FAQ’s

Patient Information

• HotDoc Payments

  Why is our clinic using HotDoc Payments?
  We use HotDoc to securely process payment for your appointments. What’s more, it provides added convenience for patients who prefer to book and pay online, with an option to save details for your next consultation. For our current fees, please refer to the Fees section below.

  Do I need to pay upfront for my appointment?
  You will be asked to add your card details at the time of booking. We will wait until after your consultation to collect the full payment. You may see a temporary charge of US$1 where we validate your card but this money is refunded right away. The full payment will be taken once the Doctor finalises your consultation.
  Our clinic also sends payment requests via SMS for outstanding accounts. In this case, you will be sent an SMS requesting payment with a HotDoc link attached to process your payment.

  How do I claim my Medicare rebate?
  Our clinic will process your Medicare rebate via patient claiming.

  Does HotDoc store my card details?
  No. The financial organisations we partner with and trust to verify and store your card details are called Stripe, Pin Payments and Spreedly. They are accredited by the Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) and are Level 1 certified. For more information, please see HotDoc Payments Security.

  Can HotDoc see my card details?
  No. Your card details, expiry, CVV codes and data are not visible to HotDoc nor the practice, and we do not collect or store these details.

  Why was US$1 charged to my card after I added a payment method?
  When you add a payment method there will be a US$1 pending charge processed on your card. In all cases, you will never be charged the amount as this is a temporary pre-authorisation in order for the financial organisations that we partner with to verify your card details.

  How can I request a refund?
  HotDoc does not process refunds. Please contact our clinic for a refund.

  How do I add or delete my payment details?
  Log into your HotDoc account or Partnered Health APP, view your account details and update as required.

  If you would like to read more about how HotDoc handles security as well as your personal information, please view HotDoc security page and privacy policy. To see how HotDoc financial providers handle security and privacy, please view the links below:
  Pin Payments Security / Pin Payments Privacy
  Spreedly Security / Spreedly Privacy

  You can also check out HotDoc payment security FAQs for more information:
  Payments Security FAQs
  Patient Privacy and Security

  

• Fees

  Palm Springs Medical Centre is a private billing practice.

  The following patients will be bulk billed: Children under 16 and patients over 65 years with a current Pension or Health Care Card.

  Patients under 65 with a current Pension or Health Care Card will be given a reduced rate.

  Please contact us if you wish to discuss the fee for your appointment. Payment must be made on the day of your appointment.

• Appointments

  An appointment for a standard consultation (10 or 15 minutes depending on GP) will be made with your preferred doctor or the next available doctor, depending on your preference.

  Extended consultations are available. If you anticipate that you will require a longer consultation, please advise the receptionist when making a booking.

  Please Note: If booking online you can only book a standard consultation and doctor specification is not possible.

  If you require a longer, more specialised appointment or would like to see a particular doctor please call the surgery to book.

• After hours

  If you have an emergency please telephone 000 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.

  We are pleased to offer After Hours consultations. Call (08) 9523 7300 to book your appointment with our After Hours coordinator. Our doctor will contact you at an appointment time of your choice, generally within 1 hour.

  Our After Hours service should not be used in emergencies or life-threatening illnesses or injuries. If you require emergency assistance, call 000 for immediate help.

• Cancellation

  Our cancellation fee is $37 which will be charged if we do not receive adequate notice of your cancellation.

  We need 24 hours notice if you wish to cancel an appointment prior to midday or minimum of 2 hours notice for afternoon appointments, this enables us to reschedule the day for other patients.

  Cancellation fees charged must be paid before any future appointments can be booked with us.

• Access to Medical Records

  Patients at this practice have the right to access their personal health information under legislation, subject to certain exceptions, forms and the payment of reasonable fees.

  Personal information will only be released to a third party (including specialists) according to privacy laws and at the doctor’s discretion, written authorisation from the patient is required.

• Contacting your doctor

  If you have a query and our receptionist or nurse is unable to help you, she will leave a message for your doctor. All attempts will be made to assist in your query however consulting patients over the phone is difficult and often unfair on both the patient and doctor and you may be asked to make an appointment to review appropriately.

• Electronic communications

  Our surgery may send you SMS reminders of appointments, if you do not wish to receive these please notify reception and they will remove you from the recall.

  General email enquiries can be made via our practice website. We will attempt to respond to all email queries within 24 hours. If your query is urgent or if you need to cancel an appointment on the day please call reception on 9523 7300 as we cannot always guarantee immediate response to email communication.

  It is our policy that all communication with patients via electronic means is conducted with appropriate regard to the privacy laws relating to health information.

• Health Assessments

  We have a dedicated Primary Care Nurse on site who offers a variety of specialised health assessments to assertain your risk of chronic health conditions such as diabetes, chronic heart disease, osteoporosis, asthma and COPD.

  If you are at risk or have been diagnosed with any of these diseases your doctor and our primary care nurse will work together with you on a routine basis to help you towards disease prevention and management.

• Medical Certificates

  Medical certificates are available and can be requested at the time of consultation with your doctor. If you require a special consideration certificate, please bring the necessary paperwork to your consultation.

• Privacy and confidentiality

  We comply with Australian Government Legislation, ensuring that the privacy of our patients is maintained.

  A copy of our privacy policy is available at reception.

  Further information is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992

• Reminders and practice information

  Our practice is committed to preventative care and we may issue you with reminder notices or practice information from time to time.

  Please advise the staff if you do not wish to participate in this program.

• Prescriptions

  If you are taking prescribed medication it is in the best interest of your health to be seen by the doctor when a repeat script is required.

  Repeats will not be issued unless you attend the GP for a review, except in special circumstances where prior arrangement has been made with your doctor.

  If your doctor does happen to write a prescription without an appointment there will be a prescription fee of $5 that must be paid upon collection.

  Our practice does not provide Schedule 8 medication prescriptions upon first consultation, as we must apply for authorisation from the Department of Health to prescribe these medications and this may take some time.

  If your condition requires ongoing prescriptions for these medicines please bring photo ID and any previous pain specialist and authority documentation you may have to assist the doctor in applying for authorisation.

  As these medications are provided on Authority from the government replacement scripts are not able to be given in the case of lost prescriptions and we are unable to release these scripts earlier. Appointments must be made for Schedule 8 medication repeats without exception.

• Referrals

  Specialist referrals require an assessment of your condition by the doctor and preparation of a referral letter.

  Referral letters will not be issued unless you attend your GP for an assessment, except in special circumstances by arrangement with your doctor. Referrals cannot be backdated.

  Please contact the specialist or testing centre where you have been referred for their individual fees.

• Results

  To maintain strict patient confidentiality and compliance with the Privacy Act it is our policy that all test results will not be given over the phone.

  Patients are required to book a follow up appointment to receive and discuss results with their doctor.

• Treatment room bookings, policies and fees

  Bookings:

  To minimise waiting time to see our nursing staff we ask that the following treatments be booked with reception for an appointment time with the nurses:

  Wound care
  Immunisations
  Injections
  Ear syringing
  Removal of stitches
  Non-urgent ECGs
  Lung function testing
  Blood pressures
  If following an appointment with the GP they request you to see the nurse, please take a seat in the waiting room and you will be seen by order of arrival.

  Medications:

  Nurses cannot administer any medications without a GPs authority, this includes repeats for Depo Vera, Vitamin B12 etc. The only exception is if you have a standing order from your GP authorising ongoing medication written in your notes. Please check with your GP if you have a standing order or if one can be put in place. Once your medication from this order has run out you are required to make an appointment for review and a new script.

  Results:

  Nurses are not permitted to give out results, please make a follow up with your GP to discuss results.

  Catch up immunisations:

  These may require two visits to the clinic – the first to see the nurse with immunisation history details and the second for the commencement of vaccination schedule with the doctor. On your first visit please bring as much immunisation history as possible with you, you may need to leave this with the nurse to investigate and lodge with ACIR to calculate which vaccinations your child is due. Once the nurse has calculated what is required she will call you back to arrange an appointment with the doctor for the commencement for the catch up schedule.

  Treatment room fee:

  As of the 1st of September we will be charging a $10 fee for procedures completed by the doctors and a $2 fee for any treatment provided by our nursing staff that uses consumables such as bandages, dressings, ear syringing, spiros, ECGs etc.

  As there has been no Medicare rebate increase for 3 years and it is not expected to increase until 2018 and we bulk bill 90% of our patient base we are finding it hard to continue to keep our treatment room stocked with the variety of items required to deliver the high standard of care we are proud of, as each year our suppliers increase their costs. The new fee is an attempt to help fill this increasing gap so we can continue to provide our patients with the best materials to help them heal faster. We seek your understanding during this time as we endeavour to continue to supply you with the best possible service.

• Complaints

  Our practice encourages both positive and negative feedback from our patients. If you have a suggestion or complaint please do not hesitate to speak to our Practice Manager.

  Written feedback can be hand delivered or posted to the Practice Manager, 3 Halliburton Avenue, WARNBRO 6169. We will respond to any grievances or suggestions promptly.

  Should you not be satisfied with the practices handling of your complaint, you may choose to then forward your complaint to the Health and Disability Services Complaints Office:

  Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO)
  GPO Box B61, Perth WA 6838

  Complaints and Enquiries Line:
  (08) 65517600
  Fax: (08) 6551 7630

  Country Free Call: 1800 813 583
  email: mail@hadsco.wa.gov.au