Changes to Practice Fees – from 12/08/2024
Pittwater Family Practice is committed to maintaining the highest level of medical care possible. We have the most competent staff, tenant doctors and we treat every patient as an important individual.
We are charging less than other practices in the area and the cost of running a practice continues to rise but the Medicare rebate remains far below the cost of providing quality care.
Why are we not a bulk billing practice??
When a tenant doctor elects to bulk bill a patient, they receive a Medicare rebate of $42.85 for a standard consultation. From this amount, a service fee is payable to the practice to cover essential operational costs. Due to these financial constraints, it is not viable for the practice to operate as a fully bulk billing facility.
* Consultation fees are set by each individual tenant doctor. Some doctors MAY choose to bulk bill children 12 years and under, and Veterans but it is up to the tenant doctor at the time of the consultation.
* We are unfortunately unable to offer a bulk billing service on Saturdays. Saturday appointments attract a slightly higher fee.
*New Patient Policy
All new patients are required to pay a fee for their first appointment, including pension card holders and children.
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The standard fee for an initial consultation is $165, with a Medicare rebate of $82.90, resulting in an out-of-pocket cost of $82.10.
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In some cases, particularly for children, the initial consultation may be shorter (approximately 15 minutes). In these instances, the fee is $100, with a Medicare rebate of $42.85, resulting in an out-of-pocket cost of $57.15.
* If you have extenuating circumstances, please discuss these with your treating doctor.
We also charge a surcharge on our eftpos machines at time of purchase
Mastercard credit 1.82% – Mastercard Debit 1.24%
Visa credit 1.81% – Visa Debit 1.21%
Eftpos card 0.69%
*Unfortunately we don’t accept American Express or Diners – We still accept Cash or Cheque as a form of payment
* Cancellation Policy – DISCLAIMER Please provide us with 2 hours notice if you wish to cancel or change your appointment with your doctor. Any cancellations or changes to appointments within 2 hours may attract a cancellation fee of $55.00 for missed standard appointment and $85.00 for a missed long appointment time. Please call reception with any concerns. New patient appointments cancelled within 2 hours or patient does not show ,the fee is the full amount of $165. Cancellations on on a Saturday incur a higher fee.
We have had to implement these cancellations charges as we have had an increase of “no shows” by patients. If a patient doesn’t show the doctors doesn’t’ get paid for that time as they are all contractors. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your co-operation.
Pittwater Family Practice – Updated 16th July 2024
| Service | Price | Gap | Rebate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | $100.00 | $57.15 | $42.85 |
| Pensioners | $70.00 | $27.15 | $42.85 |
| Saturdays | $110.00 | $67.15 | $42.85 |
| Saturday long Consultation (20-40 min) | $175.00 | $92.10 | $82.90 |
| Pensioner Saturday Rate | $75 | $32.15 | $42.85 |
| Long consultations (20-40 minutes) | $165.00 | $82.10 | $82.90 |
| Pensioner Long Consultation | $115.00 | $32.10 | $82.90 |
| Telehealth ( phone) | $85.00 | $42.15 | $42.85 |
| Skin Check | $120 | $77.15 | $42.85 |
| Telehealth ( phone) No rebate applicable | $85.00 | Nil | Nil |
| Hot Doc online referral & script requests | $30 | Nil | Nil |
| NEW Patient Consultation - For all patients including Pension card holder, HCC holders. | $165 | $82.10 | $82.90 |
| We do not bulk bill New patient Consultations including children. In some cases, particularly for children, the initial consultation may be shorter (approximately 15 minutes). In these instances, the fee is $100 with a rebate of $42.85 | |||
| Cancellation fee less than 2 hours notice for a standard appointment | $55 | Nil | Nil |
| Cancellation fee less than 2 hours notice for a standard appointment on a Saturday | $65 | Nil | Nil |
| Cancellation fee less than 2 hours notice for a long appointment | $85 | Nil | Nil |
| Cancellation fee less than 2 hours notice for a long appointment on a Saturday | $95 | Nil | Nil |
| Cancellation fee less than 2 hours notice for a New Patient appointment | $165 | Nil | Nil |
| Cancellation fee less than 2 hours notice for a New Patient appointment on a Saturday | $175 | Nil | Nil |
Medical billing is a complex matter and subject to change. We are a private billing medical practice made up of independent tenant doctors with standard appointment times of 15 minutes. The usual consultation fee is $100.00, with a Medicare refund of $42.85 deposited directly back into your account on the day of the consultation.
On Saturdays, we do not routinely offer bulk billing but this may be waived at the discretion of the tenant doctor. Saturdays incurs a increase fee of $110.
For appointments over 20 minutes the fee is $165.00 with a Medicare refund of $82.90
Discounts may apply by the treating tenant doctor’s discretion at the time of treatment. Please refer to each tenant doctor for there fees.
Consultation fees are set by each individual tenant doctor. Some doctors MAY choose to bulk bill children 12 years and under, and Veterans but it is up to the tenant doctor at the time of the consultation. There is a significant discount for pensioners and Health Care Card Holders with a fee of $70.00 resulting in a gap “out of pocket” expense of only $27.15 for a standard appointment after your Medicare rebate and $115 for a long consultation with out of pocket $82.90 after your Medicare refund.
*Please note that certain procedures, dressing, tests and vaccinations may incur additional fees.
- Please not that all workers compensation fees need to be paid upfront by the patient and the patient needs to get reimbursed by there insurer.
- We have a charge of $60 for ear syringing procedure.
All skin checks have a fee of $120 with a rebate of $42.85 meaning you will be out of pocket $77.15 All procedures & excisions incur an additional fee but will be discussed beforehand by the doctor.
*Please note all doctors are independent tenant doctors who are responsible for there own billing decisions. If you have difficulties in paying your bill, please talk to the doctor at the time of the consultation. Our tenant doctors are sensitive to situations of financial hardship and are willing to assist where possible.
Medicare Rebates
A complete list of our fees and Medicare rebates are available at reception. We are able to lodge your Medicare claim electronically when you pay your bill. Please ensure that Medicare has your correct bank account details on file, as they no longer send cheques. You can contact Medicare on 132 011, or log on to to view your account here.
More Info on Medicare Rebates
In recent years, the Medicare rebate has fallen a long way behind the CPI (Consumer Price Index), whilst the cost of providing quality health care has risen. We have endeavored to absorb these costs for as long as possible, however, to maintain our high quality of service we have had to introduce small fees. For further information, head here.
If you find the Medicare rebate to be inadequate, we strongly encourage you to discuss this with your Federal Member of Parliament.
