Why GP practices are charging $500 a year in membership fees for no-gap consults
GP business adviser Riwka Hagen says the business model can foster patient loyalty, but also drive up practice costs.
Almost 100 GP practices are now charging membership fees in exchange for no-gap consultations, according to medical fee listing company Cleanbill.
The results of its survey, conducted in February, has raised questions over whether the Medicare ban on charging patients for bulk-billed consultations is being enforced.
But a GP business consultant says there are “completely legitimate” subscription-based business models and more practices are looking at them.
The report claimed that over 6% of all GP practices listed as ‘bulk-billing’ actually charged membership fees, including more than 10% of those in Victoria.
