Patient Information
Appointments
For appointments, please telephone 5443-4888 between 9am and 5pm weekdays.
You can also use our online booking service to make a booking anytime, anywhere but please ensure you book appointment with your regular doctor. Use the “Book An Appointment” button on our home page or download the HOTDOC app for your smartphone.
Our standard consultation time is 10-15 minutes. Please tell us if you require a longer time or have special purpose eg. Counselling, removal of skin lumps or moles, paperwork, etc. *Please note that emergencies and urgent cases may take priority over our appointment bookings. You are welcome to ring the surgery before your appointment to check that we are running on time.
Practice Fees
As at 10th July 2024
Consultation | Item No. | Doctors Fee | Medicare Rebate | Out of Pocket Expense |
Short Consult or Telehealth Appointment | 3 | $54.00 | $19.60 | $34.40 |
Standard Consult or Telehealth Appointment | 23 | $85.00 | $42.85 | $42.15 |
Long Consult | 36 | $125.00 | $82.90 | $42.10 |
Prolonged Consult | 44 | $160.00 | $122.15 | $37.85 |
Comprehensive Health Assessments, Care Plans, and Immunisations are bulk billed.
Additional Fees apply to the following services: fractures, sutures, Implanon insertions, Dressings etc.
If the doctor requires further investigations and extra costs are involved, those costs will be explained to the patient where possible.
Payment
Patients are required to pay on the day of consultation. Additional fees and charges apply if not paid on the day.Payment can be made via Cash, Eftpos, Mastercard or Visa. Please discuss with your doctor if you have difficulty paying at the time of consultation.
The Bendigo Clinic can electronically process and transmit your claim to Medicare via Tyro, with a rebate deposited instantly via your debit car. If payment is made via a credit card, then the payment will be sent to Medicare for the rebate to be directly deposited back into your account within 24 hours. If accounts are not paid on the day and no attempts are made to pay within a week, you will be unable to see a doctor at this clinic until this outstanding account is paid.
All Workcover and TAC patients must pay the full amount on the day and then you can claim back from your insurance company.
Patient Information
Repeat Prescriptions:For your safety, a face to face or telehealth consultation is required for issuing repeat prescriptions to review effectiveness, side-effects and drug interactions. Also, for opioids and benzodiazepines’ prescription you will require a face-to-face appointment every 6 months.
Results and Reports
It is the policy of this practice that all results and reports are reviewed in a timely manner by the doctor and incorporated into your health records. Your doctor may request that you make a follow-up appointment after you have attended your initial consult. This is important if you have a series of tests to review. You may also be advised of your results by phone with the doctor. You may be requested to make a follow-up appointment at this time. At all times we encourage patients to follow up on their results.
Results cannot be given over the phone by reception.
Cancellation Policy
Maximum notice of cancellation helps us to help someone else. Failure to attend appointments will result in a cancellation fee, which is not claimable via Medicare. If you are unable to attend your appointment, please notify our practice at least four hours prior to your appointment time, otherwise you may incur this fee.
Repeated Non-Attendance
If you do not attend your appointment three times, then the doctor will no longer see you as a patient.
New PatientsNew patients will need to call our reception team to organise an initial consultation.
Recalls and Reminders
The Bendigo Clinic is committed to preventative care. We may place you on a reminder list for preventive health checks, such as Pap Smears, Diabetes and Heart Disease care, annual ‘Health Assessments’ for the over 75’s and other advisable checks. If you want to opt-out of this service, please let one of our reception team know.
SMS Appointment RemindersAs part of our improved service to patients, we are now sending out text message reminders 24 hour before appointments. If you do not wish to receive these reminders, please let one of our staff know.
Telephone MessagesAll telephone messages will be taken by the receptionist and relayed to the appropriate doctor. Urgent matters will be put through to the doctors at all times.
Email correspondenceNo consulting or advice services are conducted by email. This must be communicated face to face by our practitioners.
Home VisitsHome visits are available if there is a genuine difficulty accessing the clinic. This will be at the discretion of the doctors. Gap payments will apply.
PrivacyAt The Bendigo Clinic we are committed to protecting the confidentiality of our personal information and health records. Please see our Privacy Policy here.This privacy policy is to provide information to you, our patient, on how your personal information (which includes your health information) is collected and used within our practice, the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties.
Communications PolicyThis general practice is committed to providing our patients with quality health care. As part of our commitment, we have implemented technology solutions to enable communications with our patients via SMS and mobile applications. Please see our Patient Communications Police here.
Phone Consultations
- Please make sure the practrice has your correct number
- Check your phone is working at least 10 minutes prior to the consultation
- Please stay by your phone and watch out for our call
- Youre doctor will call your mobile phone from a 'no-caller ID' number
- If you get disconnected, please wait for us to return the call
- After tyour consult ios completed, reception will contact you for payment.
- To access a Medicare rebarte for phone consultations, you must have been seen face to face in the clinic during the past 12 months. If not, there will be a private $85.00 out-of-pocket fee. If you are unsure if you are eligible, please contact your practice, as your doctor may need to see you in person.
Consulting Hours
- Mondays to Fridays: 9:00am to 5:00pm When this clinic is closed (after-hours):
- In the case of an emergency, call 000
- Contact the GP Helpline on 1800 022 222 for telephone advice. A triage nurse will assist you with your enquiry.
- The nearest hospital is Bendigo Base Hospital, which is located in Drought Street, Bendigo
Patient Feedback
Patient Feedback:This Practice is committed to providing comprehensive general practice care to all individuals and families in this community. All patient consultations and medical records are kept strictly confidential.
If you are unhappy with any aspect of the care you receive from this Practice we would like to know about it. Please feel free to talk to your doctor, or the receptionist about any problems you have with the service we provide. However, if you feel there is a problem you wish to take up externally, you may prefer to contact the Victorian Government centre for handling complaints.
This address is:Health Services Commissioner10th Floor, 55 Swanston Street, Melbourne, 3000Phone: 03 9655 5200Freecall: 1800 136 066
Click here to download our Patient Feedback and Complaints policy.