consumables (eg dressings, sutures etc). For the practice to be able to retain and attract high performing GPs, GP remuneration needs to remain competitive with practices elsewhere.
6. Why are some patients bulk-billed and not others?
The GPs in this practice are committed to providing accessible and affordable care to all patients. They are also committed to caring for vulnerable patients, which is why children aged 16yrs and under and pensioners will be bulk-billed for all normal GP consults (some fees may still apply for procedural services). All other patients are asked to contribute to the cost of their healthcare by providing a gap fee.
7. My friend is bulk-billed by one of the GPs working here, why doesn’t he/she bulk-bill me?
“The billing arrangement between a GP and their patient is an individual arrangement and your GP may consider your individual circumstances, however there is no guarantee they will be able to bulk bill you. Our full fees list is available on our website and at reception so you will know before your appointment what level of fee you may be required to pay and what the “gap” or “out of pocket fee” will be. Our Practice Website is: dmfp.com.au.
8. I’ve been coming here for years for “free”, why should I start paying now?
Whilst you may not have noticed it, even when you have been bulk-billed, the Medicare rebate is your rebate, not the Drs, and as such you have been paying the GP your Medicare rebate when you have been bulk-billed. Unfortunately given successive Commonwealth governments have not indexed the Medicare rebates in line with inflation, the GPs in our practice are no longer able to continue to provide their services for the Medicare rebate alone. Hopefully you will appreciate that our GPs deserve a fair and reasonable fee in return for the high level of care they provide, and their years of training and experience.
9. I don’t want to pay anything to see a GP, so I’m going to leave your practice.
We realise that the implementation of “gap” or out-of-pocket fees may result in some patients choosing to move to another practice, and that is each patient’s right.
Whilst we would dearly love to continue to help all patients, if you would like to move your medical records from DMFP to a different GP clinic, we will promptly arrange a Health Summary to be sent to your new clinic.
We do not charge a fee for sending a Health Summary to another clinic, but we reserve the right to charge a $30.00 fee covering our costs if the other clinic requests your file be sent by disc or paper file as there are significant Admin costs involved.
10. I think it is unfair that your GPs no longer bulk-bill all patients and I’m going to complain to the authorities. Who should I complain to?
In NSW, if you have a complaint about the health care you receive, or the cost of healthcare, you are entitled to lodge a complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission (https://www.hccc.nsw.gov.au/contact-us). You may also notify your local Federal member of parliament, as the Medicare rebates are set and controlled by the Commonwealth government.
11. How will I pay for the Fees and claim my Medicare rebate?
For patient convenience, we offer electronic claiming, your claim will be sent to Medicare through a secure internet connection. Your Medicare benefit will be paid into the bank account registered with Medicare (subject to you having a valid/in date Medicare card).
12. Is it legal for GPs to charge more than the Medicare rebates?
Like most professionals, GPs are able to set fees at a level which they feel is reasonable and fair.
13. I’m a refugee, how much will I need to pay to see a GP?
All Refugees with a valid healthcare card will be bulk-billed for standard GP Consultations (subject to you having a valid/in date Medicare card). Additional procedures may incur a fee.
14. What’s your cancellation policy?
If you are unable to make it to your appointment, please provide at least 4 hours’ notice so we can offer your appointment to another patient. Where patients do not provide 4 hours’ cancellation notice, they will be charged a cancellation fee of $30.00 which is not claimable on Medicare. If you need to cancel your appointment, please phone us on 42616888 or if you have made your appointment online, please cancel your appointment through HotDoc.
The decision to move to mixed billing was not taken lightly. We are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of healthcare we provide and have had to take this step-in order to protect the sustainability of our practice. We cannot thank you enough for your ongoing support of our practice – in the past and into the future as we make this decision.
Warmest regards
Doctors & Management of DMFP
Our Partners
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