How do Australian immigrants seek medical treatment?

Medical Guide for Australian Immigrants

1. Australian clinic

The clinic is the largest and most popular place to see a doctor in Australia. The general practitioner (gp) often mentioned by Australians will serve patients in the clinic. Australians usually go to the clinic to see a general practitioner when they encounter headaches, brain fever or minor physical problems.

Which department is the best hospital to go to for medical treatment in China, and there is generally no fixed doctor. In Australia, if you want to enjoy the benefits of the medical system comprehensively and conveniently, you need to carefully choose a GP as a fixed general practitioner. Because, GP in Australia will not only help patients prescribe medicines and other small things, but also keep complete medical records. These detailed records are necessary for going to the hospital.

The fee standard of the clinic: the reference fee of family doctor GP is about 37 Australian dollars at a time. Medical insurance: According to the complexity of the illness and the length of medical treatment, medical insurance has different reimbursement standards for the services of general practitioners. The Australian government does not require doctors to charge according to medical insurance standards, so doctors can decide how much to charge for treatment. Most general practitioners charge fees according to the standards set by the government. If there is medical insurance, the doctor's clinic pays directly with government medical insurance, and patients generally do not need to pay after seeing a doctor in the clinic. Some doctors charge more than the medical insurance reimbursement standard, and patients have to pay part of the expenses beyond the reimbursement standard.

2. Australian Medical Centre (Australian Medical Centre)

Australian medical centers are similar to clinics in China. Ophthalmologists and obstetricians are experts. If you have a medical insurance card, you can go to a public hospital to see a specialist for free through the recommendation of GP general practitioners. If you have private insurance, you can directly make an appointment with a specialist in the medical center, but you should also check with the insurance company in advance how much you can reimburse. That is to say, if GP general practitioners find that the patient's condition is beyond their ability, after layers of examination, according to the severity and condition of the examination report, GP will decide which specialist to recommend the patient to see.

Costs: Experts can usually decide their own costs. According to different specialties and regions, the medical expenses of specialists range from one hundred to several hundred Australian dollars.

Medical insurance: it is free if recommended by GP general practitioners, otherwise medical insurance may reduce the reimbursement of medical expenses. (Medicare reimburses 85% of expert fees according to MBS expert fees. The expenses that exceed the reimbursement standard must be paid by the patient himself. )

3. Australian hospitals

Hospitals in Australia are usually divided into public and private hospitals, each accounting for 50%. Public hospitals are free, but their resources are limited and the waiting time for seeing a doctor is very long. In addition, in Australia, no matter Australians or foreigners, all emergencies are sent to public hospitals for free treatment.

After the patient enters the hospital and hangs up the emergency number, he needs to wait in the sub-clinic. The triage nurse will ask about symptoms and medical history in advance, and then divide all patients into several grades according to the urgency of symptoms. In other words, the time of seeing a doctor has nothing to do with the order of seeing a doctor. It is the principle of Australian hospitals to give priority to emergency patients.

Fees: If hospitalization is required for surgery or treatment, it is best to contact the insurance company before hospitalization, inform the insurance company of the specific treatment plan and hospital, and confirm whether the medical expenses can be reimbursed.

Medical insurance: As a medical insurance patient, he must accept the doctor appointed by the hospital and cannot choose the length of stay. It must be decided by the hospital according to the condition and the bed situation of the hospital. However, the medical and accommodation expenses during hospitalization will be paid by medical insurance according to MBS reimbursement standard.

When seeing a doctor in Australia, if it is not an emergency, most people will go to the general practitioner's clinic or medical center first. If the general practitioner thinks it is necessary, he will refer the patient to a specialist clinic or a hospital specialist clinic. Immigrants from Shenzhen, Australia suggest that in addition to Australian permanent residents can enjoy the protection of Medicare medical insurance, overseas people who work and study in Australia can enjoy the protection of a more complete Australian medical system by purchasing private insurance.