Practice Communication
Telephone calls from patients will not generally be put through to doctors. Our reception staff are happy to take messages or assist you with any general questions regarding your healthcare. If you have a medical question after seeing one of our doctors, you can speak with the nurse and she will discuss your concerns with the doctor. Normally our nurses will return your call later the same day. If you have an urgent medical problem then our nurses will try to organise an urgent appointment with one of our doctors. Emails and Facsimiles are reviewed on a daily basis.
Medicare- Register Your Details
We are now able to send your paid private account details direct to Medicare for payment of your rebate. The rebate will be deposited directly into your bank account within 24 hours if you have provided your bank account details to Medicare.
If you have not previously provided Medicare with your bank account details please, click here to register with Medicare online.
Booking a long appointment
If you want an insurance medical, review of a complex health problem, counselling for emotional difficulties, or a second opinion, please book a longer appointment. This may involve a longer wait but your problem will get the attention it deserves. Please bring relevant letters and test results from other doctors.
Booking an Appointment
Appointments can be made through our online booking platform HotDocs or by calling the surgery on 9233 4800 and our friendly reception staff will assist with your appointment.
Health practitioners set their own appointment schedules and a standard appointment is usually 15 minutes. If you require a longer appointment, please let the receptionist know when you call or select this through HotDocs.
Please be aware that your consultation time also includes the time that your doctor is writing in your clinical record, contacting other providers on your behalf, and doing prescriptions, referrals and letters.
Appointment – Pre-Authorisation requirements
Missed appointments create a significant debt burden for our clinic and waste appointment slots for someone else who needs health care. As such, we will follow many other clinics and begin pre-authorisation to secure your appointment. This is to encourage better communication and accountability, encouraging patients to cancel appointments ahead of time, rather than just not turning up. This will also help us manage resources more effectively and ensure fair access to health care for all patients.
Failure To Add Payment Details:
If you don’t proceed with adding your payment details when prompted, you will not be able to complete your online booking through HotDoc.
New Patients
Most of our health practitioners are still able to welcome new patients at Quinns Mindarie Super Clinic and we look forward to providing you with your ongoing health care needs.
Please find a listing of the health practitioners that offer health care from QMSC here.
To help us provide you with the best possible medical care we request all new patients complete our medical history form and patient privacy consent prior to their first appointment.
- These forms will be sent to you electronically by our booking platform HotDocs. Please complete these prior to attending for your appointment.
- Alternatively, our team will provide you with these forms to complete when you attend your appointment. Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment if you choose this option.
Cancel an Appointment
We respectfully ask that if you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment you contact us to cancel or change your appointment time, with a minimum of 2 hours’ notice. Should you fail to cancel or change your appointment with a minimum of 2 hours’ notice you will incur a missed appointment fee. This will automatically charge to your stored card.
The fee is equivalent to the appointment type booked plus GST.
Please note Medicare does not cover this fee.
Please ring our receptionist on 92334800 to cancel your appointment or alternatively cancel your appointment at the time you receive your appointment reminder on HotDoc.
Repeat Prescriptions
To improve ease of access to appointments for routine repeat prescriptions, QMSC will now commence ‘script only’ appointments with a reduced out-of-pocket expense of $20.50.
Those eligible for a concession will have NO out-of-pocket expense (excluding weekends and ‘private appointment only’ slots).
This appointment is not appropriate for all prescriptions and the following important guidelines apply:
- The appointment should be with your regular treating doctor who is familiar with your current health care.
- You must have had a face-to-face appointment at the practice in the past 12 months
- Up to 3 scripts only at this consult
- No pain medications or drugs of dependency can be prescribed at this consult
- No Authority prescriptions unless otherwise indicated by your doctor at a previous consultation (as these take much longer to get Health Dept approval)
- These are Telehealth (phone) appointments
If you do not meet the above guidelines, a standard appointment is required with your doctor.
Ensuring quality health care whilst offering this service is essential. During this telehealth appointment your doctor may recommend a face-to-face appointment for a physical examination, such as checking your blood pressure. Your doctor may also decide that a short consultation is not appropriate to offer quality health care. In these instances, your doctor may only prescribe a smaller quantity of medication without repeats and arrange a follow up appointment.
We thank you for your support as we work together to improve timely access to appointments whilst also setting boundaries to ensure we continue to offer safe and high-quality health care.
Medical Certificates
Medical certificates are legal documents and cannot be backdated. If you need a certificate for work purposes you will need to be seen on the day. If you are feeling too unwell to come to the clinic, feel free to make a telehealth appointment. Our doctors at QMSC prefer a video consultation for medical certificates.
Referrals
Doctors in this practice are competent at handling health problems. When necessary, they are able to draw on opinions from specialists, and if need be, refer you for further investigation. You can discuss this openly with your doctor.
Interpreters
If English is not your first language and you would prefer an interpreter, this can be arranged at no cost via reception. Alternatively, some of our doctors speak multiple languages.
Recalls/Reminders
We have a recall / reminder system. We will contact patients with clinically significant results, and advise if your doctor wishes to see you. We will also send reminders for follow-up appointments that are due, such as vaccinations, blood tests, and pap smears. We may contact you via sms, phone call, or letter. If you do not wish to be reminded, please let your Doctor know.
Results
Each doctor has a preferred way of following up results with their patients. At the time of ordering the tests, please check this with your doctor before you leave your consultation. Your doctor will also provide an estimated time of when your results will be available.
Recalls for an appointment to follow up clinically significant results are sent through Hot Docs. You will be advised to make a non-urgent appointment. If your doctor actions an urgent appointment is needed, one of our nursing team will ring you.
We recommend follow up appointments should be with the doctor who has ordered the tests for continuity of care.
You may book a Telehealth or face-to-face appointment for results. Many doctors have short 5-minute Telehealth appointments to discuss straightforward results.
Your doctor is aware of the cost of healthcare and as such, many doctors have special arrangements for follow up of results that require discussion but do not require any further significant action.
Any follow up appointments that require a standard consultation, further tests or referrals or where other issues are raised, standard fees will usually apply.
Please check your My Health Record to see if your results are back. Our team will direct all callers asking if results are back to My Health Record.
Confidentiality
Your personal health information (PHI) will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Furthermore, practice policy and procedures will reflect best practice guidelines from the Royal Australian College Of General Practitioners accreditation standards. These will underpin QMSC Practice Procedures and Policies relating to Privacy, Confidentiality and Handling of PHI.
When patients register at our practice, they are required to provide consent for our GPs and practice staff to access and use their personal information, to provide the best possible healthcare.
Patients may ‘opt out’ of their data being included in de-identified data that is shared as part of health care such as government requirements or quality improvement.
Continuity of Care
When making an appointment, choose to see your regular treating doctor. Our reception team have been trained to ask about your regular GP and then to facilitate an appointment with your GP where possible. This is called continuity of care.
Evidence strongly supports having a regular treating doctor. This improves all aspects of your health care, wellbeing and health outcomes. We do understand at times, your regular treating doctor may not be available. If this occurs, the other doctors in the practice have full access to your medical records and can assist you. They will pass important information back to your regular GP in the practice too.
Hearing & Seeing Impaired Services
If you are hearing or seeing impaired please advise our reception team when you make your appointment and on arrival at the surgery. Your doctor will assess what aids and services are necessary to communicate effectively with you. Where possible seeing the same doctor will help.
Privacy and Patient Health Information
Our practice ensures patient confidentiality at all times. All patient information will be used for medical purposes only. We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use technologies and processes such as access control procedures, network firewalls, encryption and physical security to protect your privacy. Patients are enrolled in national and state screening registers (such as bowel screening) – please advise if you wish to opt out of this process.
Please see copy of our Privacy Policy
Feedback and complaints
Should you wish to give the surgery any feedback or have a complaint on any aspect regarding the surgery, please address the practice manager, directly to your doctor or the Office of Health Review
www.healthreview.wa.gov.au—1800 813 583
Reminder System
Our practice is committed to continuity of care, timely follow-up, and preventive health care. We may issue you with a recall or reminder notice from time to time reminding you of abnormal results that need follow up, outstanding health treatments, health checks that are due or follow-ups recommended by your doctor.
As part of identifying ways to improve your health care, your doctor may also request a specific reminder to alert you to things like new treatments, changes to a particular aspect of your health care that you may benefit from and other health promotion activities that may be of benefit to you.
Communications for reminders and recalls will be sent via email or SMS. Please make sure we have your correct details. Letters will still be sent to those patients who do not wish to receive communications electronically.
Non-Discriminatory Care
We believe that health care should be provided without discrimination based on ethnicity, gender identity, sexuality, age, ability, disability, religion or cultural differences.
Our whole team participate in training to ensure we offer health care that is culturally aware and respectful of our diverse backgrounds.
We promote health care that is safe and respectful of patients from all backgrounds, religions and cultural beliefs. We embrace the diversity of the Australian population and promote the dignity, privacy and safety of all patients.
Call a doctor
A doctor is available during normal surgery hours for emergency advice. Our nursing team will triage your call and assist you in deciding on next steps, including whether the matter requires an urgent appointment. They will liaise with one of our doctors if required.
To ensure access to timely appointments for all patients, our doctors operate on an appointment system except in emergencies or urgent situations.
Fees
We are a private billing practice. Professional fees are set by each independent practitioner and are available under their profile in the ‘Our team’ tab on this website.
Most practitioners offer a reduced out of pocket (concessional gap) for pensioner/concession card holders and bulk bill (no gap) the select appointment types below.
All practitioners continue to bulk bill the following consultations (excluding private on the day and Saturday appointments):
- Chronic Condition/s Management Plans & 3 monthly reviews (often called GP Management Plan, Team Care Arrangements or Care Plan) if advised by your GP this meets Medicare eligibility
- Health Assessments if advised by your GP this meets Medicare eligibility
- Home Medication Reviews
- DVA Gold Card holders
- Children under the age of 12 or 16 depending on the practitioner
- Closing the Gap Registered Patients with a Healthcare card
- COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccinations
- Regular Ongoing Dressings after the initial consultation
- Regular ongoing cryotherapy or desensitisation injections after the initial consult
- Routine INR testing and advice regarding warfarin dosage
As Medicare does not provide funding for medical supplies or consumables, a procedural fee will apply for surgical procedures and specialised treatments for ALL patients. This will be discounted for pension and concession card holders and children under age 16 years.
Payment is required the day of the appointment and can be made by cash, cheques, credit card or Eftpos.
We use Tyro terminals to process your payment. If you pay with a debit card your payment will process via the terminal and you will receive your Medicare rebate straight back to your bank account after you tap the terminal a second time.
If you pay by Visa or Mastercard credit card, we will submit your account to Medicare at the time of your payment and Medicare will reimburse the Medicare rebate to your nominated bank account, usually within 24 hours. Please ensure your bank details and contact details are up to date with Medicare.
Payment made by credit cards attract our cost of acceptance (surcharge) which is 1.15%. This automatically calculates at the time of the transaction. We currently cover the 0.8% fee for transactions on a Visa Debit, Mastercard Debit and EFTPOS card.
For a more complete list of fees for private and concessional patients, please click on the buttons under our individual practitioners on the ‘Our team‘ tab.
Access to Records
The Australian Privacy Act allows a patient the right to access their personal health information.
To access your personal health information, please complete a request form available from our reception team. You will be required to provide proof of identity on completion of the request form and at the time of collection.
Following this request, your doctor will review and prepare the clinical records. If it is in your best interest, the doctor may request an appointment with you to discuss the records before they are released. This appointment is not covered by Medicare.
Due to the time-consuming nature of reviewing and collating clinical records, there is a fee for this service. Please contact our reception team for current arrangements and fees. The fee is not covered by Medicare.
Facemasks and PPE for Airborne Infections
QMSC is committed to providing health care to all patients and acknowledges that airborne infections pose an increased risk to other people in the practice. We recognises the role and importance of appropriate personal protective equipment (e.g. masks, gloves, gowns) in reducing the risk of infection .We acknowledge our obligations under workplace health and safety legislation to provide a safe workplace for our staff and contractors. QMSC acknowledge our obligation under the Code of Conduct for Doctors in Australia to provide a medical clinic that is safe for all patients and visitors to the practice.
It is our policy that everyone who attends the practice with respiratory symptoms will be asked to wear a facemask in an effort to reduce the health risks to our vulnerable patients and staff. We understand that mask wearing may not be possible for everyone, so please call our friendly reception team to discuss your options for care.
To continue to provide face to face medical care for all patients with respiratory symptoms who cannot wear a mask or decline to wear a mask, our practice policy to facilitate safe health care for all is as follows:
- The patient is asked to advise our reception team member if they have respiratory symptoms but are not able to wear a mask whilst waiting or during the consultation
- Our reception team will ensure your appointment is booked either as a telehealth consultation or face-to-face consultation with one of our doctors who is able to see patients with respiratory symptoms not wearing a mask
- An initial video or phone telehealth consultation is preferred to enable the doctor to perform a preliminary assessment. This reduces the unnecessary risk of spread of infection to people in the practice. Due to the limitations in examining patients at a telehealth consultation, the doctor may recommend a further face-to-face consultation.
- The patient/guardian should call reception on arrival and wait in their car or on the chairs in the protected area outside the clinic, until the doctor is ready
- The doctor will call the patient and for face-to-face consultations, come to the door to escort the patient directly to their consultation room. We may need to use a special consultation room to reduce the risk of infection spread.
- At the conclusion of the face-to-face appointment, the doctor will escort the patient to the exit of the practice. This will minimise the potential for spread of infection to other people in the clinic.
- Our reception team will facilitate payment of any professional fees by phone, without having to stop at the front desk area
