Patient Information

Please call the clinic to make, change or cancel an appointment.

We endeavour to give patients appointments as promptly as possible. If you are concerned that your problem is urgent and there is a long wait to the next available appointment, please talk to your referring doctor, who can liaise directly with our clinic to request an urgent appointment.

We can add you to our cancellation list for an earlier appointment. Please add our phone number to your contacts so that you recognise the clinic is calling and can take advantage of these opportunities.

Every effort is made to see you at the scheduled time, however this cannot be guaranteed. Appointments are scheduled at 15-minute intervals. Should patients have multiple problems to discuss with the doctor, further appointments may need to be arranged. Occasionally more time is required, and these more complex problems may incur a higher consultation fee.

We request that you allow ample time in your schedule to minimise anxiety and pressure on staff.

We send SMS appointment reminders to patients' mobile phones 48 business hours ahead. If you are unable to attend an appointment, we ask that you give us at least 24 hours' notice where possible, as there is often high demand for appointments.

Our practice understands there are sometimes extenuating circumstances resulting in late cancellation or failure to attend an appointment. However, cancelling an appointment without adequate notice or failing to attend will normally incur a $100 fee. Re-booking will be at the doctor's discretion.

Please ensure that you have a current referral prior to your appointment. Whilst not required, having a valid referral enables you to receive the maximum Medicare rebate.

You should arrange the referral before your appointment, as it is illegal for doctors to backdate your referral.

New problems require new referrals, regardless of how much time has elapsed since you last saw the dermatologist.

Indefinite referrals are only appropriate for consultations in the same course of treatment for chronic conditions, including alopecia, psoriasis or eczema. These are not appropriate for annual skin checks.

Referrals can be emailed or sent via Healthlink.

Our fees reflect the costs involved in running a quality specialist medical practice.

Commonwealth Government Pension Card and Healthcare Card holders are charged a reduced fee. Veterans' Affairs Gold Card holders are bulk billed, provided they have a current referral and entitlement card.

Fees are set at the discretion of the dermatologist and based on the type of appointment or procedure.

People with financial difficulties should discuss this with the dermatologist. Payment plans can be arranged in some cases.

Sometimes the services of other health professionals may be necessary. This may include a pathology service. If tissue has been excised during a procedure, it is the practice of this clinic to have the specimen assessed for cancerous cells. The pathology provider may send a separate bill for this.

Accounts for many procedures are held until specimens have been tested and pathology results are reviewed. There may be a delay of several weeks between the procedure and receiving the invoice, which can be confusing if there are multiple procedures booked on different days.

A telehealth consultation with your dermatologist may be conducted by phone or video call, and is used when a physical examination isn't necessary.

In most cases, you must have seen your dermatologist face to face in the previous 12 months and have a current referral. Without a current referral, there is no Medicare rebate available.

In some cases, it may be necessary to email photos to the clinic prior to the telehealth consultation.

If you require a doctor or nurse to review photos, we recommend you call for an accompanying telehealth appointment.

We require credit card details prior to the telehealth appointment. These will not be stored, and will be shredded immediately following the appointment and billing. The cost of a telehealth consultation will vary and is charged at the doctor's discretion.

In accordance with standard business practice, we prefer accounts to be settled at the time of consultation. We accept Mastercard, Visa and EFTPOS cards. Cheques are no longer accepted. All paid accounts can be claimed immediately from Medicare by us, provided you have a current referral and have given Medicare your banking details.

Payments are made directly to your dermatologist. There is no facility for online payments, as our staff need to receipt funds at the clinic in order to submit a claim to Medicare.

It is the policy of the doctors in this practice to provide patients with enough medication to tide them over the course of treatment, or until their next review appointment.

In the event of your condition deteriorating between reviews with your dermatologist, or if you require further prescriptions, you may need a review telehealth appointment, or it may be possible to obtain these from your GP. Your GP is also able to issue you with Authority Prescriptions, which enable you to obtain a month's supply of the relevant medication for the cost of a normal prescription. However, you will need to specifically request an Authority Prescription from your medical practitioner.

We cannot provide patients with prescriptions if they miss or cancel appointments, or if more than twelve months have lapsed since they were last seen.

In accordance with standard business practice, a $20 fee will be charged for scripts issued without a consultation.

We prefer prescriptions to be collected in person, or emailed and posted directly to your pharmacy to reduce the chance of loss.

We ask that you have an email and postal address ready prior to calling and requesting a script.

If you request that the script be posted to your home address and it is lost, you may need to pay for another script.