Goolwa Medical Centre (GMC) is not a bulk billing practice. However, doctors may use their discretion in cases of genuine financial hardship and chronically ill patients in need of frequent medical attention.

GMC  provide you and your family with high quality health care at a reasonable price. The fees assist us in extending our facilities by providing more doctors and appointments, providing access to local specialists, updating equipment and essential services for our community.

We also maintain full accreditation from Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited, a national body recognising and rewarding quality in general practice.

Appointments are 10 minutes per patient. This is generally enough time to discuss one problem in depth or perhaps 2-3 minor issues. We are mindful that people often prefer to bring a list of issues to discuss or feel their problem is more complex. We are able to offer you a longer appointment if required. Please notify our staff at the time of booking your appointment so that they can assist you in booking an appointment of appropriate length. A correct booking helps to ensure the doctors can run to time.

If you feel you have a particularly urgent problem or are uncertain, please ask for your call to be taken by the practice nurse who can assist you in obtaining the most appropriate appointment.

Goolwa Medical Centre offers video, phone or face to face consults.  Please advise reception of your preference when booking your appointment. NB:  Patients can only be provided with a telehealth consult if they have been seen at least once in 12 months at this practice by your doctor.

Visitors and new patients to the practice are requested to pay the full consultation cost on the day. An online Medicare claim will be completed for the Medicare rebate to be paid directly to you.

If you are having difficulty paying your account please discuss this with accounts staff, the practice manager, or your doctor.

We accept Visa Card, MasterCard and cash.

Please arrive 10 minutes before your consultation to fill in the new patient registration form or register online as a new patient. This will assist our reception team to prepare your file for your GP visit. You may like to down load these forms prior to your visit, complete and hand in to our Reception team.

When registering, please let our reception team know if you identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and/or Culturally and linguistically diverse.

A fee of $50 may be charged if a patient repeatedly does not attend booked appointments. By not attending your appointment you are preventing other patients from accessing health care services.

There are no gap payments for Veterans Gold Card holders.

 Best medical care suggests that you make an appointment to discuss your medication before being issued a repeat prescription.  A telehealth appointment for this service may be appropriate.  

GMC is not responsible for the fee setting or fee collection of our visiting specialists. If you have any queries regarding your specialist account, please contact the specialist concerned.

Please book a longer appointment to see your GP to complete forms requiring your patient information or medical history.

Examples of these are:

• Pension application

• Sickness benefit application

• Insurance paperwork

•  Centrelink

• Workcover

• Drivers license application/renewal

Please note that not all of these items attract a Medicare rebate.

If you wish to be identified as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, please advise our front office staff or your Doctor. All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders of the practice will be bulk billed.

We are continually looking for ways to improve our services to you. If you have any suggestions you feel may enhance the facilities and services provided by GMC, please ask our friendly front desk staff for a suggestion form.