The fundamental problem is that the Medicare rebate for GPs has risen by only about 70% of CPI over the last 30 odd years and the gap is widening, especially with Medico-legal defence insurance still rising by a lot more than CPI.Mickyj wrote:Doctors that stop bulk billing and charge a $30 fee just to see one.Took the receipt to medicare thinking it was the medicare charge only to be told no its just a surcharge they charge to see a doctor!!
Then finding a new Doctor and asking can I get my medical records sent to this new practice .Yep no problems unless its my old clinic .Why is that I ask they charge a fee to send your records to this practice.!!! How much I ask .Oh I'm not certain between $200-$300 you joking I said .
Just going to take in my list of drugs next trip
The AMA's position is that a summary of your condition should be sent to your new doctor free of charge , but they are entitled to recover the cost of copying the entire record if you request that, or if you want a full copy yourself.
However, $200-$300 sounds a bit steep unless you have a lot of old paper records that would have to be hand photocopied.
Some of the corporate practices, not run by doctors, had a pattern of luring people in by universal bulk billing then making it difficult to leave.
That's why many doctors don't think these corporate operations should be allowed to run a practice and just hire doctors to work for them.
[But Medicare and the government used to like them when they bulk billed everyone and made the BB statistics look good.]
