Appointments

To book an appointment, please click book below or call us on (02) 4237 7502 from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Wednesdays we are open late until 7pm.
All new appointments are 30 minutes long. This allows your doctor time to learn about your full history and details to make sure the advice they give is safest and best for you.
Standard appointments are 15 minutes long.
Please book 30 minute / long appointments for more than one concern or if you feel your situation is complex.
For childhood vaccines, ear syringes and procedures please always call 02 4237 7502 so our nurses can help us provide the best care for you

Bulk billing for GP Management Plans, Health Assessments, and Blue Book checks

We continue to bulk bill GP Management Care Plans, Health Assessments and Blue Book checks.
For new patients who are under 4 years old: After your first appointment, all blue book and children’s vaccine appointments are bulk billed if these are booked by calling our reception team on 02 4237 7502.

Gap fees are required for all patients

* Doctors in Kiama Downs ask you to pay an out of pocket cost (or gap fee) for their care.

GP out of pocket fee is $68 (or $108 over 15 minutes, $168 over 35mins, $208 for over 55mins).
Medicare refunds for phone and video appointments are very complicated. These are explained here below.
The Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card Holders discount is $20
The Medicare safety net drops the out of pocket fee to only $14 to $42 at most.
When the fee above is paid you will either get the Medicare amount back on the spot or Medicare will refund the amount above to your bank account within one business day.

We will still bulk bill Care Plans, Health Assessments and Blue book checks for kids.

We are sorry. We tried to avoid out of pocket fees, but due to Medicare now paying less than 40% of costs we need your help.
Your out of pocket fees support fair pay for receptionists, nurses & GP registrars and enable continued high-quality care, equipment & service for your community.

Nurse fees

Nurses ask you to pay an out of pocket cost (or gap fee) for their care.
When Nursing care is bulk billed this runs the practice at a loss of several hundred dollars a day as a community service.
We can no longer afford to cover the gap left by the government. We now ask for a gap fee to support their great care.
Gap fees are $15 for all nurse appointments, except wound dressings which are $25,
We always bulk bill Care plans, Health Assessments and Blue Book checks.

Medicare refunds for phone and video appointments

These are extremely complicated thanks to current government policy.

For Phone calls

You can’t get a Medicare refund unless any of these apply to you:
1. You have been seen in the last 12 months at Kiama Downs in person
OR 2. currently have Covid
OR 3. are under 12 months old
OR 4. if you are calling about Certain conditions below*
OR 5. you are calling about Mental Health

If any of 1-3 above apply to you, you can get a refund, but it will only be $41.
To access refunds below in bold you must also
1. Register for MyMedicare at Kiama Downs by clicking here
OR 2. Be calling about one of these Certain conditions: STI screening, fertility, trying to get pregnant, trying to avoid pregnancy, sexual health or are asking about Hepatitis B, C or HIV.
If you don’t meet any criteria above to get access to the $80 refund, you can get this if you are calling about Mental Health.

Visit length	Fee (Gap)	Concession	Medicare
			Refund
Up to 15mins	$109   ($68)	$89   ($48)	$41
Up to 35mins	$188 ($108)	$168 ($88)	$80
Up to 55mins	$286 ($168)	$266 ($148)	$118
Over 55mins	$363 ($208)	$343 ($188)	$155

For Video Calls

You can’t get a Medicare refund unless any of these apply to you:
1. You have been seen in the last 12 months at Kiama Downs in person
OR 2. currently have Covid
OR 3. are under 12 months old
OR 4. if you are calling about Certain conditions below*
OR 5. you are calling about Mental Health

If any of 1-3 above apply to you, you can get any of the refunds listed above
If 4 applies to you you can get the list of bold refunds above.
If 5 applies to you only you can access a $80 refund.

The Extended Medicare Safety Net

Medicare covers 80% of gap fees for most GP, other specialist & other Medicare appointments after you reach the safety net for the remainder of the calendar year. At Kiama Downs, your gap fee for GP appointments will only be around $14 to $42 at most if you qualify for the safety net.

The safety net is $812 in gap fees in a calendar year ($2545 if no concession card). You can reach this amount faster by adding anyone who lives in your home like partners and/or children to your account (call 132 011 24 hours a day)

Missed appointments

Out of courtesy to the practice staff and other patients, please notify the surgery if you are unable to attend your appointment.
The full fee is issued for patients who do not attend without 2 hours notice.
This fee may be reduced at your doctors discretion, but they try to avoid this since GPs receive no pay at all when you fail to attend your appointment or if you fail to provide sufficient notice for another patient to book in.

Services

To find out more about GP care in Kiama please visit the independent websites of the GPs in Kiama Downs. Information is also provided here. General practitioners in Kiama Downs cover the full range of independent general practice services and each of them also provide a travel clinic (including Yellow Fever vaccinations) as well as all general travel advice, medications and vaccinations. For more information about their travel clinic please click here.

Repeat Prescriptions and Referrals

We know your time is very important and valuable. For repeat scripts and repeat referrals we often require an appointment.

You can request these only if it has been less then 3 months since we have seen you, but it will only be approved under certain circumstances.

To request a script or referral please click the Book Now button below and click “Repeat Prescription” or “Repeat Referral” at the top.
Request Prescription or Referral

If it has been less then three months since you last saw your GP these can sometimes be supplied for a $25 fee by requesting a script or referral on our online booking platform at kdmp.com.au. This can only be done if your doctor feels this is safe.
If your doctor has concerns or it has been 3 months or more we will likely ask you to book to see the GP or nurses and you will need to pay a normal gap fee.

Results of pathology and imaging tests

At times during a consultation you might be asked to arrange some blood tests, XRAYs or other tests.

Your doctor will give you a plan for what to do after these test are complete. This might include waiting to allow your condition to improve, returning to see your GP or seeing a specialist.

If you wish to find out about your results please contact our reception team by phone.

Please note that normal test results do not necessarily mean that there is no problem.

As always, if your problem persists or if your doctor has asked you to return or to see a specialist please ensure you seek attention.

For more information about seeking advice out of hours, please visit our After Hours page.

Recalls and Reminders

Our practice routinely reminds our community about health services and about appointments as suggested by your doctor.

Please assist us by ensuring we have your correct contact details.

If you do not wish to participate, please let us know so that we can respect your privacy.

Management of Health Information

Your doctors always invite you to participate in decisions about your care. Feel welcome to involve your family or carer as they can often help remind you about other important questions you might need answered from your doctor. Our practice uses telephone interpreters if English is not your first language. Please ask your doctor if you feel you would benefit from this.

Our practice has a display system with the latest medical information and alerts as well as this information.

To reduce the risk of mistaken identity in your files or records, our staff may ask for your name, address and date of birth at times on the phone or in person. This is to protect you from medical errors and to protect your privacy.

Our practice often needs to interact on your behalf with other health services. Your information cannot be released without your written authority unless you are unable to provide this due to being critically unwell. In all cases written or electronic files are not forwarded unless we receive a written authority from you.

Your medical record is a confidential document. It is the policy of the practice to maintain the security of your personal health information at all times and to ensure that this information is only available to authorised members of staff. Kiama Downs Medical Practice staff adhere to the Australian Privacy Principles. Patients are able to request access to their own personal health information in line with the Privacy Principles. A copy of our privacy policy is available on request at reception. If you wish for your information to be available online for you to access and edit through the Personal Electronic Health Record system please discuss this with your doctor.

Patient Feedback

Our practice always invites you to submit any feedback here on our Contact page.
Occasionally we also invite you to complete a questionnaire in person about your views of the practice and how we can improve your care and service. These surveys are completely confidential. If you are unhappy with any aspect of the care you receive at this practice please let us know so we may address your concerns directly. This may be done in person, by phone or online at the Contact page.

Please feel welcome to discuss concerns with your reception team, nurse or doctor. If you feel you are unable to do any of the above, there is always an impartial authority for dealing with such complaints.

To register a formal complaint with the Health Care Complaints Commission, please call 02 9219 7444 write to:
    Health Care Complaints Commission
    Locked Mail Bag 18
    Strawberry Hills NSW 2012, STRAWBERRY HILLS NSW  2012  Ph:  9219 7444

We look forward to meeting you at our practice and welcome any questions, feedback or suggestions via our contact page.

Best wishes,

The team at Kiama Downs Medical Practice

* This decision has been made by Independent GPs who work from the Practice in Kiama Downs as Independent Businesses.

The cost of care at our practice
Visit length	Fee (Gap)	Concession	Rebate
Up to 15mins	$109   ($68)	$89   ($48)	$41
Up to 35mins	$188 ($108)	$168 ($88)	$80
Up to 55mins	$286 ($168)	$266 ($148)	$118
Over 55mins	$363 ($208)	$343 ($188)	$155