Fees

Croydon Medical Centre is a fully accredited mixed billing practice. Our fees reflect the cost of providing and maintaining a high level medical service to the community. Every effort is made to keep fees modest and in keeping with the high-quality service you receive.

Billing Changes

Is Croydon Medical Centre a Mixed-Billing Practice? 

Croydon Medical Centre will be transitioning to be a mixed billing practice from the 1st of March 2023.

We will continue to bulk bill standard & long consultations for the following patients.

• Children under the age of 16

• Centrelink Concession card holders

• Pension card holders

• ATSI peoples registered with us under “Close the Gap”

• Department of Veteran Affairs Gold card holders

• Care Plans and Health Assessments 

Any patient who has not attended the clinic in the last two years with be regarded as a new patient.

 Why do we charge a fee? 

Medicare is the basis of Australia's health care system and covers many health care costs. It provides you access to several health care services for free or at a lower cost, including: 

• Medical services by doctors, specialists and other health professionals 

• Hospital treatment 

• Prescription medicines  

'Bulk billing' means there are no out-of-pocket expenses for the medical services provided to you. If you are bulk billed, it means that your doctor accepts the Medicare benefit as full payment of service.

The Medicare Benefits Schedule (the MBS) provides a list of medical services for which the Australian Government will pay a Medicare rebate, to provide patients with financial assistance towards the costs of their medical services. It is unfortunately irrelevant to the actual cost of your healthcare. 

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has recommended fees that reflect the true cost of a given service, and the Medicare rebate covers approximately 40% of this true cost. Medicare does not pay GPs. This means that if your doctor bulk bills you for a standard consult lasting up to 20 minutes and accepts the $42.85 rebate instead of the full practice fee, it will not be feasible for your GP to continuously provide the exceptional health care that they seek to provide. 

‘Mixed billing' simply refers to patients who pay for medical services at their own expense and receive a rebate from Medicare for the item the GP has billed.

GPs are private small business owners similar to your local independent retailer, freelance artist, and tradie. Many GPs do not receive any leave entitlements, neither do they get paid if you do not show up to your appointment.  

At Croydon Medical Centre, we believe in making the care of patients our utmost concern and to maintain high standards in the delivery of safe, high-quality medical care.

If you have concerns regarding the rise in Medical fees, your MP may be able to help. We have prepared a letter template that you may use here.

Fees

Croydon Medical Centre is a mixed billing practice and appreciate full payment of fees on the day of consultation. We accept cash, EFTPOS, and most major credit cards except for American Express and Diners Club. We use Tyro, so the Medicare rebate can be immediately refunded to your bank account if you have an EFTPOS/Debit card linked to a Savings or Cheque account.

Please note that card payments taken in person or over the phone will incur a surcharge to cover merchant fees. Please speak with our admin team if you require more information.

Payments taken over the phone cannot be claimed by the Medical Centre. We will email you the tax invoice for you to claim through Medicare directly.

Our fee structure is in the below table.

**Please note that the pricing on this page is subject to change and should be used as a guide. Fees on the day may change depending on time taken by the doctor, as well as any materials that may have been used. For more information please speak with our admin team.

***Please be aware that as of 1st of March 2024 we will be moving to PRIVATE BILLING ONLY on SATURDAYS.

Even if you are a Bulk Bill eligible patient, there will still be an out-of-pocket fee for your consultations on Saturdays. For more information please speak with our admin team.

**** Patients seeking bulk-billing or concession entitlements will need to present their valid concession cards at their appointment.

***** Please note that the rebate’s may change. Please ensure you check Medicare website for the latest Medicare rebates.