OPENING HOURS

Monday to Friday – 9.00AM to 5.30PM
Saturday – 9.00AM to 3.00PM
Closed Sunday & Public Holidays

APPOINTMENTS:

Consultation is by appointment Monday to Saturday. Appointments can be made 24/7 online by clicking the ‘Book Online’ icon or during clinic hours by calling (03) 9459 8139. A standard consult is up to 15 minutes duration.

Efforts are made to accommodate your preferred doctor and time, however if your usual doctor is unavailable you are welcome to see other doctors at the clinic.

Please be aware that doctors will run late at times. We appreciate your understanding and patience. To aid this, please notify reception early if you require a long consultation (greater than 15 minutes estimated duration, for one complex issue, or for multiple smaller issues), otherwise you might be asked to return to complete the assessment on another day.

If you are unable to keep your appointment, please inform us at least 12-24 hours in advance, so that we can offer your appointment time to another patient.

Patients who drop in without an appointment may be seen if the situation allows, however preference is given to patients with appointments. Emergencies will be seen immediately.

EMAIL PROCEDURE:

• This clinic has a ‘Consent for Electronic Communication’ form. This form is to be signed by the patient before any email can to set. This can be done by having the patient email their request, which will clarify their email address, then email the consent form to the patient for signing. Once received the requested information can then be emailed.
• We have added an email consent question to our new patient registration form which is scanned into the patient’s individual electronic file.
• We do not accept email requests for scripts as it is not best practice and may be harmful to the patient.
• Do not send urgent requests via email. These requests are better attended to by calling the clinic directly on 03-9459 8139.
• Emails are only checked periodically throughout the day while reception staff are dealing with more urgent matters.
• Please be aware there are limitations to emailing.
• The clinic has an automatic reply message when receiving emails.

FEES & BILLING:

Bellfield Medical Centre is a mixed billing practice Monday to Friday, and all consultations are privately billed on Saturdays.

Only patients who hold a current Healthcare, Pension or Veteran’s card or child 16 year of age and under will continue to be bulk-billed. All other patients are private patients (payment required).

All fees are to be paid at the time of consultation. If you have submitted your bank details with Medicare, all claimable items will be transmitted directly to Medicare for reimbursement back into your nominated bank account.

We have kept our fees as low as possible with a standard consultation costing $65.00 and with your rebate of $41.20 you are only out of pocket $23.85.

Please note your private account details are not accessible to this clinic, it is solely a Medicare initiative for your convenience.

Repeat scripts without an appointment will be charged $10.

Patients must be seen regularly, and if not seen in the last 6 months, an appointment will need to be made.

Telephone consultations can only be billed through medicare for patients who have had a face-to-face consultation at the clinic in the preceeding 12 months.

TELEPHONE ENQUIRIES:

All telephone enquiries will be triaged by the reception staff or practice nurse first, during normal clinic hours. If they agree that you need to speak to the doctor, a message will be taken and the doctor will return your call when next available.

Unfortunately, test results cannot be discussed over the telephone with reception staff. Please make an appointment with the appropriate doctor to discuss results.

A doctor will be made available to speak to directly in emergency situations.

MEDICAL CERTIFICATES:

Medical certificates will only be provided by the doctor if a patient is thoroughly assessed, and only for the condition listed on the certificate. It is illegal to back-date medical certificates.

PRESCRIPTIONS & REFERRALS:

Most prescriptions provide sufficient medication to last until your condition needs to be reviewed by your doctor. Prescriptions are not routinely written without consultation , in order to determine the appropriate medications and dosages at the time.

Please make an appointment to see your doctor for specialist referrals. Referrals to specialists will not be provided without prior consultation and cannot be back-dated.

PERSONAL INFORMATION, PRIVACY & YOUR DOCTOR:

Privacy policy

PATIENT RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Patient autonomy is of utmost important, so whilst Bellfield Medical Centre takes an active approach to ensure the best outcomes for patients at all times, patients should notify the doctor if they decide to refuse a specific advice or procedure.

Your feedback and comments are welcome. Please feel free to contact the clinic if you have any comments. Alternatively complete a questionnaire form which is located on the front counter and place in our suggestion box.

HOME VISITS

Home visit appointments can be made by prior arrangement with the reception at the discretion of the doctor, and are reserved only for known patients to the clinic who live within a 5km radius and who are unable to make it to the clinic.

TEST RESULTS

Patients are asked to make a follow-up appointment for review of their test results.

AFTER-HOURS

Outside of normal clinic hours, all phone calls are redirected to our after-hours locum service, who can provide appropriate medical care as required.

If your situation is life threatening, dial 000 now or go to nearest Emergency Department Hospital.

The direct number for the after-hours locus service is (03) 9429 5677.

PATIENT FEEDBACK

Patients are encouraged to provide positive and negative feedback including formal complaints to the Practice Manager (9459 8139) of via email at bellfieldclinic@bigpond.com.  Any complaint will be dealt with promptly and with the upmost confidentiality. If you wish to lodge a complaint with the Health Services Commissioner the telephone number is 8601 5200, or toll free on 1800 136 066.