Waiting time at doctors rooms

[Oryx]

Bill the Dr for time wasted?

Do they bill you if you miss an appointment in Australia?

[waynehancock]

i have found an entire sergery full of SA doctors in mirriwa went there the other day and had no wait and they bulk bill. my wife went there too says there awesome. will try to find there card to post address and numbers just not sure were i put it.

[Survival]

Hi everybody, we have an awesone RSA doc we go to but always wait between 40 to 60 minutes to see her. Is that the same all over? I am considering looking around for another doc just to cut waiting time but not if that is a standard all over.

Thanks for the inputs in advance.

Hi

From all the good things in Aus "Medicals" is something we really missed!

Living in PE we've had the luxury when sick afterhours to drive directly to one of the Netcare or StGeorges Hospital afterhours emergency units. We would normally be assisted within the first 15min by some of the best dr's, something that is great when you have young kids!

Unfortunately (only exception a life treatening emergeny) this luxury is NO LONGER availabe in Aus! If you need to see a dr afterhours you have two options:

OPTION A: Go to Public Hospital (well, after waiting 4 hours for a dr one night with a sick crying 1 yr old child at Royal Alfred hospital, we've promised ourselves NEVER AGAIN!)

OPTION B: Go to Private Hospital (This is what we doing now!)

PROS - Get help within the first 20min

CONS - Dr's can't be compared to those of RSA, most of them immigrants and you do sometimes struggle to understand their English.

It is very costly, even if you have private health cover it will need to be paid as out of pocket expense because it is not seen as life treathening. Our last visit cost us $700 ($300 consultation + $200 precaution x-rays + $200 precaution blood tests) for son that had croup.

My advise is trying to see dr's not afterhours and to make appointments to avoid waiting times. Otherwise if you need dr afterhours phone the public hospital first, if they busy then go directly to private.

cheers