Data shows it's cheap to visit your GP in Cowra

Analysis completed by health site Cleanbill shows the Cowra Local Government area is one of the cheapest in the state when it comes to out-of-pocket costs for a visit to the GP.

The analysis showed Cowra residents were out of pocket, on average, $21.60 if their GP does not bulk bill them for the visit.

Tenterfield in northern NSW was the cheapest at just $8.60.

Cleanbill founder James Gilllespie said: "Of the 454 LGAs across Australia where we've been able to find an available GP clinic, almost half (47.8%) have no available, bulk billing GP clinics".

Both Cowra medical practices - Medispring and Cowra Medical Centre - bulk bill, but for procedures not covered by Medicare it is left up to the discretion of their doctors.

Cowra Medical Practice states on its website: "The practice does not automatically bulk bill patients".

Medispring states: "This practice is a bulk billing practice. All consultations covered by Medicare are bulk billed". But adds "There will be a private fee for those consultations not covered by Medicare".

Cowra Medical Practice goes on to state: "Consultations for patients who hold a pension or health care cards cards may be at a reduced rate".

"Consultation fees within the practice, for a standard consultation vary between $48 and $80, depending on the doctor seen (longer consultations may be higher)."

Cowra Medical Practice advertises online it charges just $27 for a brief consultation (under nine minutes) with a Medicare rebate of $17.20.

A standard consultation is charged at $58 with a Medicare rebate of $37.60 while a patient needing a long consultation (over 20 minutes) is charged $78.65 with a Medicare rebate of $72.80.

According to Cleanbill, Medispring charges $63 for a standard visit and $101 for a long consultation.

"This is way below the average for the area," Cleanbill said.

Cleanbill says standard and long consultations account for just shy of 80% of all visits to the GP.

"So, we took the standard and long consultation data we have for the vast majority of GP clinics across the country and split it by Local Government Area (LGA).

"The Report shows the geographic trends in bulk billing on an LGA-by-LGA basis, before outlining the LGAs with the highest and lowest average out-of-pocket costs for a GP visit,' Mr Gillespie said.

"While there are 35 LGAs with 100% bulk billing rates, only 11 of these LGAs have more than one available clinic. A further 12 LGAs have bulk billing rates between 67% and 99% but they aren't spread out: 6 of the 12 are located in Western Sydney.

"There are also significant differences in out-of-pocket costs, even between LGAs located relatively close to each other," he said.

Cleanbill data shows a visit to a GP in Young, if the doctor doesn't bulk bill, will cost you between $80 and $120.

In Forbes costs range from a low of $75 and a top of $110 at Forbes Medicine and Mind and $85 to $150 at the Forbes Medical Centre.

In Parkes its Ochre Medical Centre charges $90 for a standard visit up to $131 for a long consultation.

A standard visit to the Currajong St Medical Centre in Parkes is listed in Cleanbill as costing $80. The long consultation charge is $120.

Cleanbiil lists the cheapest price for a standard visit to a medical practice in Orange as $75 through to a high of $136 for a long visit.