Pound Road Medical Centre is a Bulk Billing Practice. However, if you fail to provide with a valid Medicare card or do not have a Medicare card you will have to pay on the day.

IRON INFUSIONS, IMPLANONS & OTHER PROCEDURES WILL NOT BE BULK BILLED.

Cash or Eftpos facilities are available. Fee details can be found under Medical Services- Fees n Charges

Please call the surgery to make an appointment with your regular doctor or use our online booking system-HOTDOC.

HOTDOC SMS IS A COURTESY REMINDER. IF YOU HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT YOUR ARE RESPONSIBLE TO CANCEL OR ATTEND. Please ensure when you make an appointment you confirm/ CANCEL the appointment via the SMS reminder you receive. If unable to reply Yes to Confirm or NO to cancel the appointment.

A CANCELLATION FEE OF $30.00 WILL APPLY IF YOU FAIL TO TURN UP TO YOUR APPOINTMENT OR YOU CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT WITHIN 2 HOURS OF APPOINTMENT BOOKING TIME.  

TYPE OF APPOINTMENTS: 

STANDARD APPT: 10 MINS

LONG APPT: 20-30 MINS FOR MULTIPLE ISSUES, FORMS & MHP

Please inform the staff should you require a longer appointment and if more than one person is to be seen. Appointments for Forms (Centrelink, Taxi, New employment check) must be informed while making the appointment.

YES. Our clinic offers LONGER APPOINTMENTS FOR:

• New Patients
• two or more complex Medical Problems
• Mental Health Care Plans
• Medical & Insurance Forms
• Minor surgical procedures
• Other prolonged checks

TELEHEALTH:    PHONE-10MIN;    VIDEO-20MINS

(ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: MUST HAVE HAD A GP - FACE TO FACE CONSULT AT THE CLINIC IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS).

Walk-ins: Our doctors are happy to accommodate patients who present themselves without appointments for medical reasons (Not for scripts, forms or Medical Certificates), though there will be a waiting time unless deemed an Emergency.

 THE CLINIC IS COMMITED TO PREVENTITIVE CARE. 

Results are not discussed over the phone. All patients are required to make a follow up appointment with the Doctor to discuss any results.

Patients who have urgent results will be contacted by the practice nurse to come in and see the Doctor on the day.

Patients with abnormal results will receive a call from the nurse and an SMS requesting patient to book an appointment with the Doctor. If your results are in the normal range you do not receive a reminder but if you require a copy, an appointment is required.

Recalls are attended to daily to ensure the best follow up care for our patients.

The clinic will contact you to remind you regarding routine check-ups, immunisations, cervical screening, etc. Please inform the doctor if you do not wish to be included in our reminder system. Our reminder system is computerised.

Our practice uses HOTDOC for Online bookings, Reminders and Recalls. Please ensure when you make an appointment you confirm/ CANCEL the appointment via the SMS reminder you receive. If unable to then reply Yes to Confirm or NO to cancel the appointment.

A CANCELLATION FEE OF $30.00 WILL APPLY IF YOU FAIL TO TURN UP TO YOUR APPOINTMENT OR YOU CANCEL YOUR APPOINTMENT WITHIN 2 HOURS OF APPOINTMENT BOOKING TIME. 

Reminder/ Recall SMS’s are reminders that you are due for a review or results to be discussed by the GP. Please call the clinic and make an appointment to avoid receiving multiple SMS reminders.

OUR PRACTICE IS ACCREDITED BY QPA.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE PATIENT:

Better patient outcomes.

An increasing number of patients are aware of accreditation and why they should seek out an accredited practice, but may not know how to find one. But we are sure as a patient you would like to know that your practice’s instruments have been sterilised properly, that the sample medications you were just given are not out of date, and that the receptionist knows who to contact for you in an emergency.

Better practice quality means better patient outcomes.

Home visits are available on request for our regular patients whose condition prevents them from attending the practice. Home visits are bulk billed for Medicare card holders.

Please inform the staff should you require a longer appointment and if more than one person is to be seen. Appointments for Forms (Centrelink, Taxi, New employment check) must be informed while making the appointment.

AFTER HOURS:

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY CALL 000.

FOR urgent after hours care call the Locum Services on 132 660 (BULK BILLED)

OR CONTACT THE NEAREST EMERGENCY HOSPITAL CASEY HOSPITAL IN BERWICK on 8768 1200 OR DANDENONG HOSPITAL on 9554 1000.

Pound Road Medical Centre  takes your privacy seriously. Privacy protection and confidentiality of health information is essential for quality health care and we are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the information we handle about you.

What should I do if I have a privacy complaint?

If you have a complaint regarding the way your personal information has been handled by our Practice, please put it in writing and address it to the practice manager (insert details). We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 14 days, and endeavour to provide a full response within 30 days of receipt. 

Should you be dissatisfied with our response, you may lodge your written complaint with the Victorian Privacy Commissioner at https://www.vic.gov.au/privacy-vicgovau and/or the Victorian Health Services Commissioner at http://www.health.vic.gov.au.   

If you have a query regarding our Practice’s privacy policy, please contact our practice manager who will be happy to discuss the matter with you.   

Our practice policy is to maintain the privacy of your health information. We ensure that at all times only authorised members have access to the records. The Privacy brochure is available at the reception desk on request.

Patients have a right to participate in discussions about your health. Patients can request a copy of their records in writing.  Patients also have the right to choose who they want to be referred to and they will be informed if a fee is payable.

 This practice follows the Commonwealth Privacy Act - Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000 in relation to your records. All staff have signed confidentiality contracts and are aware of the importance of maintaining security of your records.

For a detailed read of how we keep your personal information private in our practice, please click here.

Click here to read our Social Media Policy

Click here to read our E-mail Policy

KINDLY NOTE, FOR CENTRELINK , CITIZENSHIP & PASSPORT FORMS WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE TO MEET YOUR DEADLINES. DOCTORS REQUIRE 2-3 DAYS TO COMPLETE THE FORMS IF THERE IS NO APPOINTMENT BOOKED.

For passport/citizenship forms the doctor can sign only if they have known you for 12months. The forms must be left at the reception desk and you will be contacted to pick up the forms once they are signed.

• If an appointment is made for filling in forms for any of the following the consult will be charged privately and this is not rebatable by Medicare.
• Passport: GP IS NOT REQUIRED TO SIGN
• Citizen forms: GP MUST HAVE KNOWN YOU FOR 12 MONTHS
• Taxi /UBERforms: PRIVATELY BILLED AND NOT COMPLETED ON THE 1^ST VISIT FOR NEW PATIENTS
• Health insurance form: PRIVATELY BILLED
• Centrelink Forms - An appointment is required for any Centrelink form. All information should be filled in by you except the sections to be filled in by the GP.

Our clinic uses the TIS National and NRS  services to help our patients with their consultation. Speak to reception if an interpreter is needed for your consultation.

The National Relay Service (NRS) can help you if you’re d/Deaf or find it hard to hear or speak to hearing people on the phone. NATIONAL RELAY SERVICES are free, confidential and available 24 hr, except for Video Relay calls.

Our practice provides treatment to work cover and TAC patients.

The initial visits must be paid by the patient until a valid claim number is provided to us.

Workcover and TAC patients must ensure their claim is approved before consulting any allied health professionals.

Case conference appointment requests must be send in writing by your employer, attached with your consent form and must be pre-approved by our GP - A long appointment is essential.

Our clinic is registered with Healthink for secure communication between practitioners. If this is not available, we communicate via fax.

We use encryption software to password protect any confidential information sent via e-mail.

If moving to another clinic we will require a signed request from you to release your medical history which will be sent as a Health Summary at no cost.  If you prefer to have your full file transferred, we can send on CD (HTML OR XML FORMAT) by registered post to the requesting doctor. If requesting a copy of your own records you may choose to come and collect. 

There will be a $20 administration fee for full history transfer or provide a copy on disc.

FOR RESULTS AN APPOINTMENT MUST BE MADE. Due to Privacy laws Do not communicate via emails as it is for Admin purposes only (emails are not encrypted). 

Phone consults for covid positive patients only. Image of the result must be emailed.

Doctors do not take calls during consulting hours. Our receptionists can pass on the message to the doctor who will return the call. 

FOR RESULTS AN APPOINTMENT MUST BE MADE. Due to Privacy laws Do not communicate via emails as it is for Admin purposes only (emails are not encrypted).  Do not email regarding appointments and scripts as the email will not be attended to. 

Please also note our practice policy also states that NO Drugs of addiction will be prescribed .

For lost requests a fee of $20.00 is charged which is non-rebatable by Medicare.

Any lost Documents eg: EPC, Mental Health Plans, Medical Certificates a fee of $20.00 will be charged which is non-rebatable by Medicare.

MyMedicare is a program that connects patients with a healthcare provider, encouraging an ongoing relationship that can offer more comprehensive and consistent care. When a patient registers, it will notify the selected general practice or healthcare provider that the patient has chosen them as their regular care team.

MyMedicare is part of an ongoing commitment to strengthening Medicare for all Australians.

Benefits:

Evidence shows that seeing the same GP and healthcare team regularly leads to better health outcomes. Seeing your GP regularly and formalising the relationship you have with your GP and general practice through MyMedicare may lead to better health outcomes.

Registering with MyMedicare provides benefits to patients, general practices, and healthcare providers. To learn about these benefits, see:

• Benefits for patients
• Benefits for general practices and healthcare providers.

MY Medicare website. 

DISEASE REGISTERS:

This practice submits patient data to various diseases registers (cervical, Breast & bowel screening) for preventative health. Please inform the doctor if you do not wish to participate.

Patients who have urgent results will be contacted by the practice nurse to come in and see the Doctor on the day.

Patients with abnormal results will receive a call from the nurse and an SMS requesting patient to book an appointment with the Doctor. If your results are in the normal range you do not receive a reminder but if you require a copy, an appointment is required.

SCRIPTS:

An appointment with the GP is essential. No requests for these will be taken over the phone.  Appointments can usually be found within 1-2 days.  Please make sure you make an appointment before your medication finishes. For lost scripts a fee of $20.00 is charged which is non-rebatable by Medicare.

REFERRALS:

Patients consulting Specialist Practitioners require referrals yearly. The GP cannot re issue a referral without a consultation. Please ensure the appointment is made in advance as the GP cannot back date them. For lost referrals a fee of $20.00 is charged which is non-rebatable by Medicare.

REQUESTS-PATHOLOGY AND RADIOLOGY:

Patients must ensure the have the referral before making appointments at the Pathology for Blood tests or Radiology.

Please ask about the fees when you are making the appointment as not all Radiology Providers bulk bill.

Medicare constantly changes the rebates for Pathology tests. Please ask the provider before doing the test regards fees and out of pocket costs. 

For lost requests a fee of $20.00 is charged which is non-rebatable by Medicare.

Any lost Documents eg: EPC, Mental Health Plans, Medical Certificates a fee of $20.00 will be charged which is non-rebatable by Medicare.