Freemans Bay Medical Services & Fees

Fees

 

NON ATTENDANCE: If you are unable to make your appointment, please give us 2 hours notice of cancellation. Otherwise you will be billed for non-attendance.

 

Overview of Services

Minor Accident Care

Primary care practices offer a range of services and are able to deal with most minor accident care. If they are not able to deal with an injury they will refer on to the appropriate service.

Adult and Child Medical Care

Your GP's surgery is far more than a place to go when you are feeling unwell and needing a quick cure. The doctor who sees you has gone through an extensive medical training to equip her or him to help children and adults of all ages with a range of physical and emotional difficulties. GPs are at the centre of the healthcare hub and will be aware of services and expertise that are available locally and further-a-field. GPs are also aware of the link that stress and unhappy life events have on physical health so know when to suggest a talking therapy rather than medication.

Immunisations

Immunisations are provided at all primary care practices and are one of the most important services they provide. Immunisation has led to the decline of many lethal diseases including, most recently, meningococcal B meningitis.

Babies are routinely immunised for tetanus, polio, diphtheria, hepatitis B and haemophilus, which are now combined in one injection. Injections are normally be done by specially qualified nurses or doctors, having ensured beforehand that the child is not ill or suffering from allergies. Each child has his or her own document to keep a record of these injections. The immunisation record will need to be shown, for example, when starting school. The staff will also record the immunisation details on New Zealand’s National Immunisation Register. This information system holds details of all immunisations given to children here. The computer will alert families when immunisations are due.

Pneumococcal vaccine and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are now included in the immunisation programme. These injections are free and the influenza vaccine is provided free for many groups.  Patients can also request chicken pox, TB and travel vaccines but since these carry no government subsidy, you will have to pay for them.

Reactions to immunisation are increasingly extremely rare following improvements in vaccine research and production.

For more information click on the following link www.moh.govt.nz/immunisation.html

At Freemans Bay we strongly advise all our patients to be fully immunised.

All our nursing staff are fully qualified vaccinators and we can discuss any queries you may have.

Repeat Prescriptions

Each GP surgery or primary care practice will have its own procedure for repeat prescribing but the following rules are common to most, if not all. Patients who are well-known to the practice who have a stable condition like asthma, hypertension or diabetes could be allowed to get a repeat prescription for up to six months. Repeat prescriptions are never given to patients who are not known to the practice and there is probably a blanket ban on repeats for narcotics and other drugs that could be misused as doctors are expected to monitor these drugs carefully.

Most repeat prescriptions will be ready by the following morning once approved by your Dr at a cost of $20.00

Faxed repeats $25.00

Lab Results

Sometimes your doctor needs to take a sample of blood or urine either to discover what is wrong with you or to measure something in your blood so that the right medication is given to you. These tests could be anything from blood sugar to a full blood count or a sample of tissue to test for cancer.

While urine can generally be tested in the surgery, blood and other specimens are usually sent away for testing at a laboratory. Most results come back within 48 hours unless a very rare test is needed which has to go to a specialist lab further away when it might take a little longer.

You will always be notified if any lab results are of concern to your Doctor and asked to come in for an appointment to discuss these.

Some results may be discussed at your next routine visit, if your Doctor feels there is no urgency.

Cervical Smears

Research indicates that all sexually active females between the ages of 20 and 70 should have a cervical smear test. A year after the first smear women should have another and thereafter every three years. This test detects abnormal cells which, if left untreated, could become cervical cancer. Very often these cells are made abnormal by a human papillomavirus (HPV) which is passed on by men during intercourse. Regular tests and treatment reduces the likelihood of this sort of cancer by around 90%.

For more information about cervical smear tests click on the link to the National Screening Unit website http://www.nsu.govt.nz/Current-NSU-Programmes/564.asp

Travel Advice / Immunisations

Another service offered to you at your GP surgery (primary care practice) is advice and immunisation before you go to another country. While you are likely to have the immunisations needed to live in New Zealand, there may be other injections you need to protect yourself before going for example to Africa or South America. In some places you will need protection from rabies or malaria. Your doctor will be able to tell you what diseases you will need to be protected from in any named country and advise you on other medical matters. 

Please book an appointment with your Doctor to discuss any travel needs.

We can provide all travel vaccines with the exception of yellow fever vacciine. To receive yellow fever vaccinations you need to go to a specific clinic, we will be able to advise you about this.

IUCD Insertion

An Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) is inserted into a woman’s uterus to prevent pregnancy. Depending on the type of device, it will need to be changed after between three and five years.

One particular brand of IUCD is often used to reduce heavy bleeding during periods.

For more information please click here.

Dr Lauren Brenner and Dr Alison Copland both insert IUCDs and Mirenas.

You will require an initial consultation to discuss the procedure, benefits and risks  and have swabs taken. Your fitting appointment will then be booked at a time agreed with the Doctor.

Initial consultation - usual fees apply.

Fitting visit (30min appointment) $130.00

If you are having a Mirena fitted there may be the additional cost for the Mirena itself. Some women may be funded for Mirena - discuss this with your Doctor at the first visit.

Minor Surgery

Minor surgery is commonly provided in primary care practices, providing fast, competent removal and biopsies of skin lesions. Other services include cosmetic work such as removal of benign moles and skin tags. Ingrown toenail surgery is also commonly provided.

These conditions do not need to be referred to a hospital, perhaps saving you a long wait or a cancelled appointment when a more serious case takes priority.

If your doctor is unable to provide the procedure you need, he/she may know a neighbouring GP who does. Otherwise, the PHO will have a list of GPs trained in particular operations.

Book an initial appointment with Dr Susie Moller, Dr Alison Copland or Dr Helen Gemmell to discuss the procedure required, follow-up, risks and cost. Following this, your surgical appointment will be booked by mutual agreement.

Costs vary depending on the complexity and number of lesions - upwards from $250.00.

Immigration Medicals

Anyone wishing to permanently live and work in New Zealand needs to pass an immigration medical. An application form is provided by the Immigration Department which is downloadable from their website (see link below). The form contains a lot of questions about your medical history and your present health. You will also need to be seen and examined by an approved doctor and blood and urine will be collected from you for testing. You are also required to have a chest X-Ray.

When the form is completed and signed by an approved doctor and you have results from the different tests, this information is sent to the Immigration Department. They will let you know if you are medically eligible to live and work in New Zealand.

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/formsandfees/formsandguides/
healthcharacter.htm

Cost $250.00 - initial 45 minute consultation.

Additional costs you will need to pay will be for a Chest X-ray and blood tests.

Further costs may apply if follow up visits are needed.

Well Baby Checks

Babies are checked periodically during their first year of life to ensure that they are developing correctly. The first appointment is usually a few days after the mother and child have returned home after the birth, then a fortnight later, then monthly up to four months then at six, nine months and at a year. Babies are weighed and measured to make sure that they are arriving at the various developmental milestones.

Apart from checking an infant’s physical and emotional growth, these sessions provide a great opportunity for parents to ask questions from an expert and have any problem addressed; difficulties with breastfeeding or sleep for example. They are also used to discuss immunisations and vaccinations.

ECG

An ECG is a recording of your heart's electrical activity. Electrode patches are attached to your skin to measure the electrical impulses given off by your heart. The result is a trace that can be read by a doctor. It can give information of previous heart attacks or problems with the heart rhythm.

ECG cost $35.00

(exercise ECGs are done via specialist cardiologists)

Spirometry

Spirometry is a tool that measures how effectively your lungs are working. It is able to show how much air lungs are able to hold (their volume) and how much air can be breathed in and out (inhaled and exhaled) which is called flow. This tool is used to assess damage caused by conditions like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – a group that includes bronchitis and emphysema), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis  and asthma. Results are shown on a graph called a pneumotachograph.

For more information click on the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirometry

Cost  $35.00

Liquid Nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is a fast, effective treatment provided in many practices to treat viral warts, sun damaged skin, skin tags and many benign cosmetic lesions. It comes in a container with a nozzle and is usually applied by swab or spray. Often one treatment is all that is needed but sometimes it may need repeating after two weeks.

Because it cannot be stored for too long, you will often find that your GP will treat a number of patients one after the other.

For more information click here.

At Freemans Bay Medical Centre we always have liquid nitrogen available.

The first appoinment must be with one of the Doctors - usual consult fee applies.

Follow up visits will often be done with the nurse - cost $15.00

If liquid nitrogen is done in addition to a normal consultation for other conditions, then there will be an extra charge of $15.00, in addition to the usual consultation fee.