New patient booking policy and why we do it this way

 

Silver Sands General Practice is a small medical centre. We are actively trying to recruit more GPs, but this is unfortunately very difficult. 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 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 the doctor to go over their health background and form a plan moving forward. As this puts additional strain on our already limited availability, we limit the amount of new patient bookings each week. It would be unfair to our existing patients to dedicate more than this time to new patients.

 

Why does it cost a private deposit 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.

Our booking policy involves a $50 private booking fee, refundable on the day of the first appointment. This 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.

We bulk-bill all Medicare card holders for the majority of our services. Standard consults with our GPs are bulk billed. Please note that there are a handful of appointments that are NOT bulk billed under this policy, such as (but not limited to) biopsies, lesion removals and iron infusions.

 

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.