Have you not experienced a life-threatening disease or a major fall on your bushwalk? Is it just a niggling cold and cough that won't go away? Great — you don't need to visit the emergency clinic at your local hospital. All you need is a walk-in medical centre to take care of your non-emergency health condition. Here are some factors to consider before choosing the right walk-in medical centre.
Where Is The Medical Centre Located?
If possible, try to find a walk-in medical centre that is conveniently located as close to where you are. This could be close to your home or workplace, depending on your situation at the time. If you don't have your own transport, then you'll want to make sure the medical centre is accessible by public transport so you can get there without any problem. Most people prefer to go to the medical centre closest to their house so you have more flexibility when you're not at work.
Does The Centre Offer An Array Of Services To Meet Your Needs?
Some medical centres offer different services like pathology, physiotherapy, psychology, dietetics and X-rays, in addition to appointments with doctors. This can make your life so much easier, especially if you need more than just a consultation with the general practitioner. Before choosing the medical centre, give them a call or check their website to see whether they offer these services in-house so you can make the right decision for your needs. You'll also want to make sure the centre has more than one doctor for walk-in consultations so you don't end up waiting hours.
How Does The Medical Centre Charge?
Most medical centres are covered by Medicare rebates. Some even offer bulk billing services, which means you don't have to pay anything for your visit as long as you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident and have a Medicare card with you. In some cases, appointments are bulk billed, but walk-ins are charged a standard fee, after which you can claim a rebate from Medicare. Since all medical centres have their own set-ups for charging patients, it may be worth calling the centre to make sure you are happy with the billing system ahead of time.
Instead of going to the emergency department for a non-life threatening condition and wasting precious resources, use these considerations to choose a good walk-in medical centre for your health needs.
Share31 March 2020
Hey there. My name is Wade, and I have been a first aid volunteer for the past twenty years. Most weekends you will find me at football games, rodeos, agricultural shows or fun runs. I really love being able to help at these events and provide the necessary level of assistance. As a first responder, my medical role is very limited, but, many injured people do contact me to give thanks after they recover. This has further sparked my interest in health and medicine. I love watching medical shows and reading basic texts to gain a greater understanding of particular medical problems. I'm sure there are others like me who take an amateur interest in health and medical matters. I started this blog to share intriguing information I come across. I hope you find my topics fascinating and instructive. Thank you for dropping by.