Referral Process

Accepted ages of referral

We welcome referrals for patients from 0 to 17 years for all general paediatric matters.

We request that referrals to paediatricians only come from registered medical practitioners and are addressed to a specific paediatrician.

General process for referrals

  1. GP referral sent to Paediatrics Ballarat:
    • via mail, fax or Argus – no verbal referrals are accepted.
    • please include current phone and address.
  2. The nominated paediatrician will the triage the urgency of the booking.
  3. A letter is sent to the family acknowledging receipt of the referral and the following:
    • Priority referrals – Notifying the family of a booked time and date for the appointment.
    • General referrals – Asking the family to contact the practice within 60 days to make a booking.
  4. This letter also outlines fees, payment options, rebates and information to be brought on the day.
  5. If we have not received a phone call from a family within 60 days of receiving a referral, a letter will be sent back to the referring doctor and the referral will be discarded.

 Prior to appointment

  • A reminder text will be sent to the family within 48 hours of the appointment.
  • Please note that a fee will apply for any non-attendance, or booking cancelled within 24 hours of an appointment.

Outreach services to Stawell and Horsham

Several of our paediatricians provide outreach services to Stawell and Horsham.  Please note that these clinics are generally very full, however the accepting paediatrician will consider triaging to this service if there is availability.  Please check here for the paediatricians who visit these towns.

Please note

We have attempted to streamline our process to ensure each referral is assessed on its merits and adequate notification occurs for appointments.

It is the responsibility of the family to ensure all contact details are kept up to date.

Please also be aware that Paediatrics Ballarat is a private billing service.  Payment for services will be required in full on the day of an appointment, with any Medicare rebates claimable afterwards.

Queries

If you have any queries regarding this process, please feel free to contact our reception staff.