Patient Costs and Billing
Bulk-billing or direct billing?
For eligible individuals with eligible tests, the pathology test cost will be bulk billed to Medicare. Patients will need to sign the Medicare Assignment section on the request form, have a valid Medicare card and meet the eligibility criteria for testing.
For pathology tests that don’t attract a Medicare rebate, VCS Pathology will issue a bill to the patient directly. Our fee will be reflective of the bulk billing rate arrangement with Medicare.
When will fees be waived?
Consistent with our purpose as a not-for-profit organisation and where a test cannot be bulk billed to Medicare, patient fees will be waived under the circumstances below:
- The patient has a current valid Health Care Card / Pension Card
- The patient is from one of the following populations:
- Identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
- Is experiencing significant financial hardship
- A refugee or asylum seeker
- The pathology specimen was collected at one of the following:
- An Aboriginal Health Service
- A Community Health Service
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
- Sexual Health Victoria
- Public Hospitals including the Royal Women’s Hospital
If you have a current valid Health Care Card / Pension Card and have received a bill from VCS Pathology, please contact us
Overseas Students
The ACPCC will bill invoices for patients with Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) directly to Allianz Overseas Student Health Cover on provision of a valid membership number and expiry date.
For Allianz, Medibank, NIB and BUPA OSHC payments, the invoice must be paid to VCS Pathology and then claimed through the relevant health insurance provider directly.
Get in touch
To find out more about what we do or how we can work together, please get in touch.
