We are a mixed Billing practice which means that most patients are effectively charged a nominal $20 out-of-pocket fee for a standard doctor consultation. This fee reflects the cost of providing this service to you. We have absorbed the substantial increases in operational costs ourselves over the years, and have done our very best to set our fees as low as possible so we can continue to be an accessible provider for our valued patients.

Access to quality health care is our top priority, and we would like to continue providing the best possible care to those most in need. Therefore, only the following consults/patients will continue to be bulk billed:

• Children under 16 years of age
• Pension Card / DVA Card Holders
• Health Care Card / Concession Card Holders
• Telephone consultations
• Care plans, health assessments
• Government-funded immunisations

Unfortunately, we are not able to bulk bill all of our patients because of the significant increases in our costs of providing a high quality medical service. Our fees have been set as low as possible whilst reflecting the time taken and the degree of complexity of each doctor consultation. Patients will be required to pay for their consultation in full on the day of their appointment and we will electronically process your Medicare rebate on your behalf which should automatically appear in your bank account within 1-2 business days.

We know that you may have questions about this new policy, so we have tried our best to answer below.

Bulk billing means the fee to see the doctor is covered by Medicare.

Mixed-billing means that some patients will now pay a small ‘gap payment’ for appointments. A gap payment is an out-of-pocket cost that is the difference between the Doctor’s fee and the Medicare rebate. Unfortunately, we are not able to bulk bill all of our patients because the amount set by the Government for a consultation is insufficient to cover the rapidly rising costs of providing a high quality medical service.

Yes, see above the list of patient groups that we will continue to bulk bill.

The bulk billing fees we recieve from the Government have not kept up with with inflation over the long term, nor do they cover the rising costs of staff wages, medical supplies, insurance and utilities etc.

We operate as a community medical centre, and up until now have had to absorb increasing costs and have resisted a movement to charge patients a gap fee. Due to our rising operational costs and the historical rebate freezes which have lasted many years, offering a fully bulk-billed service is no longer sustainable.

The team at Winston Hills Medical Centre would like to thank you for your understanding and look forward to offering you our excellent medical care for many years to come.

Fees are payable at the time of consultation by credit card or EFTPOS. Accounts are unfortunately not able to be given. Our practice is equipped with TYRO. This facility will allow us to process the Medicare rebate on your behalf so that you automatically recieve the rebate in your bank account.