Southeast Qld’s bulk billing GP hotspots | Check your area
Fewer than a quarter of southeast Queensland GP clinics are bulk billing, with some adult patients paying up to $80 in out-of-pocket expenses for consultations, startling new data has revealed. SEE THE BULK BILLING HOT SPOTS
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Thousands of southeast Queensland residents are caught in bulk billing black spots and are being forced to pay out-of-pocket expenses of up to $80 for a visit to see a GP.
Startling new statistics out this week show less than a quarter of doctors clinics are bulk billing across the southeast.
The latest data from online health care directory Cleanbill, highlights a significant decline in bulk-billing rates across key regions in southeast Queensland, coupled with rising out-of-pocket costs for patients.
The Cleanbill survey found the cheapest GP clinics in southeast Queensland were in Logan where the average out-of-pocket expenses were $31.17 followed closely by Ipswich at $35.52 and Moreton, where it was $39.44.
The most expensive clinics were at the Sunshine Coast, where the average out of pocket expense was $44.47.
However, some clinics in Cleveland in Redland were charging upwards of $80 per consultation.
Cleanbill founder James Gillespie said billing information could be tough for patients to easily find with fewer than one in 10 GP clinics displaying pricing information on their websites.
He collected the data in December by calling GP clinics across the entire country to gauge their propensity to bulk bill new patients.
In southeast Queensland, the data showed Logan and Ipswich were the top two local government areas with the highest percentages of bulk-billing clinics for new patients, making them the best places to find a cheap GP.
The Cleanbill data showed Logan had 94 GP clinics listed with 87 able to take on new patients. Of those 87, only 24.1 per cent, or about 21 clinics, were bulk billing.
Logan witnessed a steep decline in bulk-billing rates, dropping by 27.2 per cent from last year.
Despite a high availability rate of GPs at 92.6 per cent, the Cleanbill data showed patients were facing increased costs, with average out-of-pocket expenses rising by 85 cents to $31.17.
Clinics in Logan where GPs are free include Our Medical Loganholme; Star Medical Centre at Woodridge; Logan Central Family Clinic; Loganlea Family Practice; Jacaranda Medical Centre, Logan Central; Doctors @ Underwood.
Check out the map of bulk billing in your area:
Ipswich had 59 clinics in total with 50 taking on new patients but only 12, or 24 per cent of those clinics taking on new patients, offered bulk billing.
Despite the area experiencing a dramatic 33.4 per cent drop in the number of bulk billing clinics, Ipswich patients have benefited from a slight decrease in out-of-pocket expenses, which fell 79 cents to $35.52.
The Gold Coast also had a relatively high bulk-billing rate of 22 per cent at its 173 GP clinics that were taking on new patients with 38 bulk billing clinics listed on the Cleanbill site.
The majority of patients were able to get in to see a GP with the Gold Coast having a relatively high clinic availability rate of 95.1 per cent.
However, the bulk billing rate had dropped 4.5 per cent on the coast over the past year to 22 per cent with the average out-of-pocket expense rising by $1.86 to $41.42.
The Gold Coast bulk billing clinics listed online included Dr Allan Bartlett’s Practice, Benowa; Carrara Medical Practice, Carrara; Okada Medical Practice, Surfers Paradise; Aspire Medical Centre Benowa; Help Medical Centre Broadbeach; Mermaid Junction medical Centre, Mermaid Waters and Doctors @ Pacific Fair.
Patients in Redland, Moreton Bay, and Brisbane faced lower rates of bulk billing options.
Cleanbill found Redland had 43 clinics with the 37 taking on new patients and only five listed as bulk-billing, which equated to a rate of 13.5 per cent after a 10.8 per cent drop.
Despite the fewer number of bulk billing doctors, the Redland area, experienced a slight drop in the average out-of-pocket cost, which was $41.45, down by 41 cents.
Cleanbill’s list of Redland bulk-billing doctors included Adhar Medical Centre, Redland Bay; Macleay Island Medical Centre; Bay Islands Medical Services, Russell Island; Capalaba Central Doctors, Capalaba and Centrepoint Surgery, Capalaba.
In Moreton, Cleanbill contacted 127 clinics with 120 taking on new patients. Of those, only 10.8 per cent, or 13, were bulk billing.
Even though the Moreton region recorded a 95.2 per cent availability rate for new patients getting in to see a GP, the bulk billing rate was slashed in half and the average cost for a standard consultation also rising significantly by $3.03 to $39.44.
Brisbane patients have also suffered despite the city having the highest number of clinics at 349.
Its bulk billing rate plummeted 11.3 per cent with only and the average out-of-pocket costs were $41.42, a slight increase of 84 cents.
The worst place in southeast Queensland to find a bulk billing doctor was at the Sunshine Coast, where there were three clinics bulk billing, which equated to a bulk billing rate for the area’s 94 clinics of 3.2 per cent.
The area experienced a 4.3 per cent drop in bulk billing from 2023, according to Cleanbill’s data.
The region also reported a significant increase in out-of-pocket expenses, rising by $1.09 to $44.47.
Mr Gillespie said the data showed the decline in bulk billing rates across the southeast indicated a trend that was concerning for those who relied on bulk billing for healthcare.
In this month’s federal budget, the government committed $227 million to build 29 more Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, including one at Southport on the Gold Coast.
The new clinics, which are at Bundaberg, Cairns South, Ipswich, Logan, Northside, Murrumba Downs, Rockhampton, South Brisbane, Toowoomba, Townsville and now the Gold Coast will enable more patients to receive fully bulk billed urgent care from GPs or nurses in more locations.
To arrest the slide in bulk billing rates, the federal government last year tripled the bulk billing incentive for GPs who bulk billed children aged under 16, pensioners and concession card holders.
But there was no increase in the bulk billing rate for working adults.
Under the Australian Medical Association’s recommended fee, a standard visit to a GP equated to $102.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said Cleanbill’s data was not the most significant measure of bulk billing practices.
“Cleanbill’s data measures how many practices fully bulk bill every single patient that comes through their door for every single service,” he said.
“Now that is one measure of bulk billing, but it’s not in our view, the most significant measure.”
But Mr Gillespie said the Cleanbill data was the best indication of bulk billing practices and said it gave a clear picture of how the majority of adult patients were charged across Australia.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners urged the government for a 20 per cent increase in Medicare rebates for a range of services.
College president Dr Nicole Higgins said It did not matter if doctors spent 15 minutes or 45 minutes with a pregnant patient, they still would get paid $44.15.
“It’s not time based,” she said.
AMA vice president Dr Danielle McMullen agreed and said the country’s general practices urgently needed more funding.
Redland Bay GP Dr Prem Adhar said expenses and costs were rising and many doctors were closing their doors.
“Expenses have gone through the roof, so it’s been a challenging time for us and for others to continue to bulk bill,” Dr Adhar said.
“Across the region, there have been practices close and many practices have moved from bulk billing to private billing, and we’ve had patients directly come to us from those different locations,” he said.
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