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Medicare Bulk Billing for all eligible patients· Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm· Muswellbrook Fair, Tenancy 16–17, Rutherford Road· (02) 6530 7404
Muswellbrook
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All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.

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Chronic disease carethat runs to a plan.

Diabetes, heart disease, asthma, COPD, kidney disease, arthritis. Managed properly they sit in the background of your life. Managed one appointment at a time, they tend not to.

What to know
Medicare funds the planIf you have an eligible long-term condition, the planning appointment and reviews are covered.
It can include allied healthA plan can give access to subsidised visits to physiotherapy, podiatry, dietetics and others.
Book a long appointmentWriting a plan properly takes time. Say what it is for when you book.
One plan, one teamYour GP, our nurses and any specialists working from the same document
Tests on siteECG, spirometry and 4Cyte pathology in the same building
Reviewed, not filedA plan is only useful if it gets revisited — we book that in
Medicare Bulk Billing PracticeStandard GP consultations are bulk billed for everyone with a valid Medicare card.

The signs a conditionhas quietly drifted.

Do not wait for an appointmentChest pain or tightness, sudden severe breathlessness, a reliever that is not working, confusion or drowsiness in someone with diabetes, or a foot wound that is spreading — call 000 or go to the emergency department.

Long-term conditions rarely announce that they are getting worse. They drift — and because the change is gradual, people adjust their lives around it without noticing. These are the things worth bringing in.

Should I wait for my next review?

No. A review is a scheduled check, not the only time to come. If something has changed, book — the plan can be updated any time.

What if I have more than one condition?

Very common, and one plan can cover them together. That is part of the point of having a plan rather than separate appointments.

Do I need to bring readings?

If you keep them, yes — blood pressure, blood sugar, peak flow, weight. A fortnight of real numbers is far more useful than memory.

Breathing

Using the reliever more often

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BreathingUsing the reliever more often

Needing it more than a couple of times a week, or more than you did last year, usually means the preventer plan needs revisiting.

Breathing

Waking at night coughing

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BreathingWaking at night coughing

Night symptoms are one of the clearest signs that asthma is not as controlled as it looks during the day.

Breathing

Stopping halfway up the hill

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BreathingStopping halfway up the hill

Breathlessness doing something you managed easily last year is worth investigating rather than accepting.

Breathing

Chest infections that keep coming

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BreathingChest infections that keep coming

Two or more in a year, or one that takes weeks to clear, is a reason to look at your lungs properly.

Blood sugar

Thirsty and up in the night

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Blood sugarThirsty and up in the night

Drinking more and passing urine more, especially overnight, is a classic sign that sugar levels have crept up.

Blood sugar

Tired in a way sleep does not fix

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Blood sugarTired in a way sleep does not fix

Persistent fatigue is easy to attribute to age or work. It is also one of the commonest signs of poor control.

Blood sugar

Cuts and grazes healing slowly

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Blood sugarCuts and grazes healing slowly

Especially on the feet. Any wound below the ankle in someone with diabetes deserves prompt attention.

Blood sugar

Numbness or pins and needles

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Blood sugarNumbness or pins and needles

Usually starting in the toes or fingers. Worth reporting early rather than once it is established.

Heart & circulation

Ankles swelling by evening

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Heart & circulationAnkles swelling by evening

Shoes feeling tight at the end of the day, or socks leaving deep marks, is worth a check.

Heart & circulation

Breathless lying flat

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Heart & circulationBreathless lying flat

Needing more pillows than you used to, or waking short of breath, should be assessed.

Heart & circulation

Palpitations or a skipping beat

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Heart & circulationPalpitations or a skipping beat

An ECG takes minutes and is done here, with your doctor reading it during the same visit.

Heart & circulation

Calf pain when you walk

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Heart & circulationCalf pain when you walk

Pain that comes on at a predictable distance and settles with rest is worth mentioning.

Everyday life

You have stopped doing something

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Everyday lifeYou have stopped doing something

Quietly dropping an activity because it has become hard is often the first real sign, and the easiest to miss.

Everyday life

Medicines you have stopped taking

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Everyday lifeMedicines you have stopped taking

Side effects, cost or simply forgetting. Tell us — a plan built on medicines you are not taking helps nobody.

Everyday life

Mood has changed

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Everyday lifeMood has changed

Living with a long-term condition takes a toll. Low mood makes every other part harder to manage, and it is treatable.

None of these mean something has gone badly wrong. They mean the plan is due for a look — which is exactly what a review appointment is for.

The goal is a condition you manage, not one that manages you.Regular review, the right team around you, and a plan that gets updated when things change.

A care plan isa written agreement, not paperwork.

It sets out what condition is being managed, what you are aiming for, who is involved, what each person does, and when it gets looked at again. Medicare funds it because managing long-term conditions properly works better than treating flare-ups as they arrive.

The part most people do not know aboutA care plan can include a set number of subsidised allied health visits — physiotherapy, podiatry, dietetics, exercise physiology and others — in a calendar year. If you have been paying full price for those, this is worth asking about.
Am I eligible?

Medicare-funded care planning is for people with a long-term condition — generally one present for six months or longer, or likely to be. Ask us and we will tell you.

Does it cost anything?

The planning appointment and reviews are bulk billed here with a valid Medicare card. Allied health visits under the plan are subsidised, and the provider may still charge a gap.

How many allied health visits do I get?

A set number per calendar year, shared across all the allied health you use. Reception can explain the current arrangement when you book.

In the plan

What we are managing

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In the planWhat we are managing

Named clearly, along with anything else that interacts with it. Most people have more than one thing going on.

In the plan

What you are aiming for

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In the planWhat you are aiming for

Specific and yours, not generic. Walking to the shops without stopping is a better goal than a number on a page.

In the plan

Who is on the team

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In the planWho is on the team

Your GP, our nurses, any specialists, and the allied health people the plan gives you access to.

In the plan

What happens between visits

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In the planWhat happens between visits

Medicines, monitoring, what to do if things flare, and the point at which you should ring us.

In the plan

When it is reviewed

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In the planWhen it is reviewed

Booked in rather than left to chance. Reviews are where a plan earns its keep.

In the plan

Your copy

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In the planYour copy

You leave with it. A plan you have never seen is not a plan you can follow.

The conditionswe see most.

This is not an exhaustive list, and having something not named here does not mean it cannot be managed with a plan.

My condition is not listed.

Bring it in anyway. The list above is what we see most, not what is eligible.

I see a specialist already.

A plan works alongside specialist care rather than replacing it — it is what keeps everyone working from the same page between specialist visits.

Can the nurse do some of this?

Yes. Our practice nurses do a lot of the monitoring and follow-up, which usually means shorter waits and more regular contact.

Commonly seen

Type 2 diabetes

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Commonly seenType 2 diabetes

Monitoring, medication review, foot and eye checks, and coordination with the specialists and educators involved.

Commonly seen

High blood pressure

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Commonly seenHigh blood pressure

The most common long-term condition there is, and one of the most rewarding to get right. Usually symptomless until it is not.

Commonly seen

Heart disease

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Commonly seenHeart disease

Ongoing management after a heart event, or risk reduction before one. ECG on site, with results read in the same visit.

Commonly seen

Asthma

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Commonly seenAsthma

A written action plan, inhaler technique checked in the room, and spirometry here rather than referred away.

Commonly seen

COPD

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Commonly seenCOPD

Breathing tests, flare-up plans, vaccination, and support with smoking if you want it. Relevant to a lot of people around here.

Commonly seen

Kidney disease

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Commonly seenKidney disease

Regular blood and urine monitoring, medication adjustment, and referral when it is warranted.

Also managed

Arthritis and chronic pain

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Also managedArthritis and chronic pain

Function first — what you want to be able to do — with medication as one part of a broader plan.

Also managed

Thyroid conditions

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Also managedThyroid conditions

Straightforward to monitor with regular blood tests and dose adjustment.

Also managed

Mental health alongside

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Also managedMental health alongside

Long-term physical illness and low mood travel together often. Both belong in the same plan.

Most people we write plans for have two or three of these at once. That is normal, and it is precisely why a single coordinated plan works better than separate appointments.

From first appointmentto first review.

The whole point is that it is a loop rather than a one-off.

How often is it reviewed?

Regularly, and the interval depends on the condition and how stable it is. It is booked at the time rather than left to you to remember.

What if things change in between?

Come in. A plan is a working document, not a fixed contract, and it can be updated whenever something shifts.

Can I see the same doctor each time?

Where possible, and it is worth asking for. Continuity matters more with long-term conditions than almost anything else.

1Book a long appointmentSay it is for a care plan so reception sets aside the time. Bring your medicines and any readings you keep.Say what it is for
2Write it togetherWhat is being managed, what you want to be able to do, and what each person on the team is responsible for.Long appointment
3Put it into actionReferrals go out, monitoring is booked, and you leave with your copy and a clear idea of what to do if things flare.You take it home
4Review and adjustBooked in from the start. What worked stays, what did not gets changed. Conditions move, so plans have to.Scheduled, not optional

Chronic condition care plans

Diabetes care

Heart health & blood pressure

Asthma & COPD reviews

Kidney health monitoring

Arthritis & pain

Medication reviews

Allied health referral & coordination

Health assessments

Chronic condition care plans

Diabetes care

Heart health & blood pressure

Asthma & COPD reviews

Kidney health monitoring

Arthritis & pain

Medication reviews

Allied health referral & coordination

Health assessments

Chronic condition care plans

Diabetes care

Heart health & blood pressure

Asthma & COPD reviews

Kidney health monitoring

Arthritis & pain

Medication reviews

Allied health referral & coordination

Health assessments

Care planquestions, answered.

What is a chronic condition?

Broadly, one that has been present for six months or longer, or is likely to be. Diabetes, asthma, heart disease and arthritis are typical examples.

Do I need a referral?

No. Book directly with us. We write any referrals the plan needs.

Is it bulk billed?

Care planning and review appointments are bulk billed here with a valid Medicare card. Allied health providers may charge a gap on top of the Medicare subsidy.

How long is the appointment?

Longer than a standard consultation. Say it is for a care plan when you book so enough time is allowed.

What should I bring?

Your medicines — the actual boxes if you can — any readings you keep, and letters from specialists.

Will my specialist be involved?

Yes, where relevant. Part of what a plan does is make sure everyone involved is working from the same document.

What if I have not been managing it well?

Then it is a good time to come in. Nobody is going to lecture you — the plan starts from where you actually are.

Can my family come?

Yes, and it often helps. Two people remember more of an appointment than one.

General information onlyThis page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation with a doctor who knows you. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.

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Bulk billed with a valid Medicare card · Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm · Muswellbrook Fair, Rutherford Road.

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