Student Health - FAQ

How much does it cost to see a doctor if I am a student?

While the end cost is the same between International and Australian students, the process for paying is slightly different. This is why we’ve divided our answer into two parts, so please take your pick...

International students

You will benefit from the direct billing relationships we have with the four major OSHC Insurers. These four major insurers are OSHC Worldcare, AHM, Medibank Private and Mutual Community. Through our arrangement with these insurers, most of the cost of your consultation is billed directly to the insurer. We can only bill the insurer directly if you bring along your membership card or details of your valid OSHC Insurance policy (e.g. membership number). If you do, the most you will pay for any length of consultation is $15. The $15 cost is often referred to as a "co-payment". It’s also sometimes referred to as a "gap payment" or "out of pocket expense". This amount is not covered under your OSHC insurance policy, as we directly bill your insurer for the full amount entitled to be claimed.

Australian students

Medicare requires that we charge you up-front for the full cost of the consultation. The cost of a standard consultation is $48.55. A standard consultation is typically when a patient presents with a single health problem and the appointment lasts between 5 and 15 minutes. If you hold a Medicare Card, the Medicare rebate is $33.55. For a longer visit, typically lasting longer than 15 minutes with one complex problem or multiple problems, the cost is $78.75. If you hold a current Medicare Card, the Medicare rebate is $63.75. Accordingly, your out-of-pocket expense i.e. "the gap" for any length of consultation is never greater than $15. We have a Medicare Easyclaim equipped EFTPOS terminal, which will allow you to claim your rebate back on the spot. For more information about Medicare Easyclaim visit Fees, please click here

Why do you charge a gap?

Our clinic is located in the centre of the city where rent costs are considerably higher than in the suburbs. Because we are private practice, we do not receive any government funding support. In order to spend the time needed to help sort out your problems, we need to charge a fee which will allow us to meet the costs of running our clinic. When determining fees, we want to ensure they are fair, reasonable and appropriate for the service we provide and to the patients we are assisting. We understand students have less income than full-time workers, and this is why the gap charge is half that of non-students.

Our doctors will sometimes waive the gap payment at their discretion, for example when they have asked a patient to return to discuss results or when the visit is quick, such as replacement of a prescription.

What is your appointment availability?

Our clinic is usually able to provide a same or next day appointment. We are continuing to grow our clinic by building extra rooms and recruiting experienced doctors to join our team. In addition, we do our best to ensure that our clinic is open at times which are convenient to you. This includes operating two night sessions (Mondays and Thursdays) and a Saturday session. For more information, please visit Opening Hours, which has further information about clinic hours as well as session times for each doctor.

How long will I have to wait?

We hope we don't keep you waiting for any longer than 15 minutes. If you are kept waiting for longer than this, it's usually due to one or both of two reasons. Firstly, sometimes a patient is 'fitted in' because they are visibly unwell and the doctor feels they need to be seen as a matter of urgency. Secondly, our doctors sometimes encounter unexpectedly complex problems, which unfortunately were not anticipated by our reception, at the time of scheduling the appointment. If you are asked to wait for a little longer than expected, we thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

How do I make an appointment?

You can make an appointment by either contacting us:

Over the phone – By calling us on (08) 8232 7372. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask our receptionist over the phone. When phoning to arrange an appointment, please let staff know if you would like to see a specific doctor, or have preference for a male or female doctor. Additionally, if you think you’ll need longer than a standard 15 minute time allocation, please let the receptionist know

Online – By requesting an appointment time using our online form

What should I do if I’m waiting on pathology results requested by the doctor?

Most pathology results take between 24-48 hours before we receive them back electronically from the pathology partner used by our clinic. The turnaround time depends upon the level of urgency, indicated by the requesting doctor and/ or nature of the result. At the conclusion of your appointment, the doctor will ask you to follow up with our reception regarding your results and indicate what timeframe you should allow before contacting us again.

Once the results arrive back, the doctor will indicate in your patient file whether or not an issue needs to be discussed further. If nothing further needs to be discussed, they will indicate this to our front desk team by flagging 'No action' next to your name, in our patient database. Our receptionists will only see 'no action', keeping the nature of your pathology and results strictly between you and the doctor. The receptionist can then inform you over the phone about the status of your result (e.g. 'No action'). If there is something the doctor would like to discuss with you face-to-face, they will flag 'Follow up appointment requested'. When you call, our receptionist can then assist you to arrange a follow-up appointment. We would prefer if you try and arrange an appointment with the same doctor who requested the pathology tests.