Billing and payments

Our pathology tests will be bulk billed if they are covered under the Medicare Benefits Schedule. However, there a number of occasions where a payment will be required at the time of collection or post-testing.

Receiving a bill from us:

If we have a mobile phone number for you, we’ll send you an SMS with a secure link for you to be able to download a copy of your invoice. To access the invoice you’ll be prompted to enter the postcode that was part of your address on the request form.

If we don’t have a mobile phone number for you, we’ll send the invoice via post.

You can change your preferences for how you receive your invoice at any time, or get help with your invoice, by calling our Accounts team on 1800 350 046 during business hours.

 

Paying your account

Pay Online

You can pay your account online with your Visa or MasterCard using our secure internet payment system “bpoint”.

Note: This will open a new window in your browser to facilitate security of payment directly to us. If you are having difficulty loading this payment page please ensure that your security settings are adjusted to allow pop-ups.

Pay via BPay

Contact your participating bank, credit union or building society to make your payment directly from your bank account. When prompted, simply enter the Biller Code and the reference number, which appears on the front of the payment slip.

Important note: In the event of the account being in default and being referred to an external party for collection, the patient shall be liable for costs arising from default including legal demand letters.

Pre-payment - request a receipt

Itemised Receipts for Paid Invoices

If you pay an invoice via this site you will be given a proof of payment which you can use with the invoice to show payment.

If you need an itemised receipt for an invoice you have paid, please send an email with your invoice number, receipt number, name and date of birth to: WDPAccounts@sdspathology.com

Request a receipt for payment made at a Collection Centre

Medicare card holders
If you are a Medicare card holder and you were required to pay at the time of Collection for one or more tests that are not covered by Medicare, an itemised receipt is not normally supplied.

These tests are not claimable through private health funds.

Other situations:
If you were required to pay at the time of Collection for tests because:

  • You are an overseas visitor or non-Medicare card holder and were not eligible to have the tests paid by Medicare, and need a receipt to lodge a claim via private health insurance, or
  • You had a tests for non-medical reasons and need to present an itemised receipt to a court or to an employer,

Please download and complete this form.

Billing FAQ

In most cases, no you won’t have to pay for your test. Western Diagnostic Pathology will bulk-bill all testing if it’s covered under the Medicare Benefits Schedule.

However, in some cases a patient co-payment may be required when: 

  • The test/s isn’t covered under the Medicare Benefits Schedule
  • The test/s is not performed by Western Diagnostic Pathology
  • You’re a patient in a private hospital
  • The request form is not signed and completed in compliance with Medicare’s rules

There may be a number of reasons for this including:

  • You were a private hospital patient
  • Your test/s are not eligible under Medicare’s rules
  • Your test/s did not comply with Medicare bulk-billing
  • Your test/s had to be performed by a specialised facility or lab

The following tests are not eligible for a Medicare rebate;

  • Immigration DNA testing
  • Parentage DNA testing
  • Surepath

However, some of these tests may be covered by your private health insurance so contact your private health insurer for more details.

If you have a Veteran Affairs Gold Card, you will not incur out-of-pocket expenses for any medical services provided by Western Diagnostic Pathology. 

We will bill your tests directly to the Department of Veteran Affairs for payment. 

You can settle your account online via BPAY or via our payment system ‘bpoint’.

Upon payment you will receive a receipt which you can send to Medicare, or your private health insurer to receive a rebate if the test/s are applicable and eligible.

Most private health insurance funds have a no-gap agreement with Western Diagnostic Pathology. This means that you won’t receive a bill for test/s that are covered by Medicare that were conducted whilst you were in hospital.

You simply need to be with one of these no gap health insurers:

  • BUPA
  • HCF
  • And many others (please contact us to confirm whether your insurer has this agreement with us)

However, there are a few private health insurers who don’t offer their members this no-gap benefit. They prefer their members receive a bill direct from Western Diagnostic Pathology instead.

NIB health insurer is the largest of these private insurers who don’t offer no-gap coverage with our pathology labs (and all other pathology providers). So if you do receive a bill from us, you will need to pay 100% of your account to Western Diagnostic Pathology. Upon payment we will issue you with a receipt which you can send to Medicare and your private health insurance company for a rebate if applicable.

If you receive a bill from us for your in-hospital pathology test/s, and you have no health insurance coverage, then you will need to pay 100% of your account. Upon payment we will issue you with a receipt that you can send to Medicare and your private health insurance company for a rebate if applicable.

If you receive a bill from us, the out-of-pocket expenses will vary depending upon the location and type of services and test/s that was conducted.

Private account charges for pathology tests are based on the Australian Medical Association schedules

We have a gap protection policy which means that after you’ve paid your account with us and claimed back your Medicare rebate, your maximum out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare eligible testing will be no more than $195 per request for non-hospital testing and $250 per hospital stay for Medicare rebated tests.

Note: most insurers do not offer no-gap coverage.

The Medicare Safety Net is designed to help patients with large health care bills from doctors.

The Safety Net means that once you reach a threshold ($500 per patient per year or $1500 per family per year), then your out-of-pocket expenses may be reimbursed. The Medicare Safety Net covers a range of medical services including pathology services that you receive out of hospital. For further information visit the Medicare Australia website.

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