Practice Information

Appointments

Salud Medical Centre is a family healthcare service dedicated to offering the best professional care. We welcome all patients new and existing.
Please call your practice during business hours for further information.

We make every effort to accommodate your preferred time and GP. However, emergencies do occur, and through every effort is made to keep to appointment times, emergencies will be given priority. Our staff will attempt to contact you if unforeseen delays occur.

Long Appointments:

Please advise the receptionist if/why a longer consultation is required. We strive to make sure we give each patient the time they need to prevent taking up time of other patients. If in doubt, always ask our receptionist when making an appointment. Examples of longer consultations include (but are not limited to):

• Skin cancer checks
• Pregnancy/antenatal check-ups
• Insurance medical
• Pap smears
• Excisions
• Health checks or concerns
• including more than one person in the appointment (e.g. Partner/child etc)
• Child Immunisations
• Forms / Medicals

Home Doctor Visits:

On occasion and at doctor’s discretion, a doctor may visit a regular patient at home only of extreme emergency. Please speak to reception for further information.

After Hours Appointments:

For urgent home visits and bulk-billed after hours consultations, we recommend:

• National Home Doctor Service- Phone 137 425 (13 SICK)
• Available 6pm- 8am

Overseas Students and Visitors:

Salud Medical Centre can cater for overseas visitors. For more details please contact our friendly staff as fees apply for these consultations.

Translation and Interpreter

We welcome patients from any languages and backgrounds.
If you or another patient would prefer to speak in your own language, interpreters can be arranged at the time of booking.

• TRANSLATING AND INTERPRETING SERVICES- (TIS) 1300 131 450
• NABS: 1800 246 945
  This number can be used to book a sign language interpreter for deaf patients.
  
• NATIONAL RELAY SERVICE: 133 677
  This service is used to make and receive calls from deaf patients.

Our Fees

Billing Policy
Mixed Billing Practice

• Bulk Billing                      

We offer bulk billing to patients under 16, DVA and other concession card holders.

• Private Billing

Patients without a valid Medicare Card will be required to pay for their consultations in full on the day of their consultation. We accept cash and have EFT facilities for debit and credit cards. We do not accept AMEX or Diners.

The following consults will be billed privately:

• patients not registered with Medicare Australia, and
• all overseas visitors

Non-Medicare Fees

Pre-employment medical assessments and other medical assessments are privately billed.

All Workcover and Third-Party Claims will be billed directly to the Insurance Company only if you have a valid Claim No. AMA fees will be charged for these consultants and an upfront payment will be required to be paid at the end of the consultation.

Our Non- Attendance Policy

You can cancel or change your appointment without incurring any fees, if you provide us at least two-hours’ notice.   Please phone us on (02) 9726 6891 to cancel or change your appointment.

Patients who miss or fail to cancel their appointment 3 consecutive times with less than two hours’ notice will incur a fee of $20.

PLEASE NOTE: This fee can NOT be claimed back from medicare. It will need to be paid at the next visit to the practice.

OTHER PATIENT INFORMATION

Results

Make sure to book in an appointment to review your results with your doctor in advance to avoid disappointment. If your tests or reports reveal any urgent concerns, the receptionist or your doctor will contact you to book in for a consultation.

As a rule, no news is good news, but if you want to know the result- please book in to see your doctor.

Phone Calls

From time to time your GP or practice nurse may call you to relay urgent medical information.

Outside of these cases we are unable to provide phone consultations. Messages will be passed on to your GP and will be dealt with their discretion.

For all results, and health related enquiries please book in for a consultation to ensure you are given adequate time treatment in person.

Reminder/Recall Sytem

Our practice is committed to preventative care. Your doctor will seek your permission to be included on our reminder system. We have a reminder system in place and may issue you with a reminder notice from time to time. If you do not wish to receive a reminder notice regarding your medical care, please let reception staff know.

From time to time you may be also contacted by Our Practice team to book an appointment for repeat tests, immunisations, general follow up and pathology results.

Privacy

This practice adheres to the guidelines laid out by the Privacy Amendment Act 2000. A copy of our Privacy Policy is available on request or on our patient information tab.

Feedback

We value patient’s feedback. All patients are welcome to provide feedback. Suggestions and complaints can be given to the Practice Manager. Any verbal complaint/ suggestion will be documented in the Doctor’s message book and discussed at our next staff meeting or more urgently if required.

Written complaints/suggestions can be left with reception or sent via email to practicemanager@saludmedical.com.au