Billing and Referrals
Billing
Payment
Please note that we are a private billing practice. We do not bulk bill.
All accounts are to be settled at time of appointment except by prior arrangement with management.
We accept all types of eftpos card payments (except American Express) and cash.
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Private Health Insurance claims
Most ancillary health insurance covers you for podiatry. Our HICAPS machine allows us to process your claim using your card - which means you only need to pay the difference (the gap) to us on the day. This amount varies according to your level of health insurance.
BUPA preferred providers
Each of our podiatrists are BUPA preferred which means you will get a greater rebate against your claims - so less out of your pocket. BUPA currently pays claims for children in full which means you have no fee to pay for your child's standard consultation.
Referrals
Canning Podiatry Centre has a wide network of referees, including GPs, physiotherapists, sports physicians and foot and ankle surgeons - not to mention our clients who also recommend us to others.
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You do not need a referral to attend podiatry if you are paying the account in full yourself or putting a claim in with your private health insurance.
The following information outlines where a referral is relevant, what is needed and how billing works under that type of referral.
Medicare: CDM/EPC/Care Plans (for those with a chronic disease) If you have a chronic disease, such as diabetes, your GP may refer to you us under Medicare's Chronic Disease programme. They will give you what is commonly referred to as a Care Plan. You will need to present to your appointment with this paperwork for us to process the claim on your behalf. We routinely see clients under these referrals but please note these appointments are not routinely Bulk Billed.​ How does that work? Under this type of referral you pay us the full fee up front. If you have your bank details registered with Medicare, we can process your claim online and they will put the rebate back into your account within 24-48hours. If you do not have your bank details registered with Medicare, we can swipe your Medicare card and DEBIT card (cheque/savings card) and access the rebate for you on the spot. Please note that Medicare does not allow you to use a CREDIT card for this process. The final gap amount is deliberately minimal but is, unfortunately, necessary to ensure that we can continue to provide quality care.  It is also important to note for your own reference that Medicare pays out against a maximum of 5 visits per calendar year across all Allied Health providers (podiatry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and so on). So it is important for you to keep track of your referrals and the number of claims made to Medicare.
Department of Veterans' Affairs referrals (D904s) We have many regular clients attending under the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Those who are eligible will need a GP referral, commonly known as a D904. This starts a DVA Treatment Cycle which covers your podiatry care for 12 months or 12 visits, whichever comes first. There is no out of pocket expense for clients attending under DVA.
ADF Health Services We are registered with and see clients under Bupa's ADF Health Service Contract Provider network. You need to be an Eligible Personnel (EP) and book with us under a referral from Defence (a PM528). The fees for this are set by the ADF with no out of pocket expense.
Aged Care Packages Our podiatrists do see clients whose accounts are paid by third parties as part of their care package. In these instances we bill your provider directly on your behalf. We are registered with some providers and yours may well be one of them so please ask. If not then we will investigate becoming registered on your behalf. This will require obtaining relevant information so please reach out with any questions. The process of becoming a registered provider can be involved and take some some so please be patient with this process. Unfortunately we are not in a position to provide home visit services.
NDIS We can and do see clients under the NDIS who are Self or Plan managed. However as we are not registered NDIS providers we cannot be of assistance for those who are NDIA managed. In order for our care to match your needs and to properly process accounts we will need a variety of information prior to you attending the clinic. Please call our friendly receptionists who will be able to assist you in this process.
Workers Compensation Should you need podiatry care as part of your Workers Compensation claim we can be of assistance. Before you are seen we will need paperwork relevant to your claim, the contact details for your case manager, prior approval for podiatry care under your claim and full contact details for payment purposes. It is important to note that you are ultimately responsible for the payment of your account should your claim not be honoured.