The doctor fees are as follows:
Appointment type
Standard Consultation
*typically from week 13 onwards
Long Consultation
*Initial consultation, and second consultation discussing screening
Fee
$117.40
$147.70
Medicare rebate
$42.40
$42.40
Out of pocket cost
$75.00
$103.30
Unfortunately, Medicare does not recognise the long consultations required for thorough pregnancy care and does not have a higher rebate for long consultations. Please write to your local MP in support of increasing rebates for this vital care.
In order to spend sufficient time with each individual and avoid “5-minute medicine”, the doctors who consult from Port Melbourne Medical do so on a private billing structure. This means that Medicare only covers part of the cost to see a doctor, and there will be a gap payment you need to make.
Although gap payments increase with the longer appointments, they are reduced from a time-based increase (where the out-of-pocket cost would be doubled).
If the doctor fees are higher than anticipated prior to the consultation, this is likely because Medicare has restrictions on certain item numbers. Please speak to your doctor at the time of your consult, or reach out to reception if you have not received the anticipated Medicare rebate. Occasionally rebates are not processed or incorrectly rejected, and we can review this for you.
On Saturdays after 1pm, Sundays and Public Holidays, there is a larger Medicare rebate for face-to-face consultations, for standard and long (double) consultations. This keeps the gap payment for after-hours consistent. However, there are some consults where the Medicare rebate is NOT increased, and so whilst the fee for the Sunday appointment is as above, the Medicare rebate may be the same as the in-hours rebates. Consultations that do not have an increased rebate after hours include pregnancy care, mental health consults/plans, and telehealth/telephone appointments. In general, these are not urgent appointments and can be booked within business hours if preferred.
Finally, don’t forget to register for the Medicare Safety Net, which can be done in your MyGov profile, or on your Medicare app. After reaching your personal or family threshold, your out-of-pocket costs reduce (up to 80% paid for certain services). You will be able to see if you are getting close and be invited to register.