Some Facts
Non Medicare Patients
- There are some important facts to know before attending for consultation and/or treatment.
- Medicare is a central part of health care funding in Australia.
- Majority of quoted health costs and fees in Australia assume Medicare eligbility.
- Without Medicare cover, indirect services normally covered by Medicare become fees to the patient. (eg. pathology/laboratory test costs )
- Without Medicare cover, services rebated by Medicare and normally provided alongside the consultation by our team become fees to the patient. These include cryotherapy (freezing), biopsy, curettage, and other minor treatments and services.
Our Fee Principles for Non Medicare
- A non-Medicare patient will be charged the equivalent fees as for a Medicare patient.
- Longer duration of appointments incur increased fees. Medicare recognises this and rebates increase accordingly to cover longer explanations, administrative reports, sickness certificates, etc,.These apply equally in Non-Medicare situations with the fees now the responsibility of the patient.
- Other related treatments and investigations normally rebatable by Medicare will now need to be billed to the patient. These may include cryotherapy (freezing), investigations including biopsy or injections, excisions or other rebatable services. These treatments are integral to our service and it is not possible for us to safely provide only one part of the service without others.
- Other fees not covered by Medicare (eg. insurance reports) will be charged as usual.
What to Allow For
Our Consultation Fees
- Due to the variable nature of the services and a large number of Medicare rebates, we are unable to provide binding quotations for consultations and procedures, other than to quote allowances.
- Please allow $350 for each consultation and associated minor services that may be carried out on the day. These will cover cryotherapy and biospies.
- Fees need to paid in full at the end of the consultation or procedure. A receipt will be provided for your claim.
- Allow $400 for fees charged by the pathology company if a biopsy or excision is done.
- We do not have control over the fees charged by a pathology company. They will invoice the patient independently. Occasionally melanoma specimens go through extended testing with additional costs.
- Allow a range, from $ 600 for a simple excision, to $1000 for a complex excision or a melanoma Wide Local Excision.
- Allow $400 for pathology fee as above.
Health Funds
- Eligible Australian based health fund may provide partial cover of the consultaton and treatment fees. However we are unable to verify each type of cover.
- We are unable to provide quotation prior to a visit.
- To assist you in making your own enquiry, these are some useful item numbers:
- consultation - item 23 or 36
- biopsy - item 30071
- cryotherapy - item 30192
- excision - too many item variations to quote.