Join the Saltwater Medical family
We’re passionate about delivering a more caring, personal style of general medicine. We want to get to know you and your family, and we value the trust you place in us.
If you’d like to become a patient please call us on 07 5301 9828 to make your initial appointment.
We warmly welcome new patients to the practice, who will be booked into a generous 40-minute appointment for their first visit (a Long Consultation).
This longer initial appointment is important, as it allows your doctor the time to take a thorough history, record key personal health data in your chart, perform any relevant examinations and attend to your medical concern in a comprehensive manner. We find most new patient consultations take between 20-40 minutes. However, if your initial consultation takes less than 20 minutes or more than 40 minutes, you will be billed accordingly. Please see our fee schedule for more details.
Important Information for new patients
- A $50 deposit is required to secure a new patient appointment.
- We reserve time and finite practice resources specifically for new patients, so we require 4-hours’ notice of cancellations.
- The deposit is non-refundable if you do not attend your first appointment or fail to give 4-hours’ notice of a cancellation.
- After your initial consultation your deposit will be deducted from the total fee due.
- Once the account for your consultation is settled, we can process your Medicare claim, which in most instances will be back in your account on the same day as your consultation.
We ask all new patients to arrive at least 10-minutes prior to their appointment to fill out their new patient form.
Please note the following important practice policies:
Drugs of dependance
For your safety our doctors will not prescribe S8 drugs or drugs of dependence at a new patient’s first appointment with our practice, nor will they provide prescriptions for these medications at any time in the future without an appointment.
Non-attendance / late cancellations
We take pride in delivering high quality healthcare, which is why your appointment time is booked and held especially for you. If you no longer require it, or cannot attend, we require at least 4-hours’ notice of your cancellation. We are usually fully booked, so giving 4-hours’ notice allows us to offer your appointment to other patients. Non-attendance fees apply (see our non-attendance policy).
We run on time (barring medical emergencies)
Your punctuality is required otherwise your appointment will be cut short, or you will make the doctor run late for other patients. If you arrive unreasonably late for your appointment you may need to reschedule, and a fee may apply.
