“How much does a Podiatry visit cost” must be one of the most common questions for our podiatry clinic. To save you time and effort we are going to answer that question and more.
Many clinics do not give out the cost of a podiatry visit on there website for various reasons. We don’t have a “Price” page because we want you to understand how we decide on the prices that we charge.
Some people are only looking for the cheapest podiatrist in Hervey Bay and we understand about being on a budget. It would be nice if you would read a little further to get to know us…
For those that just can’t wait – the current cost of a podiatry visit at our Hervey Bay clinic is:
Podiatry initial consultation
- Comprehensive initial podiatry consultation – $90.00
- Up to 60 min with an advanced podiatrist
Compare Podiatry Costs across Australia
To help you compare the price of a podiatry visit in Hervey Bay we are going to use the Australian Podiatry Association (APodA) 2020 survey of fees. In the survey podiatrists from across Australia were asked to supply the price they charged for various podiatry services. The price range of $80 – $89 for an initial comprehensive podiatry visit had the most responses from podiatrists around Australia. The price range of $70 – $79 had the most responses for a Subsequent podiatry consultation.
Do you Bulk Bill Podiatry visits?
This is another common question we are asked in our Hervey Bay podiatry clinic. No is the short answer to that question with the long answer being that we charge more than the bulk billing fee.
In Australia certain podiatry consultations are eligible for a medicare rebate only if you have a referral from your GP under a Chronic Disease Management Plan (CDMP). The current medicare rebate is $55.10 and the number of rebated visits is limited to 5 per calendar year. You are limited to 5 visits in total across all allied health professionals (not 5 visits each). Your GP will allocate the number of visits to each health professional after considering what care is best suited to your condition.
For example, if you have diabetes your GP may decide that you need to see a podiatrist, dietician and a physiotherapist to assist with the management of your diabetes. He has a total of 5 visits to allocate and may choose to refer you for 1 visit to the podiatrist for an annual foot check, 1 visit to the physiotherapist to help with mobility and exercise with 3 visits to the dietician to help with weight management and control of blood sugar levels…Total of 5 visits.
Many people ask their GP to allocate 4 to 5 visits to the podiatrist if they need more regular podiatry care and see other health professionals outside of the care plan.
We do accept referrals for Medicare care plans
Power Podiatry is very happy to receive a referral from your GP under the Chronic Disease Management Plan. We will provide detailed reports back to your GP in a very timely manner and discuss what goes into these reports with you prior to sending them. Your consultation will not be rushed or shortened and you will be given every opportunity to help us help you. You are at the centre of the consultation and we will listen to your concerns so that we can tailor a plan for you.
We don’t Bulk Bill and this is why
To Bulk Bill your podiatry visit the podiatry clinics that do needs to find a way to make this financially viable if not they soon go out of business and you need to find another podiatrist. Many clinics will shorten the consultation time and speed you through so that they can Bulk Bill. Medicare is a little worried about this practice of short consultations and has indicated that they expect at least a 20min consultation. Power Podiatry provides longer than average consultations across all of our services.
Another way that some podiatry clinics are able to provide a bulk billed service is by having a podiatry assistant provide general foot care under supervision of a registered podiatrist. This reduces the labour cost to the clinic owner and some public podiatry clinics have been using this model of care to reduce the cost of podiatry services to the government. At Power Podiatry you receive care from an advanced podiatrist with over 30yrs clinical experience for all consultations.
Other clinics relegate all care plans to junior podiatrists or new graduates to reduce the cost of providing a bulk billed service. If they are supervised by an advanced podiatrist this can be a great way for them to gain experience and for you to get the attention of 2 podiatrists for the price of one. Sadly this rarely happens and I have in the past been approached by new graduates to provide a mentoring program because the clinic owner fails to do so. Power Podiatry is a one man show and you only get the owner and advanced podiatrist for all your consultations.
How much is the gap if you don’t Bulk Bill?
Medicare requires the podiatrist to charge the full price of the podiatry visit if they do not bulk bill prior to processing a claim for a medicare rebate. What this means is that we have to charge you the full amount before making a medicare claim. We can then make an on the spot claim for you and the medicare rebate is deposited back into your medicare-linked bank account.
This is how it would work for an initial podiatry consultation at our Hervey Bay Podiatry clinic.
- You pay $90.00 (cash, credit or debit card) for initial podiatry visit
- If you have an eligible referral from your GP and have not exceeded your 5 annual visits
- We process on the spot medicare claim and medicare deposits $55.10 back into your account
- The gap is $34.90 which means that you end up paying only $34.90 for a comprehensive consultation. The gap on the subsequent visit will be $19.90 if you require more than one visit
What about the cost of Orthotics?
The cost of orthotics is not covered under Medicare. We have written a comprehensive guide to the cost of orthotics to help you understand the price of orthotics in Australia.
If you require orthotic therapy your podiatrist will discuss the most cost effective type of orthotic for your conditon. We always strive for an orthotic-free treatment plan if possible. If you need orthotics then we also plan for a transition out of orthotics at some time in the future when appropriate.
Hopefully this answered all your questions on the cost of a podiatry visit. If we can be of further help give us a call at Power Podiatry.