Our Policies
Privacy Policy
We are committed to protecting the privacy of patient information and to handling your personal information in a responsible manner in accordance with the Privacy Act 1888 (Cth), the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) and relevant State and Territory privacy legislation (referred to as privacy legislation).
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SMDC is a private medical practice that specializes in melanoma and skin cancer. The practice has consulting rooms at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH), Camperdown, NSW.
The practice is affiliated with the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) and The University of Sydney.
The practice actively participates in melanoma research and clinical trials by providing information and data.
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For our full Privacy Policy, with details of how we collect and store your data, please download the document below.
Cancellation Policy
We understand that there are times when other commitments clash with appointments made in advance. Therefore, we do send out reminder text messages one week prior to your appointment to give you time to confirm or change your appointment.
If you wish to cancel your scheduled appointment, please contact our office at least 48 business hours prior to your appointment. As our clinics are in high demand, early cancellation will allow other patients the possibility of seeing the doctor and provide consistent clinic list management.
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Late Cancellation/No Show Terms
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A cancellation, or changes to an appointment is considered late when the appointment is cancelled/changed less than 24 business hours before the appointment time.
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A ‘No Show’ is when an appointment is not attended without cancelling.​
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A late cancellation or no-show without reasonable explanation may result in a non-refundable fee of $70.
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Please note - No subsequent appointments will be booked until the late cancellation/no show fee is settled.
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For repeated occurrences of late cancellations or no-show’s (3 within a calendar year), any subsequent appointments will need to be pre-paid. This payment will be forfeited if you cancel/reschedule within 24 business hours, or you do not attend.
Billing Policy
We use mixed billing for procedures done at our practice. This means patients will pay a 'gap payment' for procedures undertaken at our clinic. The gap payment is an out-of-pocket expense that covers the difference between our practice's private fee and the Medicare rebate.
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How will the fee be processed?
When your doctor identifies that a procedure is required, the expected outcomes and diagnosis will be discussed with you. The procedure may be performed on the same day, or a future appointment will be booked. Our admin team will take a prepayment in relation to the item number expected, along with payment for your consult, if applicable.
The claim for your consultation will be lodged as usual on the same day as your appointment. However, we are required to wait for the pathology report before we can lodge the claim for your procedure.
Once the pathology report comes back from your procedure, it will be processed, and the claim will then be electronically lodged with Medicare. Under normal circumstances, you should expect to receive your rebate within one week of lodgement.
How long will it take to receive my rebate?
Our practice utilises the pathology department at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, so that the service can be bulk billed and you do not incur further expense that would be applicable from a private pathology service.
This pathology department serves the entire health district; therefore, reporting time is normally around 10 business days from your procedure, depending on their workload.
It may take up to a further 10 business days from the time we receive your report to process the required steps towards lodgement of your claim, depending on our workload. Therefore, rebates may not be available for approximately 4 weeks from your procedure date. However, our team will endeavour to expedite processing of reports to lodge claims in a timely manner.
If you have any concerns or queries regarding this policy, or are experiencing financial challenges, please speak to your doctor or our friendly admin team.
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If you hold a government pension card, you may be eligible for bulk billing. Please click here for more details.
COVID-19 Update
Updated 20/06/2025
Please be aware that advice may change due to Covid spikes from time to time and directions may change at short notice.
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To manage exposure to possible contact, please follow the information listed:​​
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IF YOU ARE FEELING COLD OR FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS - Please reschedule your appointment
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MASKS: Hospital guidelines have been increased due to the seasonal spike in cases. Therefore, it is strongly advised to wear a mask in the waiting room and during your appointment with the doctor or photographer, at this time.
Masks are available at the main entrance of the hospital or at our reception areas, please ask a staff member if you need one. -
PAYMENTS FOR CONSULTATIONS BY CARD ONLY ARE STILL PREFERRED - to minimise risk of contact we are encouraging payment by card. Please be aware that if you are intending to pay in cash exact change is advisable, as we have limited change due to increased card payments
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There is hand sanitiser available in the waiting room to use after visiting the bathroom; or sneezing/coughing.
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We have developed these measures from guidelines set out by the Department of Health for the safety of yourself, other patients, and staff.
Thank you for your co-operation.