Fees & Charges
Vineyard Medical Centre is a private billing practice.
We do require full payment on the day and can be accepted via EFTPOS, cash or cheque. If you wish we can also submit same day accounts to Medicare for your rebate. Please note if paying by cheque your drivers licence will be required to assist with verification.
Patients referred to other service providers including Allied Health may have an out of pocket fee. For more information regarding costs please discuss this with reception or the service you have been referred to.
Please note as per Medicare Guidelines "Afterhours consults" are Weekdays before 8am and after 8pm or Saturday before 8am and after 1pm.
Commencing 1st October 2024, a secure held prepayment will be required to conduct a Telehealth consultation, COVID + Assessment and for all new patients. If payment details are not added via the secure HotDoc link within 90 minutes, your appointment will automatically cancel. Payment will finalise after your consultation. If you do not wish to pre-pay, a face to face appointment is required.
Cancellation Policy
We understand at times you may need to cancel an appointment for unforeseen circumstances. Please contact the clinic and advise of any cancellations and we will happily proceed and reschedule if needed. Please note a minimum of 4 hours is required or a cancellation/non attendance fee of $50.00 inc. GST will be charged. This payment will be charged to your card if pre-authorisation has been granted.
Fee changes effective 1st July 2026
Fee Structure Update – Effective 1st July 2025
From July 1st, your practitioners' consultation fees will increase in line with annual adjustments and Medicare changes. Please take note of the following key updates to the billing structure:
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Concession Fee Removal (Ages 16–64):
Patients aged 16 to 64 with a valid concession card will no longer be eligible for a discounted rate. A private fee will apply to all consultations. -
Children’s Fees:
Patients under 16 will be charged the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) fee plus a $50 gap. -
Patients 65+ with a Valid Concession Card:
Eligible seniors will be charged the MBS fee plus a $40 gap. -
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card:
Please note, this card does not qualify for a fee discount. -
Saturday Consultations:
All patients will be charged the full private fee for consultations on Saturdays, regardless of age or concession status.
These fees are a guideline only, pending confirmation of Medicare rebate adjustments, which are typically announced close to the July 1st implementation date.
Until official rebate details are released, we are unable to provide:
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An estimated out-of-pocket cost for private patients, or
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A full fee total for children and patients aged 65+ with a concession card.
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We appreciate your understanding and continued support as we navigate these changes to ensure the provision of the highest quality care by your practitioner.
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New Patients
**VERY IMPORTANT*** Commencing 1st June 2025, a secure held prepayment will be required to conduct a new patient consultation with your practitioner. If payment details are not added via the secure HotDoc link within 90 minutes, your appointment will automatically cancel. Payment will finalise after your consultation. If you do not wish to pre-pay, an appointment cannot be scheduled, unless it is a medical emergency.
A $50 failed to attend fee will be charged if you do not arrive to your appointment or fail to provide 4 hours notice. This will be deducted from your card. This is due to an increase in new patient bookings and patients not arriving to appointments. If you are a new patient to your Allied health practitioner, you will also be charged $50 for failing to attend an appointment. This remains policy since July 2023.
If your account remains outstanding, a further appointment cannot be scheduled unless your account is settled prior.
Update to changes to Medicare Assignment of Benefit - July 1st 2026
We would like to inform you of an important change to Medicare's Assignment of Benefit (AoB) process for bulk-billed consultations.
Changes to the AoB process were due to commence 1 July 2026. The Australian Government, Medicare and the RACGP have announced a 12-month transition period commencing 1 July 2026, allowing practices and patients additional time to adjust to new consent requirements for bulk-billed services.
What is Assignment of Benefit?
When a consultation is bulk billed, Medicare pays the rebate directly to the medical practice on your behalf. To do this, Medicare requires your consent, known as an Assignment of Benefit.
What do I need to do?
If you receive an SMS requesting confirmation of your consent for a bulk-billed consultation, please review and accept the request as soon as possible.
This simple step confirms that you agree for Medicare to pay the benefit directly to the practice.
Why is this important?
Although a 12-month transition period is currently in place, we are encouraging all patients to begin responding to these requests now.
This will help patients become familiar with the process and ensure a smooth transition when the new requirements become fully operational.
What happens after the transition period?
Once the transition period ends and compliance requirements commence, Medicare may not process benefits for bulk-billed services where the required patient consent has not been obtained.
Where consent has not been provided, patients will be required to pay privately for the consultation and will receive a private account.
Need Help?
If you have any questions about the consent process or are unsure how to respond to the SMS request, please contact our reception team. We are happy to assist.
Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing support.
Vineyard Medical Centre