Almost all medical imaging performed at Bairnsdale Regional Health Service is now bulk billed and free of charge in a major boost for medical services across the region.
This exciting development makes high-quality medical imaging much more accessible for East Gippsland people.
It gives them access at no cost to them to a wide range of medical imaging services at BRHS – as long as those services are eligible for bulk billing under Medicare and that the patient is eligible to use Medicare.
The few exceptions to bulk billing include medical interventions that require medical imaging guidance and some complex obstetric scans.
BRHS Acting CEO Kathy Kinrade said about 95% of medical imaging procedures will be provided free of charge following an executive review of BRHS’ medical imaging billing procedures.
“After the review late last year, we decided that we wanted to make medical imaging service much more accessible for the 50,000 or so people we serve in East Gippsland,” Kathy said.
“This is a very progressive step. People in our region no longer have to travel long distances for bulk billed imaging like x-rays, MRI scans, CAT scans and the like.
“It saves time, reduces travel costs and ensures patients get the medical images and the care they need in their community, close to family and friends.”
BRHS Medical Imaging Manager Steve Blackwell said that under the new arrangement, patients will feel more secure.
“I think this is a great initiative for the hospital moving forward. It gives people peace of mind because they can get the imaging that they need and it won’t cost them a lot of money,” he said.
“There will be out-of-pocket charges for some imaging services that are not eligible for bulk billing under Medicare due to government mandated eligibility criteria. Aside from this, 95% of the imaging services offered by BRHS will be provided at no cost to the patient.”
The new bulk billing arrangement is already in operation, Steve said. For more information, please contact the BRHS Medical Imaging team on (03) 5150 3470.