Patient Appointments is an independent guide to seeing a doctor in Australia. We publish plain-language guides in three areas: booking a GP, including choosing a GP, booking, preparing for appointments and MyMedicare; costs and Medicare, including bulk billing, asking about fees, referrals and telehealth; and urgent care, including Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, after-hours options, calling 000 and making a complaint. Our free visit planner helps you prepare a list of what to bring and what to ask.
Why we exist
This web address once hosted an online directory for booking appointments at medical centres, which has since lapsed. People often struggle less with finding a booking button than with understanding how the system works: who decides about bulk billing, how long a referral lasts, where to go when something is urgent. That's the gap we want to fill.
How we work
We write every guide in our own words. For facts about Medicare, programs and patient rights, we rely on official sources such as Services Australia, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, healthdirect, Ahpra and the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, and we list our sources on each page. We never invent statistics, fees, quotes or testimonials, and we don't rank practices or doctors.
Independence
Patient Appointments (patientappointments.com.au) is an independent information site. We are not a medical practice, booking platform, government agency or health insurer, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by any company, agency or organisation named on this site, any previous operator of this domain, or any business with a similar name.
Not medical advice
Our guides are general information about how the health system works. They are not medical, legal or financial advice. For advice about your health, talk to a health professional or call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).
Contact us
Spotted an error, or have a suggestion? Please use our contact page. We read every message, and we correct mistakes promptly. We can't answer medical questions.