I have been seeing a Psychiatrist since October. I really like him, but his receptionists extract money out of every opportunity.
I have a monthly 15 minute Telehealth ( Code 91838) appointment. Last time it was $250, this time, without warning, it's $300. No Medicare rebate.
The call lasted 10 minutes and 16 seconds last time.
At this rate, it will now cost $30 per minute or $1800 an hour.
https://medicalcostsfinder.health.gov.au/services/Q91838/oh?specialty=023101 states 91838 appointments cost $185 on average, with $79 rebate.
So $106 out of pocket.
I'll be paying $300 out of pocket.
Are the governments figures completely off?
I'd love to see what people are paying specifically for a 15 minute 91838 appointment?
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1ilwo5m
35 Comments
Yeah there has been a mass resignation of psychiatrists recently. Demand is high, supply is low
You really can’t blame the receptionist as they’re just charging what they’ve been told to charge. But yeah, psychiatrists are ridiculously expensive. In person is even more than that.
While it’s easy to get upset at the doctor for this high price.
I place most blame with the (state) government, for not funding *public* mental health enough.
And I blame the private health insurance companies, whose policies are an absolute joke. I refuse to accept that anyone with private “gold cover” should be paying out of pocket fees
Yeah that’s a bit rough. Go to your GP and see if they can help you find another. But they obviously know they can charge this much because they can and it’s hard for patients to find doctors with availability.
That’s ridiculous. Does your psychiatrist shit out ketamine?? I pay that amount for an hour in person appointment!
I’m curious as to what could hope to be achieved in 10 minutes.
I pay about $190 with a rebate down to about $120 or something for a 15 min or so in person appointment.
As crappy as the cost of a specialist is, at least you were taken on as a patient. We have such a crisis that psychiatrists are picking and choosing who to take on. Adult ADHD? Must be a drug seeker 🤷♀️
You can get a Medicare rebate if you are referred by your GP
It’s because private specialists can charge what they want above the scheduled rate and we have to pay it if we want to see them. It’s absolutely out of hand.
Why would you think the receptionist has anything to do with the cost of your appointment?
I have to pay 1000 dollars to see a psych for my life ruining adhd…. and i just quit my job to focus on my final year of high school…. i really have no clue on what to do other than suck it up and get another job
Lack of available specialists due to closed shop system for specialities is a major cause of this.
Just paid 470 for the same, script renewal in QLD
> No Medicare rebate
? Why
There should definitely be a rebate ($80 now I think), which means you pay $220 out-of-pocket. Your rebate goes up to $100 once you go over the Safety Net ($560 of out-of-pocket costs) for this service (which will happen quickly if you go once a month).
After that, you will also tip into the Extended Medicare Safety Net. So, you get an 80% rebate on the out-of-pocket as well leaving you with $40 to pay.
Are they not claiming on your behalf? Are the claims failing for some reason?
You can still claim through Medicare online with the invoices you have.
(Do you even have Medicare? because I noticed in another comment you said “I’m a pom”)
You can also ask them to do a 91837 (less than 15 mins) if you believe that you only need a quick telephone call.
By the way… if the call lasted 10-11 minutes – and you have a record of that via your phone log – it cannot legally be a 91838 (which is 15-30 minutes).
They can be reported to Medicare for fraud.
It should be a 91837 (less than 15 minutes).
You should pull them up on this and they will immediately change it, because they’re breaking the law (Health Act.)
You need to call the receptionist and explain the consult was only 10 minutes (not 15-30). There is a different item number for this, but the standard has been charged.
With phone records you should have no issue getting this altered, I have done it plenty of times (usually when the doctor is behind and hasn’t gotten a minute to tell me the right item number, but the patient is calling to pay so I have put the standard in instead of the short).
Edit: for the actual 15-30 minute consults it’s about $340 before the rebate where I worked. The less than 15 minute item number is less. You’re not being overcharged for the item number, the issue is you have been charged the wrong item number if it was only for 10 minutes *(providing they only did a script and didn’t have to spend 20 minutes off the call doing something else or getting authority for the script)*
If they spent 10 minutes on the phone to you, and 10 minutes on hold getting authority for a script then it’s reasonable you were charged as if you were in the room for that time.
I paid Au$250 for a 5 minute call with my cardiologist, he just said my tests came back OK (I had a triple bypass in 2017).
Should change to 1900 numbers. Cheaper per minute
They’re free to charge you whatever they like, but not to use the wrong billing code.
Medicare would be very interested to hear from you because your Psych has commited fraud.
I would also call the clinic and request to be billed correctly.
The whole country is ffed. Seems like businesses can charge whatever they like.
Mine upped his price to 300 this year and I found out after the appt, $180 dollar gap fee lol. Was also a 10 min chat and a new script
$300 is a good price for telehealth.
I agree it’s expensive and those who need it are probably most likely to struggle paying it.
Their cost logic makes no sense – last time I went it was under $200 for an hour in person appointment.
For the love of god! I don’t make that much for an initial assessment.
I pay a similar rate for fuck all with my shrink. I blame the government for having such strict controls on the medications that only psychiatrists can prescribe.
License to print money!
It’s just all a fucking joke right? I had to see a specialist a few weeks ago and ended up waiting in their office for 2 hours beyond my scheduled appointment and when the specialist finally saw me it only took 5 mins for them to make a diagnosis and then they charged me $300 for the privilege. It really felt like they pulled my pants down and then smacked me on the arse as they laughed me out of the building. Oh and my private health couldn’t cover this appointment either which was the cherry on top of all the bullshit I’m dealing with.
Gotcha – it’s now literally unaffordable to lose your mind and seek help. What a time to be alive!
This is why some people think psychiatrists are over paid.
If 1900 sex lines still existed it would be cheaper to call one and get therapy from them!
Mine costs $450 for half an hour! Crazy shit
hello doc was 910 per session!! you think this is bad?? hello doc is the peak of evil!
I feel like my mental health would be more improved by removing a $300 for 15 minutes fee from my life than anything that could be achieved in that time.
i reckon they get the figures by including people who have hit the medicare safety net threshold. averaging the full payments alongside very reduced/subsidised ones.
Mine bulk bills the quick med check calls…no way I’d be able to afford $300 a month with the meds and everything else!