- 03 5243 6677
- info@lifelinemedicalcentre.com.au
- 37 Torquay Rd, Belmont, VIC 3216
- For emengencies call 000
Patient Information
Billing Policy
Lifeline Medical Centre is a private billing clinic and fees are charged at the discretion of the treating doctor. Pension and Health Care Card Holders are offered a reduced consultation rate. We request payment on the day (cash, eftpos, credit card) and if you have your bank details registered with Medicare, they will arrange prompt reimbursement of your rebate to your nominated bank account. If cost is a barrier to your health care, please talk to your doctor.
| PRIVATE CONSULTATION BILLING FEES | |||
| CONSULTATION | PRIVATE | PENSION/HCC | MEDICARE REBATE |
| Standard <20 mins | $87.00 | $77.00 | $41.40 |
| Long 20-40 mins | $127.00 | $117.00 | $80.10 |
| Extended >40 mins | $162.00 | $147.00 | $118.00 |
| SKIN CHECK BILLING FEES | ||
| CONSULTATION | PRIVATE | PENSION/HCC |
| Standard less than 20 min | $140 | $130 |
| Long 20-40 mins | $180 | $170 |
Seeing your doctor at Lifeline Medical Centre. We are a private billing practice and there will be out of pocket costs for seeing the doctor and for any procedures you may have done at the clinic. Please check with your doctor or the reception staff if you have any queries and concerns about the cost of your care.
Note: consumables will be charged privately
- Veteran (Gold card)
- Childhood vaccination
- Government funded vaccination.
| WEEKEND BILLING FEES | |||
| CONSULTATION | PRIVATE | PENSION/HCC | MEDICARE REBATE |
| Short | $67 | $57 | $18.95 |
| Standard | $97 | $87 | $41.40 |
| Long | $137 | $127 | $80.10 |
| Extended | $165 | $155 | $118 |
Results and Reminders
Results typically can take around a week to return (normally 2-5 days depending on the test) and then need to be reviewed by the GP who arranged the test.
In many cases your doctor will ask you to book a return appointment for discussion of results.
If an appointment hasn’t been made, then you may be phoned by our staff requesting you make a non-urgent appointment with your GP. This means the GP has checked the results and they warrant further discussion.
Any urgent results will be phoned through by the GP and appropriate follow up arranged.
If no follow up appointment has been arranged, please phone the practice, at least 3 business days after you have had your tests, on 03 5243 6677.
Our reception staff cannot give you any test result information but can make an appointment for you to come back in and see your doctor. Any questions please ask your doctor.
At Lifeline Medical Centre we have a focus on preventative health care.
We send a variety of reminders out via SMS or post letting you know that you need to see your doctor for a review, to arrange tests or for referral to a specialist practitioner.
Reminders include:
- GP Management Plan (Care Plan)
- GP Management Plan Review
- Team Care Arrangement Health Assessment 75+
- Health Assessment 45 – 49 year old
- Bone Density
- Testing Cervical Screening (Pap Smear)
- Cholesterol Screen
- Colonoscopy
- Immunisation
- Skin Check
What do you need to do?
If you do get a reminder please contact the practice to make an appointment and let our reception staff know that you are booking for a “Care Plan Review” or “Cervical Screen (Pap Smear)” and they will do the rest.
What if you don’t want reminders?
You are able to opt out at any time if you would prefer not to get reminders. Phone our reception staff on 03 5243 6677 or speak to your doctor.
Any questions please chat to your doctor.
Skin checks
Australians are exposed to high levels of ultra-violet rays which over time causes sun damage to the skin and possibly skin cancers.
Skin cancers are very common in Australia and according to the Cancer Council Australia, two out of three Australians will be exposed to skin cancer by the time they are 70.
Our practices offer services in the detection and treatment of skin cancers. If you are concerned about any changes to your skin, speak to one of our GPs. They can perform a skin check and discuss with you any further treatment if required.
Be proactive in your skin health and speak to your GP today.
The Cancer Council Australia encourages people to become familiar with their skin and visit their GP if they notice any changes.
It’s important to get to know your skin and what is normal for you so changes will be quickly noticed. Don’t just rely on an annual skin check to detect any suspicious spots. The sooner it is detected and treated, the better chance you have of avoiding surgery or potentially even worse consequences.
- Examine your skin every month
- See your GP for a skin exam every year
Concerning skin lesions can be biopsied and removed in our treatment room.
If you have any concerns for specific skin spots let your GP know and they can assess and advise on the need for further management.
Need to book an appointment for a skin check? Call our reception at 03 5243 6677.
Referrals/Repeat Scripts
All patients need an appointment for a referral unless you have discussed it with your regular doctor and a prior arrangement has been made.
If you have discussed the referral with your doctor and they have agreed to write the referral and there may be a fee associated with this service.
If your regular doctor is not available, you will need to make an appointment so that the doctor can review your file and discuss the referral with you.
Please check with reception if you are unsure if you need an appointment.
Seeing a doctor for prescription renewals is an important safety measure for both you and the doctor.
Please make an appointment with your doctor for a prescription renewal if:
- You haven’t seen a doctor here for more than 6 months
- The script is needed for scheduled drugs, for example pain medication or sedatives
- You need 3 or more prescriptions
If you have seen the doctor recently, they may be able to write a prescription for you. There will be a fee associated with this service.
Please talk to reception about which option is best for you.
Health Assessments
Did you know that anyone over the age of 75 is entitled to a free, comprehensive medical health assessment under the Government’s Medicare program?
Lifeline Medical Centre is pleased to be able to provide this service to you.
We offer a session with your own doctor, without any out-of-pocket expense to you.
It offers you and your doctor the opportunity to address any issues that may not have been apparent in your routine appointments, which are unfortunately, often limited by time. Should any health issues be identified during your health assessment, there may be a need to follow this up further with your doctor at a later appointment, which can be arranged at the time of your health assessment.
All of our doctors encourage you to undertake a health assessment, offered yearly, at your earliest convenience.
Please call our reception staff on 03 5243 6677 to book your appointment and let them know that you would like to make an appointment for a comprehensive Health Assessment.
Care Plans and Team Care Arrangements
Your GP may recommend that you book in a ‘Care plan’ Appointment
This free service is arranged by our practice, we strongly recommend all eligible patients participate.
Care plans (also known as GP management plans) are specific appointments targeted to manage chronic health problems. The aim is to ensure these chronic conditions are best managed and also to prevent further complications or issues arising from that medical condition.
Care plans provide an opportunity outside your normal appointments to ensure we have your health on track. We work together to identify your own health goals as well as your GPs goals to create clear positive actions for your overall health.
Part of the care plan may be forming a Team Care Arrangement. Simply, it is an agreement between your treating practitioners (GP/ Specialists/ Allied Health) to communicate and work towards common goals. Your GP is the first member. You need 2 others, either Specialists or Allied Health Professionals. We can easily determine if you have the appropriate team members to satisfy the requirements. It generally provides you with 5 Medicare relatable allied health appointments per year.
Many allied health professionals bulk-bill these appointments whilst some will charge a small gap. With your consent we contact some, or all, of your current health care team to confirm their willingness to participate. We send a copy of the care plan (or the relevant part) to the team members so we can all be working towards common goals.
There are many providers approved to use the sessions including: Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Dietitians, Exercise physiologists, Occupational therapists and others.
It takes approximately 30 minutes for the initial plan. Your GP will then see you during this time. We believe it will greatly assist us in providing you the best possible care. If you would like to proceed, please call our reception staff and book a ‘Care Plan’ Appointment.
Appointments
Appointments can be booked via our reception staff or routine appointments can be booked online through our website.
Not all appointment times are available online so if you can’t find something that suits, or the matter is more urgent please call reception on 03 5243 6677.
Routine appointments at Lifeline Medical Centre are booked for 15 minutes, sometimes it might take less time, sometimes more. A routine appointment usually has time to deal with one or two issues. If you have a number of things to discuss, then to make sure you have more time you might be best to book a longer appointment. If you would like a longer appointment, please ask reception when you book, and they will book a 30-minute time slot.
As a courtesy we send out SMS reminders to your mobile phone the day before your appointment. You simply need to follow the prompts to let us know if you are coming or not. You can always call reception and reschedule if that suits you better.
This is very important in case of urgent health needs, so the reception staff and doctors can triage your appointment
If you have more than one family member coming along to be seen by the doctor, please let reception know and they will book individual appointments. This way we can make sure that you all get the time and attention you need.