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Bulk Billed Podiatry
What is bulk billing podiatry?
Bulk billed podiatry is when the podiatrist accepts the rebate offered by Medicare or DVA as the full fee for service, so that there is NO GAP fee for patients. We submit claims directly to Medicare, so you do not have to pay. The consultation time that is covered by Medicare is 20 minutes, which includes treatment, documenting treatment notes and reports to GP. Normally 20 min is sufficient, however if we run out of time additional fees will apply for the extended consultation. Medicare does not pay for any products that you may be recommended by one of our podiatrists to purchase.
Do I need a referral?
If you are coming to see us as a private patient no referral is required. Private fees are applied and we can get rebates from your private health insurance on the spot. All you need is to pay the gap. However, if you are coming to see us under bulk billing arrangements and are expecting Medicare to cover our service for you, a specific referral is required from your GP. To obtain a referral, your GP normally would do yearly health review and organise an updated Care Plan. It is a good idea to mention that you need a referral for podiatry under care plan when you book your appointment with GP.
Which referrals are eligible for bulk billing?
Eligible Medicare referrals are not any letters written by your GP. It is a specific Medicare Form, titled “Referral Form for Individual Allied Health Services under Medicare for patients with a chronic medical condition and complex care needs” Patients with chronic medical conditions, such as Diabetes, hypertension or arthritis may be eligible for this type of referral. To determine if you are eligible for podiatry under Medicare, please speak with your doctor. They would need to make the referral out to Phoenix Podiatry.
How many appointments per year can I have covered by Medicare?
Patients may be allocated 5 visits between multiple Allied Health Providers. For example, your GP may allocate 3 Podiatry and 2 Physiotherapy. Medicare will pay for the total of 5 visits per calendar year, which is from 1st of January till 31st of December. The referral can be used for the next calendar year as well, as long as it is not number 6 for calendar year – Medicare will reject the claim you will have to pay for your appointment. For example, if referral was given in October 2023 for five appointments, we can use 2 for 2023 and the other 3 for 2024 under the same referral. However, if you have used 5 appointments for 2023 before the new referral is issued, we will not be able to get Medicare rebates for you till 2024. If we are to submit claim number 6 for 2023 Medicare will reject the claim.
Department of Veterans Affairs patients
There is no additional charged for Gold Card Holders with Veterans` Affairs. You can have up to 12 appointments per year. DVA is also happy to pay for the most of the products or consumables, such as orthotics or shoe padding. Please make sure that you have a referral from your GP for your first appointment made to us. White Card holders need a specific referral from your GP and might get a number of appointments covered by DVA as well.
NDIS and aged care agencies
We are working closely with a number of aged care agencies and NDIS. We can arrange direct billing to your case manager ( at an additional cost) or you can pay for your appointment privately and submit the receipt to your case manager by yourself.
