F.A.Q

Do I need a referral to see the Podiatrist? In most cases, a referral is not needed to see a podiatrist. However, certain patients such as those with the Department of Veterans Affairs cards, Medicare Care Plans and EPC’s will need referrals from their GP. It is the Patients responsibility to bring the correct referral to the appointments, failure to do so may impact on the rebates and normal appointment costs will apply.

How can I get a Medicare EPC Referral? Your GP may find you eligible for an EPC referral if you have a chronic medical condition.  This is covered under Chronic Disease Management (CDM) or Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) referrals.  If you would like your Podiatry appointment to be partially subsidised ($58 Medicare Rebate per appointment) you will need to organise this referral from your GP prior to your appointment with us.

How much are appointments with a current Medicare EPC Referral? These appointments are $70.  Medicare will rebate $58 if you have a current EPC referral with visits remaining for the year (only allowed 5 x EPC appointments in one calendar year). 

The payment process is as follows:

1. Full payment of $70 is required at the time of the consult (this can be paid by cash or card).
2. Toe-tal Podiatry will lodge your Medicare claim on your behalf
3. You will receive the Medicare rebate of $58 within 24 hours of lodgement back into your bank account that you have lodged with Medicare.

This means your out of pocket expense per EPC appointment is $12.

If you have any further enquiries please don’t hesitate to call or email. 

How can I make sure my bank details are lodged with Medicare? Call the patient Medicare line on 132011 and after verifying yourself you can check or update your bank details. Note: This is a 24 hour service so you are better to call them when it’s not business hours to save you waiting on hold. 

How can I see if I have any remaining EPCs left in the calendar year? Call the patient Medicare line on 132011 and ask if you have any EPC visits remaining for the current year. They can provide you with this information on the spot.

If I am with DVA will it cover Podiatry visits? If you are a gold card holder we require a referral from your GP which is valid for 12 visits in one calendar year. If you are a White Card Holder you will need to find out if you will be covered for Podiatry visits – if so we require a referral from your GP.

Does Private Health cover Podiatry? All private health funds and covers are different. Your private health fund may cover all or part of the appointment and other costs in the appointment.  Call your health fund to find out any details in regards to your rebate. Common codes used are:

• F004 – Initial Consultation
• F012 – Subsequest Consultation
• F118 – Biomechanical Examination
• F301 – 3D Scan (x 2: left and right)
• F221 – Orthotic (x 2: left and right)

 If you need further item codes and prices to quote to your health fund, please give us a call or text on 0422 389 652.

Do you have a HICAPS machine on site to do instant claiming? At 4 of our clinics we have a HICAPS machine on site for instant claiming.  These are; Tarragindi, Upper Mount Gravatt, Salisbury Medical Centre and Acacia Ridge.

At Morningside you will receive an invoice for you to claim manually through your health fund.

What do I do before my First Podiatry Appointment?  Please be sure to complete our New Patient Form which would have been sent via an email link after booking the appointment.  If you can’t fill this in please arrive to your appointment time 10 minutes earlier to fill it in manually.