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Not that I really care a great deal having given up on any form of medical professionals a while back but other Aussies may be interested in the above given the lack of media attention these changes have received vs the cuts to gp services and other budget nasties.
Budget cuts the payment optometrists receive from medicare for consultations by %5
Patients under 65 are only entitled to get an eye test every three years not two
Optometrists are now allowed to charge whatever fees they want (I didn't know that they weren't previously, just thought that competition had meant that most optometrists bulk bill)
I guess that these changes will mean that optometrists will become even more so glasses and contacts sales people in order to continue to make a profitable living as they aren't receiving adequate compensation for their skills. I have already experienced trying to be sold glasses that I don't need as the optometrist relies on the sale of glasses to make a decent living. I guess it will also mean a further dumbing down of optometrists who will focus even less on helping patients with eye disease.
I am already confused on the "patients will only get a rebate for an eye check every three years" thing. I have often gone to the optometrist more than twice the "allowed" every two years and still got bulk billed. I had thought at first that the optometrist/patient was only allowed to claim for a full eye test every two years and a lesser rebate if more often than that, but it has seemed to be all over the place, sometimes when I've booked a follow up with the optometrist they've booked a shorter appointment and bulk-billed at a lesser medicare rebate but at other times they booked me a full half hour and appeared to bill medicare at the full rate without even asking me when my last full eye check up was (let alone checking). So I don't know how the system will work but no doubt it will be even more s*** for dry eye sufferers as well as other patients.
Budget cuts the payment optometrists receive from medicare for consultations by %5
Patients under 65 are only entitled to get an eye test every three years not two
Optometrists are now allowed to charge whatever fees they want (I didn't know that they weren't previously, just thought that competition had meant that most optometrists bulk bill)
I guess that these changes will mean that optometrists will become even more so glasses and contacts sales people in order to continue to make a profitable living as they aren't receiving adequate compensation for their skills. I have already experienced trying to be sold glasses that I don't need as the optometrist relies on the sale of glasses to make a decent living. I guess it will also mean a further dumbing down of optometrists who will focus even less on helping patients with eye disease.
I am already confused on the "patients will only get a rebate for an eye check every three years" thing. I have often gone to the optometrist more than twice the "allowed" every two years and still got bulk billed. I had thought at first that the optometrist/patient was only allowed to claim for a full eye test every two years and a lesser rebate if more often than that, but it has seemed to be all over the place, sometimes when I've booked a follow up with the optometrist they've booked a shorter appointment and bulk-billed at a lesser medicare rebate but at other times they booked me a full half hour and appeared to bill medicare at the full rate without even asking me when my last full eye check up was (let alone checking). So I don't know how the system will work but no doubt it will be even more s*** for dry eye sufferers as well as other patients.
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