Thousands more patients ditching GP appointments because of cost
More patients, especially younger people, are skipping GP appointments owing to cost-of-living pressures, reveal Australian Bureau of Statistics data. One in seven patients aged 24-35…
Tag: Patients
Auslan interpreters at GP appointments should be free for all deaf patients: govt review
Deaf patients are paying hundreds of dollars for in-person interpreters at GP appointments, even though spoken language interpreters are free, a review has found. Currently,…
What should GPs charge patient no-shows? $50 appears to be the magic number
Patients not showing up at appointments is a growing problem in general practice, according to an AusDoc survey of GPs, as well as Dr Mukesh…
Patient no-shows now costing ‘$5000 a week’, says Dr Mukesh Haikerwal
Dr Mukesh Haikerwal’s practice is trialling a $50 fee for patients missing appointments as it faces losses of thousands of dollars a week. The GP…
GPs accuse pharmacists of refusing to fill 60-day scripts to protect their cash flow
Dozens of GPs say pharmacists have rejected their 60-day scripts — sometimes with no better justification than protecting their revenue. The Federal Government undermined…
Is seeing eight patients in one consult a good idea? Dr Michael Axtens says yes
“Oh my god, I had no idea that consulting could be so much fun.” That is the feedback one GP gave Dr Michael Axtens during…
The incredible tales of survival that made the hiccups in my daily life feel trivial
Recently, I have experienced extremes of emotion on hearing news from family, friends and patients who are all remarkable survivors. To give context to the first…
Bill shockers: $1099 for an IV push and other tales of US healthcare madness
If anyone needs a reason to be grateful for Australian healthcare — for all its current troubles — they can always look at life in…
The incidentaloma menace: Why GPs and radiologists need to talk
“You have got a community that thinks modern medicine is amazing and can tell them everything with certainty — and the reality is it cannot.”…
Seeing the same GP dramatically reduces demand for future consults, major study finds
A major study has shown the dramatic benefits of continuity of GP care in terms of patients’ future care needs as well as future healthcare…
