Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Paediatrician do?

Paediatricians are specialists in the care of babies, infants and adolescents. In Australia, Paediatricians have completed a minimum of 5 years at university studying General Medicine, then 2 years in a Hospital as a junior medical officer, followed by a minimum of 6 years in a Paediatric Training programme in a teaching hospital. Paediatricians are members of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Do I need a referral?

You will need to obtain a referral from your GP, another specialist doctor or a doctor at the hospital. A referral from your GP will usually last for 12 months and from a specialist last three months.

Once your referral has expired you will need to obtain a new referral from your GP prior to seeing the paediatrician, otherwise your appointment may be rescheduled. Failure to have a valid referral means there is no Medicare rebate, and you will be liable for the full cost of the consultation. If your appointment is a follow up after hospital admission, your referral will come from the hospital and will expire after three months.

How do I make an appointment?

All appointments are made by phoning our office on (02) 60 511 222. Please note we do not make appointments via email.

What should I bring to the appointment?

You should bring:

The original referral letter
any results from test that have been performed
any reports from other health or education professionals
list of current medications
Any court orders relating to care of your child
Medicare card
pension card
payment

What is the Fees policy?

We are a fee for service practice. Payment is to be made at the time of consultation. Major credit cards and EFTPOS along with cash are accepted forms of payment. Cheques are not accepted. We offer a significant discount for payments made in full at the time of consultation. We also offer Pension rate to those on a single parent, unemployment or disability pension. Please contact our rooms for further information.

How do I obtain a repeat prescription?

Generally, prescriptions will only be given at an appointment. Occasionally at the doctors discretion a prescription may be requested out of consultation.

For prescriptions requested out of consultation we require 2 weeks notice, and repeat prescriptions outside of an appointment time will attract a service fee of $20.00 for which no Medicare rebate is available.

Can my paediatrician fill out my Centrelink/school/NDIS and other forms?

Forms will be filled out at the paediatrician’s discretion. A short appointment is required for all forms to be completed. Please speak to our receptionist and advise them if the appointment is for only forms and they will give you a short appointment for the completion of these. Not all forms will be completed by the paediatrician and you may be asked to have your GP complete certain forms.

Can I contact my paediatrician via phone?

Our paediatricians are very busy seeing patients and meeting their on call hospital commitments. Our staff can answer a lot of your enquiries. If you need to be in contact with your child’s paediatrician our staff will take a message for the paediatrician and you will be contacted when possible.

How is my Privacy protected?

Albury-Wodonga Paediatric Group is committed to protecting the privacy of patient information and handling personal information in a responsible manner in line with the relevant Privacy and Health Records Acts. For further information on how we collect, use and disclose your child’s personal information please see our Privacy Policy.