Why is a full skin check considered a separate consultation?

A full skin check involves a comprehensive clinical assessment of the entire skin, rather than a targeted review of a particular condition or concern.

Because it involves a broader examination and may identify new or unrelated findings, it can fall outside the course of treatment indicated in your existing referral.

A consultation for an existing condition is generally focused on the continuing assessment or management of that condition.

A full skin check requires your dermatologist to assess the skin more broadly, often involving multiple findings and separate clinical decisions.

For this reason, it may represent a separate or expanded scope of care.

Possibly.

If a full skin check is performed outside your existing course of treatment, a consultation fee of $320 may apply instead of the usual $215 subsequent consultation fee.

This fee may apply even where the attendance is billed as a subsequent consultation for Medicare purposes.

If the full skin check represents a new or unrelated condition or course of treatment, a new referral is required for Medicare benefits to be claimed.

There may also be circumstances where a broader skin examination is clinically necessary as part of managing the condition for which you are already receiving treatment. Your dermatologist will determine this based on the clinical circumstances.