Pay up to see doc

“Medical centres operator and diagnostics provider Primary Health Care Ltd says it expects significant growth in earnings per share and profit in 2010.

Primary on Tuesday reported a net profit for the year ended June 30, 2009 of $108.5 million, up from $7.86 million in the prior financial year.”
Source: – http://www.thebull.com.au/articles_detail.php?id=5261

Gotta love a business underwritten by government.

One has to admire their business strategy. Swan into Canberra – buy up all the local GP practices held by small GP groups, relocate them to their big, vertically integrated super centres, placate the masses with bulk billing for a while – make them think its the next greatest thing, thereby increasing the ACTs bulk billing rate for the first time in yonks and then once its all settled, we’ll start charging those ‘rich’ ACT residents.

It’s only our demographics (income-wise) that make us one of the lowest places for bulk billing in Australia when we are currently at an all time high for GP bulk billed services in Australia of 79.4%. Too bad if you’re one of those earning what Joe average and the rest of Australia does.
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr09-nr-nr068.htm

I am fully prepared to pay to see a doctor. What I take offence to is waiting up to an hour past my appointment time and then being charged $60 for a 5 minute consultation, where the doctor is more focused on getting me out the door than providing medical advice!

The special doctors at Philip Medical Centre (so called specialists but only ex GP’s) already charge $30-$40. But they (when I was last there) had the choice to bulk bill passengers or to not. All you had to do was to ask the doctor.

My work doesn’t require a certificate for absences as a rule. You may be asked to provide a certificate for future absences (if you have excessive leave or a pattern of leave) but they cannot and do not ask retrospectively. As someone who is off sick at the moment with the dreaded lurgy, it’s nice to not have to go through the hassle of getting an appointment just to be told what I already know: I need cold and flu tablets, lots of fluids and bed rest.

thanks braddonboy, will use!

i don’t mind paying to see a gp, but i then want to be able to make an informed choice as to whether i need to see her, or not.

you don’t book your car in to a mechanics and simply let them loose, you can get a quote to see whether or not to bother – why would i book me in to see ‘my mechanic’ without that..? might do a review of the service here if it warrants one… ; )

thats a good idea kramer, I wish that could happen in all workplaces… i only go for the certificate, its usually only the common cold and there is nothing a doctor can do, which is what most people do, which clogs up the GP surgeries bit time.

for those who cant afford to shell out the $60+ dollars, its a hard ask, even if you do get it back from medicare. Not everyone who is struggling has a healthcare card!

I like to pool all my receipts and go in for a nice lump sum! I went yesterday and got $150 back. nice!

braddonboy said :

You could possibly save yourself waiting time at a doctor’s surgery if you took advantage of the free telephone health information and advice service…

Not helpful if you need a doctors certificate.

My doctor costs 65.00, but at least I can book appointments.

Phillip and Ginninderra are ‘walk in and take a number’ type places.

c9 said :

I imagine a lot of visits under bulk billing arrangements might as well not be made and because it’s free it’s too easy to go and see a doctor.

You’ve clearly never had to wait at these bulk-billing places to see someone. Trust me just because it’s free doesn’t make it easy. You regularly have to wait 2+ hrs in a waiting room full of other sick people and crying/yelling babies/children – there is nothing easy about it!

I don’t know the stats but I would hazard a guess that the number of people who go just because it’s free are very low. And during winter practically every other person in those waiting rooms is usually very obviously suffering from cough/cold/flu.

Thankfully my work has just started allowing a stat dec for sick leave days – so’ll now be able to stay at home getting better (rather than waiting for 2 – 3 hours to see a doctor and get a piece of paper), and keep my $30. Let’s just hope I never get *really* sick …I guess there’s always Emergency for that.

It’s probably not a bad thing in some cases that this charge will put people off going to see the doctor – I imagine a lot of visits under bulk billing arrangements might as well not be made and because it’s free it’s too easy to go and see a doctor. On the other hand, the ABC article points out taht Canberra has the lowest levels of bulk billing in Australia so it is unfair that Canberrans should have to pay for something whcih the rest of the country gets for free.

paperboy said :

AG Canberra said :

And then getting a large chunk of that back from Medicare – so out of pocket is not much at all.

The $30 or $40 cost is ON TOP OF medicare. It’s not a refundable fee.

Don’t think so. They either bulk bill where you pay nothing or they don’t bulk bill and you pay the full price. If they don’t bulk bill then so long as the doctor has the required registrations you walk down to medicare and get $30 or so back.

Never heard of a place who bulk bills and charges extra on top of that.

An increase in the numbers of people clogging up hospital ER’s because they can’t afford to pay to see a doctor perhaps?

I doubt that the number of people who could genuinely not afford to pay to see a GP would lead to too much congestion at A&E.

On the other hand if you factor in the selfish dimwits who don’t have the money because they spent it on cigarettes, pokies, pay TV or any other of the working class ‘essentials’ then I guess you might have a point about congestion.

i believe i used that call lne your talking about braddonboy, either that or the CALMS line when i had a few niggling concerns about my daughters cough

screaming banshee said :

Ginnindera and Phillip medical centres can expect to see an increase in patient numbers as other Canberra residents discover how cheap it is.

My last visit cost me $58.

Er, offset against the decrease in patients who, until now, were getting free consultations perhaps?

An increase in the numbers of people clogging up hospital ER’s because they can’t afford to pay to see a doctor perhaps?

You could possibly save yourself waiting time at a doctor’s surgery if you took advantage of the free telephone health information and advice service, healthdirect Australia (it used to be the ACT’s healthfirst, I think). It’s a free call (from a landline) to a registered nurse who uses sophisticated computerised decision support systems to provide advice on what to do next – and that advice might be as simple as visiting your nearest pharmacy for some cold and flu tablets at your convenience or as urgent as immediately directing you to the nearest hospital ED. The number’s 1800 022 222. This service is not a replacement for either the 000 emergency service or your doctor – but it may save you a visit to the surgery.

AG, $32 (or thereabouts) is not a ‘large chunk’ when your doc charges $70 a pop – and this is at Phillip. Like most, if I could get in when I need to, no complaints, its the combo of the cost and the week waiting time that’s ridiculous.

AG Canberra said :

And then getting a large chunk of that back from Medicare – so out of pocket is not much at all.

The $30 or $40 cost is ON TOP OF medicare. It’s not a refundable fee.

Healthcare consumer advocate Russell McGowan:
“Healthcare is about providing the best possible services for consumers and clearly they’re not doing that”.

Price is only one aspect of providing a good service, Russell. These businesses are doing their level best to keep up with massive supply/demand shortfall – advocacy efforts should be focused on getting more doctor’s bums on seats, not laying the boot into businesses already doing their part.

I say bring it on – hopefully it’ll decrease the waiting times. Might make a few people think twice about chuckin’ a sickie if it’s gonna cost them something (aside from their dignity) to obtain a doctors certificate.

And then getting a large chunk of that back from Medicare – so out of pocket is not much at all.

Clown Killer said :

Jon, Katy, Kevin, Nicola, anyone – please fix our health system!

Fixing the health system is one thing. Protecting the health system against tightarses who couldn’t be fagged paying a lousy $40 for a consultation with a doctor is another thing altogether.

Agreed, i have no problem with pay to see the doctor, i’d have less of a problem if i could get in without having to make my booking a week in advance.

These medical centres have the right to make money just as much as anyone else but it seems everyone wants everything for free

Wait until you have had a chronic illness, or a chronically ill family member, then $40-$70 to see a GP (times many, many visits), sometimes just to get a referal to a specialist, won’t seem so trivial.

Sometimes a bit of compassion can go places – not everyone is as genetically blessed as you.

Ginnindera and Phillip medical centres can expect to see an increase in patient numbers as other Canberra residents discover how cheap it is.

My last visit cost me $58.

Jon, Katy, Kevin, Nicola, anyone – please fix our health system!

Fixing the health system is one thing. Protecting the health system against tightarses who couldn’t be fagged paying a lousy $40 for a consultation with a doctor is another thing altogether.