Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, Jasper Medical has made changes to appointment protocols. Please read the following information and call us if you have any further questions.
If you have any cold or flu symptoms, please advise reception when you call. Do not attend or enter the practice – we will assist you via phone.
We are able to offer Medicare-funded telephone consultations for all patients who hold a Medicare Card. Please ask reception to book a telephone consultation. If the patient does not have a Medicare card, reception can explain our alternative options. Patients who still require an in-person consultation can make one as normal. Our online bookings are only open to telephone bookings, so please call the practice if you need to see a doctor in-person.
We have reduced our usual private fee of $75 to $60 for standard telephone consultations in the interest of assisting our patients during this difficult time. We hope to maintain this reduced fee for the duration of the telehealth period, but we’ll let you know if this changes. Students aged 16-22 will continue to pay a reduced fee. Our in-person consultation rates remain the same.
You will be bulk-billed for telephone consultations if you are:
- Normally eligible for bulk-billing because you have a Commonwealth Health Care Card
- Aged over 70
- Have a chronic health condition (as assessed by your doctor)
- Pregnant
- A parent of a child under 12 months old
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and aged over 50
- Required to self-quarantine based on Department of Health requirements for those with Covid-19 symptoms
Please advise reception when booking if any of the above apply to you. The criteria are set by Medicare and we must adhere to them.
Jasper Medical has also implemented a number of social distancing measures and we ask that you respect these when attending the practice. These include:
- Spacing of chairs in the waiting room
- Floor markings to guide social distance
- Reception may ask you to wait outside if the waiting room is full
- We also ask that only patients and their direct carers enter the practice for appointments
Just like everyone, we are experiencing some minor supply delays on certain products at the moment due to demand and disruption, especially flu vaccines. We have also transitioned some of our workforce to work from home and this may mean it takes slightly longer than usual to send out your scripts and referrals. We’ve developed an efficient system but there are naturally extra steps, and our reception staff have a number of extra responsibilities at present. Primary healthcare is complex at the best of times and we are rapidly adapting to new laws, guidelines, and information.
The practice would also like to thank our loyal patients for their support and understanding during these unusual times. We realise the unique challenges that this situation have thrown up for every person, business, and employee. We are working very hard to ensure we can remain available to help you however possible, and play our role in our tight-knit local community. Please be as patient as possible with our staff as they strive to do the same for you.
We wish you all the best through this period and look forward to providing you with quality primary care now and into the future.
The Jasper Medical team
