Many practitioners find the money conversation the most uncomfortable part of practice — it can feel at odds with the caring nature of the work. So fees get mumbled, gaps go unexplained, and patients get a surprise at the desk. That discomfort doesn't serve anyone: patients dislike bill shock, and the practice carries the awkwardness and the unpaid accounts.
The kinder approach is also the more professional one: be clear and upfront. Patients overwhelmingly prefer knowing what to expect — the fee, the likely rebate, the gap — before treatment, not after. Transparency about cost isn't at odds with good care; it's part of it. It respects the patient's ability to make an informed choice, and it removes the tension from the front desk.
Where billing involves Medicare or other schemes, the rules matter and they're specific — and that's where general education ends and checking the current requirements (Services Australia) and your own advice begins. But the principle is simple: no one likes a surprise about money, least of all in healthcare.
Clear, upfront, respectful. It's better for the patient and better for the practice.
Handling the business side of care — including transparent fees — is part of the [Practice Management course].
Explore the Practice Management course
Free starting point: the practice financial health worksheet.
Annie
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