Dear Valued Patient
As a patient of Drysdale Clinic currently receiving medical care with accounts covered for by TAC or Workcover we are writing to you today about some futures changes that you need to be aware of in regards to your accounts.
As you are aware, GP’s have been calling on the Federal Government for some time to increase Medicare Fees for GP’s to match those set by AMA (Australian Medical Association). TAC and Workcover use these guidelines to set their fees. As with Medicare these fees continue to fall increasingly short of AMA’s recommendations.
Drysdale Clinic reached out to TAC and Workcover to increase these fees to match our clinic fees so Drysdale Clinic could continue to provide this service to our patients but our request was rejected.
This result has unfortunately resulted in Drysdale Clinic having to make the tough decision to change how TAC and Workcover accounts are processed for our patients.
What does this mean for the patient?
Commencing on the 1st of August 2023, TAC/Workcover patients will be required to pay for their consultation on the day and then the patient themselves will have to claim back the consult fee through TAC/Workcover/Insurance or employer directly.
There will also now be a small out of pocket cost to the patient for this type of consultation.
This has been a difficult decision for Drysdale Clinic to make and we have exhausted all avenues to avoid having as much impact on our patients as possible. Without any changes, it has ultimately forced GP’s and many other clinics to decide between either ceasing to provide TAC/Workcover consults for their patients or begin asking patients to cover the difference.
We hope in the future the Federal Government will unfreeze Medicare rebates and begin matching AMA’s fees but until then Drysdale Clinic has had to regrettably make this tough decision.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Drysdale Clinic on (03) 5251 2865 or via email on admin@drysdaleclinic.com.au.
Thank you for your understanding,
Drysdale Clinic
