What cheeses me off

[Seat0B]

Very cheese-worthy. Have you asked if that referral can be 'perpetual' or whatever they call it?

Yes I did ask that and somewhere in the past number of years, they have banned that approach. So the max period of time for any referral is 12 months. Arghhhhhhhh

 

[Seat0B]

The clinic staff should be doing their job ensuring you have an active referral.

100% agree with you. I did ask, because I always ask and was told that my referral was less than 12 months, so all good. Seems that even the receptionist at my specialist didn't know that a referral from another specialist is only good for 3 months. Why on earth is this so? If a specialist thinks another specialist is better placed to treat me, why is their referral less worthy than a referral from a GP? I am so cheesed off right now. As get older, I am seeing a few specialists to manage conditions, so I am now thinking that I will just declare a day like 1 April maybe (just for the LOLs) as referral day and get my poor long suffering GP to write referrals to the 5 specialists that are currently treating or investigating me, every year. That will save GP appointments and also reduce my costs.

But why I should have to do this is critically opaque. Surely it is the specialist who decides if I need ongoing treatment or management, not the GP?

 

[Quickstatus]

Medicare

Medicare rules if you want to claim the rebate.

Anyone is free to see any Dr. But if you want Medicare to shoulder the rebate - then those are the rules. It actually serves an important function to promote better health care - which necessarily has to involve the GP

 

[cove]

One of our sons flew home from LAX today believing he could get to Perth quicker than with Singapore Airlines. He is now stuck in Sydney with a cancelled flight to Perth. He won’t be choosing Qantas again as he is officialy cheesed off.

 

[Seat0B]

Medicare rules if you want to claim the rebate.

Anyone is free to see any Dr. But if you want Medicare to shoulder the rebate - then those are the rules. It actually serves an important function to promote better health care - which necessarily has to involve the GP

Well yes re Medicare - but it should not require my PhD to work out when a referral is valid - and even the Dr staff got that wrong.

I don’t agree that it promotes better health care to keep seeing a GP for a referral. All the GP does is say “oh sure, you are still seeing Dr X are you, no worries I will write a new referral”. But to get to this I have to make a GP appointment and pay $60 out of pocket. To me this just means I’m taking up an appointment that an actual sick person could use.

I‘m not talking about the initial referral to a specialist where maybe the GP adds something, but the ongoing requirement once you see the specialist and the specialist wants to keep seeing you on a regular basis because they can‘t fix your problem. Cannot see any value added by the GP in this scenario.

And I am especially cheesed off in my current situation. Was referred to Gastroenterologist by my respiratory physician (Specialist). Gastro guy did a gastroscopy. After results came back, I was recalled for further discussion of the way forward but I had to wait over 4 months between the procedure and scoring a hen’s teeth appointment with gastro guy to follow up. Checked on arrival if my referral was valid - force of habit. Was told it was. Had expensive consultation. Claim rejected by Medicare as referral is now out of date - but I was never told by anyone that specialist referrals only last 3 months. Oops sorry said the medical practice, we have new staff and maybe they didn’t notice it was from another specialist. Sure but now I am $240 out of pocket and they have outsourced the consequences of their training problem to me. Plus this gastro specialist has now referred me to an even more specialised specialist in Sydney. At least I know about the 3 month thing on referrals now. Lesson learnt the hard way.

 

[Quickstatus]

Cannot see any value added by the GP in this scenario.

A good GP takes control of all that.

 

[MARTINE]

1. That if a medical specialist refers you to another medical specialist, that referral is only valid for 3 months, not 12 months like if a GP writes the referral.
2. That no one tells you this until Medicare rejects your claim and then there’s nothing you can do bout it.
3. That I need to keep getting a referral from a GP or specialist when the treating specialist says “come back and see me in 3 months”. Why should I even need a referral in these circumstances? I was referred to the specialist, the specialist wants to keep treating me . What a waste of GP appointments, and it costs me $60 out of pocket every time.

Ask for an indefinite referral to the specialist by the GP if there is ongoing need to see them.
This is compatible with GP still sending an letter of referral if they initiate the review with the specialist as opposed to the specialist asking for you to come back (when you will still be covered). Unless this has changed recently… those in current practice across this but my GP still does them

 

[Lynda2475]

Referrals are a bit of a scam IMO.

First one makes perfect sense, but once the specialist has seen you and accepted you as a patient, they shouldn't need you to get more GP referrals to complete the current treatment course if you have been continuing to see the specialist at their prescribed intervals.

All it does is have you take up an unnecessary appointment with a GP to get a new referral costing taxpayer a medical rebate and making that GP appointment unvailable to someone in genuine need.

Sure if it has been years since you last saw the specialist get a new referral, but if the next appointment relates to the original matter and is at the request of the specialist why do they need another referral letter (are they not qualified to determine that they need to see you again all on their own?)

The last time I needed a referral was to see an ENT after my ear drum burst, because there was a risk id need surgery and I wanted to ensure whomever i saw had privileges at a private hospital covered by my fund, the GP printed me a referral where the name was blank, gave me a list of ENTs and told me to google/call about their privileges and when I found a match to just write their name in on the referral letter. Hilarious.

 

[justinbrett]

When I take the time to stand aside in the security queue to take out my laptop/iPad etc, and people push in front and throw their bag on the conveyer belt only to be told to remove said items, and I have to wait behind them while they take their stuff out.

 

[andye]

One of the main reasons we have this malarkey was due to a fear (when Medicare was set up) that specialists would over-service, refer to their mates and otherwise rort the taxpayer.

 

[Lynda2475]

One of the main reasons we have this malarkey was due to a fear (when Medicare was set up) that specialists would over-service, refer to their mates and otherwise rort the taxpayer.

But now the rort is unnecessary GP appointments. Just shifting the buck. Given out of pocket is much lower on GP than a specialist would think the rorting is higher now and adding to the stress of finding a GP appointment since there are shortages.

 

[justinbrett]

One of the main reasons we have this malarkey was due to a fear (when Medicare was set up) that specialists would over-service, refer to their mates and otherwise rort the taxpayer.

That still happens

 

[Seat0B]

Ask for an indefinite referral to the specialist by the GP if there is ongoing need to see them.
This is compatible with GP still sending a letter of referral if they initiate the review with the specialist as opposed to the specialist asking for you to come back (when you will still be covered). Unless this has changed recently… those in current practice across this but my GP still does them

Thanks @MARTINE I will ask again. I have a newish GP. My old one told me a couple of years back that it was not possible to do that any more. That might be false and might be part of the reason I now have a new GP.

 

[Seat0B]

Referrals are a bit of a scam IMO.

First one makes perfect sense, but once the specialist has seen you and accepted you as a patient, they shouldn't need you to get more GP referrals to complete the current treatment course if you have been continuing to see the specialist at their prescribed intervals.

All it does is have you take up an unnecessary appointment with a GP to get a new referral costing taxpayer a medical rebate and making that GP appointment unvailable to someone in genuine need.

Sure if it has been years since you last saw the specialist get a new referral, but if the next appointment relates to the original matter and is at the request of the specialist why do they need another referral letter (are they not qualified to determine that they need to see you again all on their own?)

The last time I needed a referral was to see an ENT after my ear drum burst, because there was a risk id need surgery and I wanted to ensure whomever i saw had privileges at a private hospital covered by my fund, the GP printed me a referral where the name was blank, gave me a list of ENTs and told me to google/call about their privileges and when I found a match to just write their name in on the referral letter. Hilarious.

Yes @Lynda2475 I completely agree with you. Plus it costs me $60 out of pocket every time my GP writes a referral, which consists of exactly the same words as the previous one - “thanks for seeing Seat 0B a xx year old female for ongoing review and management of her condition”. The only things that change are the date on the referral and my age which goes up by one each year and which anyone could work out from my DOB which is part of the boilerplate.

I’m not suggesting my GP is doing a rort- I ask him for the referral because I need to see the specialist; this takes up a GP appointment (which someone else really needs more than I do on that day and which adds to the wait time for people needing an appointment) which the GP is entitled to bill for; it costs me money because they don’t bulk bill; and it costs the tax payer for a rebate. It’s a total waste of GP’s time, my time (which is just as valuable as the GP’s), my money and taxpayer money because, I agree, the specialist is probably capable of determining when I need to visit him for management of my ongoing condition without needing a useless piece of boilerplate paper from a GP.

 

[Captain Halliday]

… companies that have websites in multiple countries despite offering exactly the same product. Thereby either gouging (lazy customers) or forcing you to search multiple sites for the best deal.

In my case, renewal of internet security software.

Two year renewal on 5 devices varies by AUD60 depending on the country.

 

[Seat0B]

A good GP takes control of all that.

Sorry, takes control of all what? genuine question, not meaning to be snarky, just putting my lived experience here, and boy it cheeses me off.

I’m not sure what you think the role of the GP is/should be when, after initial consultation with a specialist, the specialist says to try a medication/procedure/life style change and come back for further review in 3/6/12 months and then when you go back after the requested time, changes your medication, orders some blood tests and says, try that and come back again in 3/6/12 months. It’s nothing to do with the GP. To be frank, my GP obviously does not read the letters the specialist sends him after every change of medication or a procedure. Or if he does, he forgets what’s in it between reading it and seeing Me.

 

[Quickstatus]

Sorry, takes control of all what

See here.
Unfortunately GPs are being emasculated primarily by the medicare schedule, there is less and less incentive to be one and to provide the essential functions of one .

 

[RooFlyer]

See here.
Unfortunately GPs are being emasculated primarily by the medicare schedule, there is less and less incentive to be one and to provide the essential functions of one .

So who is going to refer patients to these medical students when they become specialists and not GPs, when we run out of GPs?

To have a tilt back to being On/T, what cheeses me off is the unedifying spectacle of the head of the GPs union (College, whatever) and the head of the pharmac_ association (ditto) desperately protecting their turf when the split of powers between the 2 professions is brought up.

 

[Seat0B]

See here.
Unfortunately GPs are being emasculated primarily by the medicare schedule, there is less and less incentive to be one and to provide the essential functions of one .

Thank you @Quickstatus. I took the time to read the link you provided. I absolutely respect the role of a GP in providing quality primary care, coordinating patient care etc etc. I do not grudge paying for medical care.

However, I remain cheesed off with paying for boilerplate nugatory referrals and especially cheesed off with the 3 month rule for a referral to a specialist written by another specialist, and even more cheesed off that no one told me about that before it cost me an unnecessary chunk of cash.

 

[Quickstatus]

it cost me an unnecessary chunk of cash.

Most GPs can quickly write a back dated one and send off
And really the specialist secretary stuffed up there. Usually they are like lounge dragons - you can't get in without a valid one and everytime you make an appointment, they check your "FF status".

So who is going to refer patients to these medical students when they become specialists and not GPs, when we run out of GPs?

Good question.