New Patient Booking Policy

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New Patient Booking Policy and Why We Do It This Way

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Silver Sands General Practice is currently a single GP medical centre. We are actively trying to recruit another GP, but this is unfortunately very difficult. Our existing patient numbers far exceed what would normally be a reasonable workload for a single GP. This is why even for existing patients our appointment wait times are 4-5 weeks. This would normally result in closing our books completely for new patients (not accepting any new patients at all).

So why don't we close our books?

Dr Ellis has decided not to close our books, because we get a lot of recommendations from patients and other health professionals. For patients who actively seek us out, we would still like to make it possible to “get in” and become a patient at Silver Sands GP. 

Why does it take so long for the first appointment?
The first appointment is always a long appointment (20 minutes +) to establish the medical file and what needs to be done. A new patient will see our wonderful nurse Megan first for a chat about their history and baseline measurements. They will subsequently see Dr Ellis to go over their health background and form a plan moving forward. As this puts additional strain on our already limited availability, we only book in one new patient per week. It would be unfair to our existing patients to dedicate more than this time to new patients.

Why does it cost a private fee to book in?
There are several reasons for the private fee. It ensures that people take their appointment serious and will attend when it is due. We do understand that our appointment and booking policies will not be suitable for everyone, and we would actively encourage patients to attend a different medical centre if this is not suitable for them.
Our booking policy involves a $50 non-refundable private booking fee that is payable at the time of booking the first appointment. If the appointment is cancelled, the booking fee will not be refunded. If the appointment is rescheduled with adequate notice, the booking fee will remain valid for the rescheduled first appointment. The first appointment will always be charged privately. This is our policy and a Medicare compliance requirement when a private booking fee is charged. The cost of the first appointment depends on the amount of time taken and cannot be accurately determined until after the first visit. In most cases it will be either $125 or $160 with a Medicare rebate going back into your account (usually instantly). The private gap fee for the first appointment is usually approximately $42.
After the initial booking fee and the first appointment are completed, our standard billing policy applies. We bulk-bill pension card holders, concession card holders, DVA patients and children 16 years and younger, who are eligible for a government bilk billing incentive. We privately bill all other patients. At our discretion we bulk bill up to one follow-up appointment per private visit for results (including private patients) to ensure everybody is able to get their results regardless of cost. Please note that many other practices have started charging private gap fees for several of the services that we offer bulk-billed for eligible patients.

Who came up with this policy?
Please note that this policy was created and written by Dr Jennifer Ellis, Practice Owner and Principal GP. Our wonderful reception team is merely the messenger when you call to make your appointment. We hope this information has been helpful to put our policies in context. We understand that for many patients a different practice will be more suitable, and we wish you all the best for the future regardless of how you decide to proceed.