Curious as an OzBargainer what do you do to avoid gaps?
Getting hard for me to find one now since my local GP is charging a gap of $20. I found one that still bulk bills but took me a while to switch. Bad reviews on google but so far ok based on my last few appointments.
How about you?
The AMWAC advise the federal government how many places to allocate to university for medical students, this number is for the commonwealth funded places and is distinct from international full fee places. So foreign students aren't taking places away from local medical students, as is commonly believed. The govt is just deliberately doing a shitty job at funding these type of courses, which leads to only the best 1% of local students competing for those places (GPs don't actually need to be the best brains of society), while anyone with enough money can apply for the larger number of international places.
The govt wants more students to study more STEM and vocational courses, like education and agriculture. Perhaps this strategy might help in the long term, it's hard to say.
Pretty much every practice employs some form of AI now anyway. With consent they'll record the conversation and put it into text that's then added into your patient file. Some of them integrate directly into the practice management software too.
Basically saving the GP from having to spend extra time typing and summarising your notes. It's good and bad. Some lazy GPs end up adding a massive wall of text into the patient file, while others filter out the irrelevant data and make it more user friendly for other clinicians to read and decipher.
same could be said for any other job
same could be said for any other job
Exactly.
GP's in Canberra are routinely charging over $100 for a standard appointment now.
Albo's ACT
What does this even mean?
A decade of Liberal neglect got us to this position.
Albo has been completely uninspiring and has not done anything to improve it.
The Greens are the only ones pushing for Medicare. They will add dental to it.
lol gotta love (or hate) the Greens. Medicare is struggling to survive, so lets make more services free.
@SlickMick: Easily done by cutting loopholes for the rich. The Liberals and Albo are too gutless to touch this.
Shorten proposed to but the baby boomers, the rich and the dumb collectively stopped him.
@arcticmonkey: Wow you have some Green supporters here. Thankfully ozbargain isn't representative of the country as a whole.
Agree re Lib neglect, but the ALP has also just sat on their arses and watched it happen - and Albo is as weak as piss, so no expectation of any action from this govt. Gough would be spinning in his grave.
Bullshit re the Boomers voting against Shorten's proposals. Plenty did, plenty didn't. Many of us, certainly including me, are appalled at the state of things today in all sorts of areas we're being blamed for by a poisonous mostly GenX managed media. I've always voted progressive, and same with everyone I know. PLEASE don't fall for the anti-Boomer spin peddled by the press. All stereotyping is simplistic, a gateway to bigotry and frankly, dumb.
@rossnroller: Bill's reforms were what the country needed. He just needed to earn the punters trust first imo and split some into a second term.
@gakko: Agree. Think people got scared that he was going to be leading a mega-spending govt a la Whitlam. But while Whitlam had a sweeping vision for a future Australia that he wasn't going to be cautious about and did what it took - and changed the country much for the better, don't think anyone would put Shorten in the same class as Gough.
Also, as soon as Shorten began his anachronistic banging on about "the big end of town" he lost a lot of potential votes and ended up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! He needed to take the electorate along with his policies rather than alienate and divide, and didn't have the clarity or cut-through of a master like Keating or the gravitas and vision of Whitlam. Result? Morrison!
A decade of Liberal neglect got us to this position.
it was ALP under Gilard that got rid of the indexation of medicare not the LNP but dont let the fact get in the way of the agenda - Abbott for all the left hate him was the only one who said and was ha been vindicated in saying the system wass unsustainable and was slautred for suggesting a 7 dollar payment in which the government would of added indexation to medicare but the ALP and Greens opposed it
As for the Greens they will say anything so rubs suport them, knowing full well they will never have the responsibility to get it across the line - both parties actually have looked into bulk billed medicare funded dental it is the Dental society itself that doesnt want it because it would mean they cant charge shit tones of money for basic proceedures
unless the Dentist themselves get behind it then it wont work - everyone needs to be on board
the current ALP backbench want medicare dental, Allied health and mental health but it would likely have to be at the cost of the NDIS and the 'Greens' and socialist wouldnt allow the NDIS to be scrapped or drawn back 80-90 percent - the front bench dont want to bring anything else in due to the aim budget repair and fear of future fuelling inflation
the pie is only so big we already spend 10 percent of our GDP on healthcare
i personally would support mental health and Allied health being put under medicare before dental as it would offload a lot of pressure on the hospital systems
Yeah it's ridiculous. I'm blown away by all these ppl still getting bulk billed, or gaps under $50
What's the use of medicare then?
Well we still get the medicare rebate, we just get to pay a bigger gap
~$40 OOP
Don't have to pay anything. Went to 4 clinics and each one said they aren't taking new patients.
So then on a trip to Japan I went to see a random GP, waited 40minutes, paid $60 but claimed on travel insurance.
Thanks Australian medical system.
Yeah I saw a specialist in Seoul for the same price as a GP here. Booked it in the morning, arrived there the surgery at 10am, out by 10:30. Couldn't believe it.
I once saw a specialist at a local clinic in Taipei after only waiting maybe 10 minutes - an older guy, he saw me with about 3 other younger doctors attending (teaching clinic?), checked me out, diagnosed in 10 minutes, sent me downstairs where the pharmacy desk simply handed me a plastic A4 sleeve with a printout of the medications and 6 loose tablets already dispensed - it was ready before I got there - efficient ! And cost me a total of $30.
The GPs I go to have always bulk billed. I cant imagine having to pay a gap everytime i go to the Doctor. Although i dont go that often i guess.
You are very fortunate on both counts. Gap of ~$70 in Canberra
That sucks and is unfair to people after the amount of taxes we pay and medicare levies. Doesnt make sense really. I have some family and a lot of friends who are GPs, they are all killing it, so surely it cant be that the industry is in dire need of increases? What is it? Insurance and liability fees? Or government just wasting all our taxes on other things. Wasnt the whole thing about medicare and our taxes / levies and also about australia being that GPs were bulk billed / free medical cover etc.
Didnt we always shun the US system and parade that ours was better. (Not saying it is in all regards, i do know some people who say the User pays system is better)
friends who are GPs, they are all killing it,
And that is the real reason for that extra pay: GREED
@LFO: So this was purely pushed by doctors / medical association? I take it the government and medicare cant say No? GPs definitely dont need any extra cash, unless maybe its the ones that work in a medical centre and dont run their own business. Not sure if thats where the differences are, but most GPs I know just have their own office and they are doing really well financially, single income is all thats needed and some of them dont even work 5 days.
@lonewolf: I understand neither the government and for sure not Medicare can control medical doctors.
Something obscure and pre-historic written in the Australian (colonial) Constitution. Fat chance to question that when the powerful ones will be the losers.
On the other hand, the media, the good media that is, could show and display how greed, repugnant and uncontrollable greed, is the real motivation.
Also, fat chance with that …
@LFO: they may be making $200Kpa+ but they typically didn't have much or any income during the 6-11 years of intensive study it took to become a GP or specialist - so there's that …
@Hangryuman: Right, they make good money but that comes at a ridiculous up-front investment of time/money/sanity.
The Medicare rebate has stagnated while inflation has been crazy, they either charge a gap or take a pay-cut.
they typically didn't have much or any income during the 6-11 years of intensive study
Very similar to the 4-5 years of any other professional education.
Perhaps much more … and without the chance of getting a Medicare Provider Number to guarantee a perennial income.
@LFO @lonewolf you are mistaken that the government funds GPs directly. the medicare rebate is your rebate. When you see a doctor you pay a fee like any other service like accounting or getting a haircut. bulkbilling means the GP sets their fee at the level of the Medicare rebate. the fact you pay a gap merely means the rebate has not kept up with inflation/market cost over the years. If I told you your salary would be reduced by 40% in the next 10 years would you be happy with that or should we call you greedy when you have objections?
@May4th: Not to mention most doctors are contractors and not regular employees of the practice like the nurses and administration staff.
Interestingly there's managers in Services Australia who are talking of wanting to change that in the future. Good luck 🤣
If I told you your salary would be reduced by 40% in the next 10 years would you be happy with that or should we call you greedy when you have objections?
Not too valid comparison.
Does it mean on year 0 (zero), when starting, your salary will/would be 40% higher ??
How about further studies/training to become a specialist and then charge whatever in a private, competitive, demanding clinic?
We are talking about a GP, a General Practitioner here. Lets get real.
Asking for more money is just pure greed.
EDIT: just looking at “someone else's” (might not be representative to all) Medicare Claims, meaning the money Medicare PAID to a GP: $41.20 or $42.85 or $51.00 ("after hours": meaning Saturday)
So, not bad for the proverbial 6 minutes consultation.
I invite you to look through your own Medicare records and details to see how much they (Medicare) paid for basic GP services.
I reiterate: extracting even more IS PURE GREED.
@LFO: GP is also a specialty training pathway requiring 4years of training post becoming a 'real doctor.'
I suppose you don't make a wage? Do you get a handout from centrelink? Seems like you are saying anyone who charges a fee for their labour is PURE GREED (sic)
Do you get a handout from centrelink?
No, I don't.
How about you? Very quick to shoot that nonsense!
Surprisingly quick for a cheap personal attack.
We all pay to the doc for their "labour" (sic), via taxes via Medicare, GREED comes when wanting EVEN MORE pay for the same "labour" (sic)
By the way, did you check your Medicare records to see how much they are being pay to give services to you???
Ain't that hard and will open your eyes to reality.
@LFO: not at all, I respect people who are on jobseeker for legitimate reasons, and it's interesting you see being on it as a personal attack isn't it, very telling. the point is if you are employed I struggle to understand your outrage over a professional being paid their fair wage, hence my question.
As for your preoccupation about medicare billings, I honestly don't care what a GP makes, nor my accountant or a lawyer - they charge their fair fee and I pay it if I value their services. if I don't then I won't, and I suggest you take the same approach
All this absurdity about 'greed' stinks of tall poppy syndrome to me
I honestly don't care what a GP makes, nor my accountant or a lawyer - they charge their fair fee
…
a professional being paid their fair wage
If you refuse to know, to investigate, to ask, how much GPs are being paid, how on earth could you assess it is a fair fee/wage?
Because they tell you so?
stinks of tall poppy syndrome to me
GPs would fit into the "tall poppy" category. GPs suppose to assist the community, not milk them.
@LFO: fair is what fee they charge vs what market bears, what anyone's wage is none of your business. I consider paying 80-100 (40-60 out of pocket fee) a worthwhile investment in my health, the same way as I consider my plumber or accountant's fee. whether I think it's fair or not is entirely up to me, if you don't think it's fair, then feel free to go elsewhere.
GPs would fit into the "tall poppy" category. GPs suppose to assist the community, not milk them.
you should probably look up what it means
We all pay to the doc for their "labour" (sic), via taxes via Medicare, GREED comes when wanting EVEN MORE pay for the same "labour" (sic)
have you left your house in the last few years? everything has gone up in cost and price, why wouldn't professional fees?
and you still don't get it do you, the medicare rebate is your rebate and YOU get. the doctor sets their fees and you pay it. the government doesn't pay a cent to GPs
the government doesn't pay a cent to GPs
Have you heard about Bulk Billing. It is when Medicare, the government, pays the GP <$50 for those ~6 minutes consults..
everything has gone up in cost and price
As Medicare services had as well.
Oh, wait … not enough … want more … much more …
@LFO: No. the medicare rebate is your rebate, this is what you fail to understand. bulkbilling is just an administrative shortcut. if you GP set their fee at $40 for a 15min consult, you pay that fee to the GP and get it back from Medicare. bulkbilling just skips that step if they don't charge more than that. the GP is a private business like any other and set their fee accordingly, you get the rebate to offset your healthcare costs. you're quite welcome to call your GP/accountant/lawyer/hairdresser/cleaner greedy, good luck finding anyone who listens though.
as for the rebate, why don't you look up the Medicare freeze and how much's it's increases over the last 10 years. and compare it to CPI and wage growth. I'll give you a hint, they are very different looking graphs. and this is why you will be paying a gap sooner or later whether you like it or not
How about further studies/training to become a specialist and then charge whatever in a private, competitive, demanding clinic?
We are talking about a GP, a General Practitioner here. Lets get real.
GPs are specialists in their own right. They have specialist medical registration. They still have to undergo a minimum of 4 years post-graduate training to get those qualifications. Surgeons or Physicians are not higher-qualified than GPs. As a general rule, they have the same level of qualifications in their specialties as a GP does in his/hers.
When Medicare was introduced, it was never designed to be a bulk-billing system. It was designed as a government-sponsored type of health insurance that would cover approx 70-80% of medical appointments. The rebate belongs to the patient, and , as others have said, has had indexing either paused or set much lower than inflation. If it had kept up with inflation it would be over $100 per standard consult, which is 6-20 minutes. At the moment it is around $43 for that time. The rebate is around $83 for 20-40 minutes.
You say basic GP services. What exactly do you think that entails? Just writing a prescription or doing a request for a blood test? Because that's not what most basic GP appointments are for.
Why is asking for rebates to go up at the rate of inflation greed? How much study did you have to do for your career? How much HECS debt did you have on graduation? What are your annual insurance & registration costs & how much unpaid CPD do you have to do a year? These are all things that need to be considered when making statements that asking for higher rebates or gap fees is greed.
@Raybert: Are we saying GPs dont make money? I know 2 types of people who get into Medicine. one is for the care factor and they want to help people, and the other type get into it for the money and the status. Should i tell the second type, dont bother because GPs dont make money? Regardless of the fact that every GP I personally know is either High Middle income or in the rich category? I have never seen a GP "struggling" to make ends meet.
@lonewolf: so the tl:dr is it all comes down to you being envious of a highly valued and trained professional's perceived high salary. got it
These are all things that need to be considered when making statements that asking for higher rebates or gap fees is greed.
Asking for more money for the same "service" is PURE GREED.
For blue-collar workers, for the underdogs, more money is given in exchange of higher productivity.
As I told to another poster, please go and check your own Medicare records to see how much they are being pay to give services to you???
Ain't that hard and will open your eyes to reality.
How about we institute a policy that people who pay the medicare levy surcharge get a priority medicare card that requires zero gap payment.
the problem is less than 10% of ALL medicare levy goes to general practice
That would be political suicide for whoever even suggests it, so aint going to happen. The media would have a field day and would skin , flog and drag them over the coals lol .
I pay like 75 gap which appears to be really top end. Annoying because it's the best Dr I've had in ages. At a medical one clinic so fairly corporate.
After reading the comments, I find $75 to be closer to above average, sadly.
Bulk billed.
I pay ~$50 gap
$40
YGWYPF
Bulk billed but they charge a gap on weekends. I see 2 doctors at the clinic so can usually book the day before if needed.
No gap at mine but I only go to him to get scripts renewed or sign things I need signed. If I had a serious concern I would to go ANY other doctor. The guy must have received his accreditation from a mountain shaman in whereveristan.
I have private hospital cover but no private cover actually covers GP visits I have found. Considering winding back my private hospital+extras because its just not useful now.
Private health won't cover GP visits by law. However if a practice has the appropriate accreditation (i.e. day procedure centre) they can choose to accept private health for certain procedures down at the practice.
What a ridiculous state of affairs. Private health insurance that doesn't generally cover visits to the doctor.
It shouldn't need to when we have Medicare and if the rebates were increased properly we wouldn't have the issues were having.
30 bucks. Used to be fully bulk billed but slowly it shifted in the last few years. I once admitted to him truthfully I was strapped for cash and could I repay next time, and he bulk billed me the next few visits until I mentioned to him I could pay again and how thankful I was. Awesome gp.
Hmm, closer to $50 to 60 now. Don't mind paying it as the service is better than some bulk billed ones we've been to. Not to mention they seem to care, are less stressed and listen more. Obviously this isn't always true but I find in general, you get what you pay for.
I got a bulk billed clinic but you wait anywhere from 20mins to 2hours (probably on average 40-50mins) if you gey there when it opens its 20mins otherwise you're f—ked during lunch hours and after work
I usually use this when im taking a sicky & can get there early or if I just need a script
Some of the doctors arent bad some will legit spend 2mins with you
I also have a modern medical GP gaps just under $40 will spend up to 20-30mins with you if needed will go there for anything serious
Probably item 36. A bit more than normal appointment.
Yeah it's a shame some clinics are so poorly run. I get that they want a few patients lined up so dr is earning every minute, but once they are running 20 minutes behind they need to reschedule the bookings and let patients know thier new appointment time.
We seem to be heading back to pre-medicare levels of service. Those will $$ pay through the nose for a reasonable service, those without $$ spend the day lined up for free treatment.
Yeah it's a shame some clinics are so poorly run. I get that they want a few patients lined up so dr is earning every minute, but once they are running 20 minutes behind they need to reschedule the bookings and let patients know thier new appointment time.
Its 'not poorly' run it is just business econmics 101 - Bulk Billing means a Doctor will get less for seeing a patient then someone charging
You either got to water down the quality of the service (Bulk Billing)
Or
You charge to keep the quality of the service (Gap Service)
Modern bulk billing is just another example of 'shrink-flation' but just related to service
How is giving a client an appointment for 1pm and making them wait until 3pm to see the dr not poorly run? There is no economics in that.
Are you suggesting bulkbilling clinics can't afford better software or more professional admin staff?
I agree that charging more can allow for more time with a patient, but that's a different argument.
I'm quite happy with my 5min bulk-builled appointment, I just ask to be told what time to come in rather than wait all day unnecessarily.
Maybe they could say "come at 10:00am, but for $20 I'll tell you a more realistic time."
How is giving a client an appointment for 1pm and making them wait until 3pm to see the dr not poorly run? There is no economics in that.
it is financially better to have people waiting for you then you waiting for them and by that i mean most medical practices even Allied Health services (Poditrist etc) will over book their diary
They do this because people cancel and dont turn up and you cannot bill medicare if the patient doesnt show up but you have still given that person 'your time' - now you can charge a 'No Show fee' to the patient but in a bulk bill clinic 98% of clients wont pay it and it is costly and difficult to chase people to pay for not turning up.
I agree for the patient waiting 2 hours is a joke! but for the business i see why they do it - the question needs to be why bulk billing clinics becoming 'so rare' and why doesnt the federal and state governments fund Medical, Mental, Dental and Allied Health services properly?
The NDIS is a great service for the people on it but what about the rest of us? the NDIS is going to cost over 50bn soon that money would be better spent if it just made all services more accessable
@Trying2SaveABuck: I would rather put a deposit and get bulk billed and be charged if I don't turn up, not sure if that's legal though. Rather than make ma wait for a scheduled booking. I pay for the service, not the time wasted, may it be mine of the doctor's.
@boq: Not a bad idea im not sure if it is legal It would cause issues with patients who are drug affected or violent
It is just easier to charge a gap at point of service
One of the other unspoken benefits
Charging a gap believe it or not weeds out potentially 'dangerous' patients
A clinic I worked for added a $40 gap (orginally bulk billed) just to stop all the court ordered drug users from coming in they need to do regular urine tests and many of them were violent or would be abusive to staff and other patients it wasn't worth the few dollars the clinic got for all the hassle - the straw broke when a man assulted a women and she sued the clinic - the clinic could stop drug users using the service but they added a fee to make them go somewhere else
I think the biggest thing people don't realise is Doctor's Nurses Allied health etc cop a hell of a lot of abuse even assult charging a gap is actually a form of protection as people paying for a service tend to respect it more and the truth is people that don't have more are more likely to engage in anti social behaviour
It is the same logic for private schools they don't nessarily give better education but you weed out families kids who might not be academics focused you also network with people who are of more affluent status thus the benefits an outweigh the cost
I’m having trouble finding a GP who engages with me, they mostly seem disinterested. Even the gap charging ones.
Maybe it’s relative, compared to other patients I don’t have any serious debilitating ailments (yet).
So I guess it’s up to me to know when to present with a serious condition. I don’t like to make a fuss and I am someone who puts up with pain for ages before going.
I've encountered this a few times too. Some seem reactive rather than preventive. Although I laughed one time when one GP told me after asking me to get a CT "Don't worry, we will find something."
Yeah, they’re definitely good for referrals to specialists. GPs should always be the first port of call. We have a good system in that respect
My GP charges me $95 and I get back $39? From Medicare
I believe this topic was discussed before and they said there were not enough GPs or some soft at the time. Not sure of now.
Yes and no. Pre-COVID it was super easy to attract doctors from the UK due to their stupid system where it's more profitable to see less patients. Once COVID came in that pretty much stopped and it's only just recovered, as well as other overseas avenues. There's always been a shortage of GP registrars and even that's seen an increase now.
Also a dearth of med students wanting to go into general practice, can't really blame them either given the lower pay, higher workload, and increasing disrespect.
There are so many GPs that are 60+ and have no one to replace them, we're slowly falling off a cliff
Something tells me if it’s that easy to become a GP we wouldn’t have a shortage. But then again don’t let that stop you from complaining about the gap fee when your happy to pay the same or more for a haircut 😂
Not happy to pay for haircut though 😆. Nothing really on the GPs for imposing OOP too. I blame the system more for that. But I don't want to pay gap as much as possible, especially when I know some who don't pay tax don't.
$0, booked on the day too
$60 standard -$80 long. Worthwhile for the competence of the doctor.
I get bulk billed by my doc but only because I’ve been seeing him since before 1999.
Used to get bulk billed. Then the GP left.
Found another clinic, great GP, bulk billed. Now he's also disappeared indefinitely.
Not sure about finding a third GP.
It's like the government is intentionally letting Medicare fail. I wonder what their motive is?
Plenty of clinics are struggling to attract GPs, more retire each year than are being trained domestically, and the previous strategy of using immigration as a stop-gap hasn't been that effective since covid.
So good GPs are being poached left-and-right for better rates and better conditions, who wouldn't want to earn more money while seeing fewer patients with more modern facilities.
I don't think the government cares as long as there are still some BB clinics, even if the quality of care is garbage, saves them money.
Yeah.
But if I still had access to my old GP, I could've seen him yesterday / today.
The prescription medication I need won't be prescribed by anyone, so I ended up needing to call an ambulance, and am currently in hospital to resolve these pain issues today.
So government's wasting money by providing a hospital bed, medicine, and ambulance (I already have cover) just because I can't get through to a GP, as my old one left.
(The same practice has other GP's that I haven't seen, but are only available next week).
Public hospitals are largely funded by state governments, while Medicare is entirely funded by the federal government.
One government profits, another government wastes money, overall the taxpayer loses.
Inefficiency at scale.
That's part of the reason why Medicare Urgent Care Centres are popping up all over the country. The idea is to reduce the demand on the emergency departments.
Of course the problem many of those clinics are facing is that GPs don't want to do the work and like bulk billing practices it's hard to be profitable. Especially when Medicare won't cover non-VR doctors which tends to be a lot of ED doctors and others working outside of your typical GP clinic.
$91 per visit.
$42.30 back from M/Care. or
$76 per visit
$42.85 back from M/care
Regional/rural area. Pretty much nobody bulk bills anymore.
Happy to pay that, an excellent doctor who takes their time. But it's lot for those who are unable to afford it.
What I hate is seeing people driving into Bulk Billing Clinics in their Beamers and on thier $1000+ iPhones with 4 kids, having some smokes and expect the provision of thier health care to be completely free. Well it's free at the point of service but not free for the wider community, someone is picking up the tab.
Why any GP for any respect for thier profession would operate a fully bulk billing clinic is beyond me. I am suspecting those clinics operate as medicare swiping terminals as opposed to seriously providing health care services.
Now I get there are times where the wider community should be picking up the tab, ie young and old vulnerable people who are literally on thier last dime etc etc, but I'd say (without any data to back this up) for 90 % of households (yes I meant households not individuals) , they are able to meet the gap payments required for the occasional GP consultation, its all about budgeting, prioritisation, financial responsibility.
When you give something for free then it's not valued or appreciated, There needs to be a shared responsibility model with the individual and the state, so the individual shares some of the financial load to keep the system economically sustainable.
The Consultation gap payments should be on a sliding scale based on your ATO earnings, and it needs to pass the iPhone and Beamer test.
''can you please bulkbill me dr I'm having trouble putting food on the table after paying for the european holiday I just booked and those botox injs are so expensive''
young and old vulnerable people who are literally on thier last dime
Agree for young people (<25) because that pays dividends later on, but why would you subsidize people who had their entire life to save for retirement, but failed at it? Especially when they're on the pension already, little sympathy for poor money management and poor planning.
Mine changed from bulk billed to fee, the gap is $44 and is set to increase January 1st, but to be fair the wait times now aren’t bad and my doctor often still bulk bills me for minor things or scripts etc so i am ok with it
My local still bulk bills with no gap
I went to the same GP twice in a week (once for getting a blood test, the other to talk through the results). I was bulk billed the first one, then charged a gap of ~50 the next. When I questioned the receptionist, she said it's the discretion of the GP. It's a lottery!
It is kind of. That is what I'm not comfortable at. I fell in debt for not paying a gap because of the history. On other occasions, some GPs also feel compelled to bulkbill because of patient-doctor relationship.
No gap, my usual appointments are almost always under 5 min, some under 2 min.
It’s often said you can only choose two out of three:
1. quality care (not just 3 minute medicine),
2. timely access to care (e.g not waiting 1 week for an appointment or spending 45 mins in the waiting room)
3. bulk billing (Free!)
Achieving all three is almost impossible or very rare.
Unfortunately, due to inadequate federal funding over many governments (remember the Medicare freeze?), Medicare rebates have failed to keep pace with CPI and inflation. As a result, the gap between rebates and actual costs continues to widen.
One must remember, the fees collected for consultations must cover not only the doctor’s wages but also wages for reception staff, rent, dressing.
Yep let an AI diagnose, summarise, gp reviews, cheap.