Medicare Explained podcast | A/Prof Tony Dicker and Matt Woollard break down how to bill Medicare items 3, 23 and 36 for GP and skin cancer consultations.
HealthCert Education
Choosing the correct Medicare item number for a consultation is not always straightforward, particularly when appointment lengths vary or a patient needs an additional skin check.
In this second episode of Medicare Explained, skin cancer doctor A/Prof Tony Dicker and practice operations expert Matt Woollard explore the Medicare item numbers commonly used for GP consultations, including in skin cancer medicine. They break down the criteria for standard consultations (item 23), longer consultations (item 36), and short consultations (item 3).
The discussion examines what distinguishes these item numbers, why time spent with the patient matters, and how practice appointment schedules can support appropriate billing. They also discuss consultation documentation, tracking appointment times, and the potential compliance concerns associated with claiming longer consultation items.
For GPs working in general practice and skin cancer medicine, understanding these distinctions can help clarify how consultation item numbers apply to everyday clinical scenarios.
Listen to the episode below for a closer look at the criteria and considerations behind Medicare consultation billing.
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Podcast playlist
Listen to all episodes in the Medicare Explained series.
This episode is also available on the HealthCert Education YouTube channel.
🎙️ Medicare ExplainedThis HealthCert Education podcast series takes GPs through the essentials of Medicare billing, building from Medicare fundamentals and consultation billing to investigations, procedures, and more complex clinical scenarios — with an initial focus on skin cancer medicine but later expanding into other areas of primary care. The series also explores billing tools and resources, compliance, and medico-legal considerations, with real case examples to help translate the principles into day-to-day clinical practice. |
H O S T S
A/Prof Tony Dicker
Associate Professor (Skin Cancer) & Course Coordinator MMed (Skin Cancer), The University of Queensland
Tony Dicker has practised full-time Skin Cancer Medicine in Melbourne since 2004, and previously practised in Brisbane. He obtained his PhD from The University of Queensland in molecular biology of skin cancer with Professor Ian Frazer's group at Princess Alexandra Hospital. He then spent three years as a dermatology registrar at the Royal Brisbane and Princess Alexandra Hospitals.
Matt Woollard
Healthcare Entrepreneur & Business Development Consultant
Born and educated in Adelaide, Matt Woollard is a seasoned healthcare entrepreneur with over two decades of experience building, scaling, and transforming healthcare businesses across Australia.
Matt began his healthcare career in 2000 as the second employee of Skin Alert Skin Cancer Clinics, where he worked alongside founder Paul Elmslie to grow the business from the ground up to a network of 14 clinics nationwide over seven years. As Chief Executive Officer of National Skin Cancer Centres, established in 2016, Matt led the business through a period of significant expansion before its successful acquisition by Sonic Clinic Services.
With a deep knowledge of skin cancer medicine, Medicare frameworks, and the operational realities of primary care, Matt's core expertise lies in business development, identifying, structuring, and growing healthcare assets in an increasingly complex and competitive landscape. Today, Matt consults across the broader healthcare sector, partnering with large corporates and private equity firms to develop and de-risk healthcare assets. He remains active in skin cancer medicine and brings the same sharp commercial lens to emerging opportunities in women's and mental health.
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