Craigieburn Specialist Consulting Suites is a group of independent practitioners, sharing space and in some cases, administrative support. This means that each practitioner is independent, and sets their own fees, days of work, and decides what types of services to offer.
Some appointments are booked through the administration team at Craigieburn Specialists, others are booked through the practitioners other rooms/administration teams. To be sure you are calling the right number for an appointment, you can check here:
The majority of practitioners here charge private fees for their services, fees and charges vary, and can be discussed when booking an appointment. Depending on the individual practitioner, if a Medicare rebate is available, we will assist with processing that as soon as possible. For some practitioners, fees can be found on their individual websites, or by calling their main rooms. You can find links on the Contact Us page.
If you are a Private patient, including under Workcover, TAC or other Private Insurance, our clinic does not bill external insurers directly. All patients are required to pay for their consultation on the day, and then claim back a reimbursement.
Where payments and billing are handled off-site, some direct billing options may exist. Please check via the Contact Us page for providers who have off-site management, and contact their rooms directly for clarification.
Many practitioners will have different appointment lengths and fees depending if you are a NEW patient, or if your appointment is for a review. Please note that if you have not seen your practitioner for over 12 months, you may be considered a NEW patient.
Appointments are either booked through our administration team at Craigieburn Specialists, or through the contacts on the Contact Us page. All appointments will be confirmed by SMS between 1 and 7 days before your appointment. We ask that you always reply to your confirmation SMS with a Yes to confirm, or a No to cancel. Should you reply No, you will need to call to re-book your appointment. Some practitioners have long waiting lists, so in the event you do not respond to our attempts to confirm your appointment, it may be cancelled and offered to someone on the waiting list.
Practitioners at Craigieburn Specialists all have cancellation policies. As a general rule, if you fail to attend a booked appointment, or cancel on short notice (less than 24 hours), you may be charged a cancellation fee. Cancellation fees are usually listed on our SMS confirmations. To book your next appointment, you need to pay the cancellation fee.
The cancellation policy, and the cancellation fee are in place as our practitioners' time is valuable, we are usually fully booked, and we have people on long waiting lists for appointments. If you do not arrive for your appointment, the practitioner is unable to see another patient on such short notice. If you give adequate notice, we can offer your appointment to someone in need on the waiting list, and no fee applies.
We have a Zero tolerance policy at Craigieburn Specialists. Abusive or intimidating language, including swearing, threats, violence or personal attacks will not be tolerated, and will result in immediate termination of our relationship with you/cancellation of all future appointments, and security attending the clinic, and/or police reports. This Zero tolerance policy applies to our administration team, all of our practitioners, and anyone in the waiting room, or entry area to the clinic. It applies to in person, telephone and email communications. Should you be abusive or threatening our staff over the phone, staff are all instructed to immediately end the call, advise the relevant practitioner, and cancel all future appointments.
Most of our practitioners here have different specialties, and we have a mix of nurse practitioners, allied health and medical specialists. Where we have more than one practitioner available to meet your needs, we may make a recommendation to you to reduce your waiting time. Ultimately, you have the choice though.
Practitioners may also determine through professional judgement that they are not the right health care professional for you to see, this may be decided when reviewing your referral, or during treatment. If this happens, we will always assist with recommendations for other health care services.
Practitioners also make professional judgements in relation to whether an in person appointment is required, or if telehealth is suitable for your current circumstances. We ask that you respect their professional judgement. All new patients need to be seen in person.
At all times, unless you are a parent, the patient should be the only person corresponding with the clinic and the practitioner. We are unable to answer telephone, email or in person questions about an appointment booking, or anything in relation to medical information, diagnosis or treatment. Telephone communications can also be difficult if we are unable to verify the caller, so sometimes we will call back on the number we have on file to determine identity, in order to protect privacy. You can see our Privacy Policy here:
Some of our practitioners are fully booked and have long waiting periods for appointments. In order to ensure you can have an appointment as soon as possible, for some practitioners you can be added to their waiting list. If you are on a waiting list, or cancellation list, this is NOT an appointment. It is a list of people waiting for an appointment if another person cancels their scheduled appointment. If someone cancels, we will call people on the waiting/cancellation list and see if they would like to take up the now available appointment. Please note, this is an offer of an appointment, if you are on the list and we call you, you are not obligated to accept. If you no longer need the appointment, please let us know to remove you from the waiting list so we are not calling you unnecessarily. If you forget to let us know, no problem, just advise us if you get a call.
Telephone or in person communications is preferred for booking appointments, and email is preferred for all other communications. We do not transfer calls to practitioners at any time. If you need to contact someone here, please email your request. Personal phone numbers or email addresses for practitioners will not be provided.
Professional and registered interpreters are to be used at all times for consultations, although family/friends can assist with booking appointments. If you need an interpreter, please be sure to let us know when booking.
You can email us here:
All practitioners here, except for Nurse Practitioners, require a referral. A referral is still preferred by Nurse Practitioners in order to assist with understanding your medical history.
Where a referral is required, you cannot book an appointment until your full and valid referral has been received either in person or by email. Photos of referrals will not be accepted under any circumstances.
Usually on your first visit with a practitioner, you will be asked to fill in a registration and consent form. Please read these carefully, and please note different practitioners use their own forms, so if you see multiple people, you may be asked to complete multiple forms.
Often the consent relates to:
Always read the form carefully before signing, as each is different.
If you have any questions, please ask.