GENERAL CONTACT DETAILS
General Enquiries
Email Contact
Reception hours
| Mon – Fri | 8:00 – 5:00 |
| Weekends | Closed |
LOCATION
We are located at 2 Mary Street, Bunbury.
Some off street parking is available.
BUSINESS CONTACTS
- Office Manager – Lianda Kirkpatrick. officemanager@bunburyscc.com.au
- Nurse Manager – Lesley Birchall. nurse@bunburyscc.com.au
- Fax – (08) 9791 1755
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic does not accept walk-in appointments.
Many people around Bunbury trust in us for their routine skin checks, and as such, our medical practitioners are often booked out several weeks in advance. Due to this, we cannot accept walk-in appointments. Maintaining a consistent level of bookings allows us to keep our prices low, without compromising on the quality of patient care.
If you have been referred to us from your regular GP with a suspected cancer, we will make every effort to accommodate you as quickly as possible.
No, it is not necessary to obtain a referral from your GP to make an appointment at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic. Anyone is able to contact us to arrange a skin check.
Although a referral is not necessary, if you do have a referral from your regular GP, please let us know. Many local GPs trust Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic to assess or treat suspected skin cancers. Since early intervention is critical for malignant cancers, we prioritise these cases.
Our base fees
Our base fees (Before the Medicare rebate) are as follows:
- $120 standard fee
- $115 health care card holders
Medicare rebate
At a minimum, Medicare will provide a rebate of $38.50.
You may receive more based on your personal circumstances (eg Health Card holder)
Gap payment
The maximum gap payment is $81.50. The gap payment will be reduced if you hold a health care care.
Your treatment options
Patients who need to have a skin cancer surgically removed have the option of being referred to a public hospital (by their own GP), operated on at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic, or referred to another private operating theatre.
Public hospital
If a patient has a procedure done in a public hospital, the total cost of the operation is carried by the state government. However, these procedures are subject to referral to a general surgeon and this can unfortunately have lengthy waiting lists, particularly for less severe cancers. Many patients instead elect to use a private theatre to have their cancer removed.
Patients who wish to seek treatment via the public health system will need to see their regular GP for a referral.
Private facilities
Bunbury Skin Cancer clinic is a private facility. All private surgical facilities charge two fee components:
- Medical practitioner’s fee
- Facility fee
Treatment at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic
At Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic, the medical practitioner’s fee is directly billed to Medicare.
The facility fee is the fee to cover the costs of running our operating rooms, including infrastructure, medical consumables and nurses wages. Unfortunately, neither the health funds nor state government are willing to subsidise the costs of running our operating rooms, forcing us to charge a fee for this, payable by all patients including pensioners. Fortunately, the fee we charge is roughly at-cost, and is less than 20 % of the charge in a private hospital, which makes it accessible to the great majority of patients.
Typically, facility fees at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic are as follows:
At Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic, the medical practitioner’s fee is directly billed to Medicare.
The facility fee is the fee to cover the costs of running our operating rooms, including infrastructure, medical consumables and nurses wages. Unfortunately, neither the health funds nor state government are willing to subsidise the costs of running our operating rooms, forcing us to charge a fee for this, payable by all patients including pensioners. Fortunately, the fee we charge is roughly at-cost, and is less than 20 % of the charge in a private hospital, which makes it accessible to the great majority of patients.
Typically, facility fees at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic are as follows:
| Procedure | Standard fee | Health care card,
Commonwealth seniors card |
Pensioners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard excision | $220 | $175 | $145 |
| Biopsy | $110 | $87.50 | $72.50 |
Fees may be higher for multiple / complex surgeries.
We are proud of being able to offer a high-quality, yet affordable service to the community. Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic is currently removing approximately 200 cancers per week.
Please discuss any concerns regarding our fees with the medical practitioner concerned or our practice manager.
Treatment at private day care surgeries or the private hospital
Typically, at private day surgeries or private hospital, it costs the patient $1300 to $1600 to have one small skin cancer removed from the face. This estimate does not consider consultation fees with the specialist, or any fees that the anaesthetist may charge.
The fees levied at private day surgeries are much higher than what we charge at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic. For those with private health cover, some of this may be refundable by their insurance. You will need to enquire with your health fund as the the level of rebate afforded by your private health insurance.
For some poorly defined cancers in difficult locations, such as the nose, the medical practitioners at Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic may recommend referral to a Mohrs micrographic surgeon at a different private clinic in Perth. However, in most routine cases, it will be possible to remove skin cancers at Bunbury Skin Cancer clinic very effectively and at modest cost.
Medicare Rebate
Once the pathology results are received by your medical practitioner an invoice will be sent direct to Medicare on your behalf. You will receive a cheque for the medical practitioner from Medicare. It is your responsibility to present this cheque to Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic as soon as you receive this to clear your account.
Our business is proudly licensed with OneMusic Australia. Music creators deserve to get paid when we play their music!
Please call reception to reschedule your appointment if you are feeling unwell. Further information may be found on our coronavirus status page.
Due to long waiting times for appointments, Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic will charge a fee if you do not turn up for your appointment. If you are unable to attend, please call reception to reschedule your appointment.
Early detection is critical! Around 95% of skin cancers can be successfully treated if they are found early. As such, health professionals highly recommend a skin cancer check at least once a year.
As melanomas and other skin cancers can develop anywhere on the body where there is skin, a full body screening is highly recommended. Your practitioner will ask you to dress down to your underwear and to take off your shoes and socks. Should you prefer you may also wear bathers, boxer shorts, or a crop top.
We do not hurry our consultations. A full 15 minutes is allocated to allow for the conduct of a thorough skin check, discussion of findings and planning appropriate management.
Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic does not rely on digital screening tools such as Molemax. Previously, a $35,000 machine was purchased by BSCC, but after a trial, it was taken to the tip. The reason for this is that it is still relatively new technology and fairly inaccurate at diagnosing or ruling out cancer, compared with a trained doctor using a dermatoscope. Many other skin cancer clinics are using these machines, mainly as a marketing tool.
Bunbury Skin Cancer Clinic will not compromise on the quality of its care by using these marketing gimmicks.
Above: Humans are still far better at recognising visual patterns than machines, which is why these ‘captchas’ are able to distinguish real humans from computer algorithms. Similarly, a highly-trained doctor is able to diagnose cancers more accurately than a computer algorithm.
“A number of non-invasive approaches have been developed over the years to provide an objective means of evaluating and diagnosing skin melanoma. However, the current gold-standard in melanoma diagnosis is the examination of a skin lesion by the trained eye of a physician followed by histological examination of an invasive excisional biopsy of the skin specimen.”
Guitera P, Menzies SW. State of the art of diagnostic technology for early-stage melanoma. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2011 May;11(5):715-23. doi: 10.1586/era.11.43. PMID: 21554047.