What bulk billing covers at Flourish — and what it doesn't

“Bulk billed” is one of those phrases that gets used loosely. Some practices bulk bill children and pensioners only. Some bulk bill on certain days. Some advertise it and then charge a booking fee. So it is worth setting out plainly what it means at Flourish.

What bulk billing actually is

When we bulk bill, we send the bill to Medicare and accept the Medicare benefit as payment in full. You are not charged a gap, a co-payment or a fee for booking. You do not pay us and claim it back later. You sign for the claim and that is the end of the transaction.

At Flourish this applies to every patient with a valid Medicare card. Not just children. Not just concession card holders. Everyone.

What is covered

The great majority of what a GP does:

• Standard consultations and long ones — there is no gap for booking more time
• Chronic disease management plans and their reviews
• Medicare health assessments, including the 75+ assessment
• Immunisations on the National Immunisation Program
• Cervical Screening Tests and contraception consultations
• Children’s appointments, at every age
• Mental health treatment plan consultations

The exceptions, in full

There is a short list of things Medicare does not fund and it is better you hear it here than at reception.

Pre-employment medicals. These are requested by an employer rather than for your own health care, which puts them outside Medicare. There is a fee and reception will tell you what it is when you book.

Ear syringing. This is a private service. Medicare does not cover the appointment or the procedure, so a fee applies. Reception will confirm it when you book.

Travel vaccines. The consultation is bulk billed. The vaccines themselves are generally not covered by Medicare and are paid for separately. Your GP will tell you the cost before anything is given.

WorkCover and TAC consultations. These are billed to the WorkCover insurer or the TAC rather than to Medicare. You should not be out of pocket, but the mechanism is different and reception will explain how it works for your claim.

Pathology and imaging. If your GP sends you for blood tests or a scan, that service is performed and billed by whoever you are referred to — not by us. Many bulk bill. Ask them when you book.

Some forms and reports. Insurance reports, commercial driver medicals and certain third-party forms are not Medicare items. Ask reception before you book so there is no surprise.

If you do not hold a Medicare card. A fee applies. Call us and we will tell you what it is before you come in.

Why we publish the exceptions

A bulk billing claim with the exceptions buried is worth very little. The first unexpected invoice undoes the trust the claim was meant to build. We would rather you knew the whole picture in advance, including the parts that are not free.

You can read the detail on our fees and bulk billing page. If anything is unclear, call reception on 03 5174 6711 and ask before you book.