All Medicare-eligible consultations are bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card. Some items, including privately purchased vaccines and consumables, attract a fee.
Weight is one of the hardest things to raise with a doctor, and it should not be. Tap each one.
Four things worth knowing
There is history to go through, other conditions to consider, and options to explain. Saying it is about weight when you book gets you the time the conversation actually needs.
“I'd like a long appointment to talk about weight.”Appetite regulation, medications, thyroid and hormonal conditions, sleep, mental health and genetics all affect weight substantially. Working out what is contributing is part of the assessment, not an excuse.
“I'd like to know if something else is contributing.”Some antidepressants, antipsychotics, steroids, insulin and others can drive weight up, and sometimes there are alternatives. Nobody can consider that without seeing the list.
“Could any of my medications be contributing?”Diets, programmes, apps, gyms, medications, anything. What you tried, what happened, and what made you stop. It is the most useful thing you can bring and it saves the whole appointment.
“Here's what I've tried before and how it went.”Open any of these for what it covers. The starting point is always an assessment rather than a plan handed to you.
Assessment
What happens A look at what is actually going on — your history, your other conditions, your medications, your sleep, your mood, and blood tests where they are indicated.
Thyroid problems, polycystic ovary syndrome, sleep apnoea, depression and several common medications all affect weight, and all of them are treatable in their own right.
The assessment also looks at the things weight affects — blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, liver and joints — because those are often what matters more than the number itself.
Eating
What happens Referral to a dietitian under a care plan where you have an eligible condition, for advice built around what you actually eat and how you actually live.
A dietitian works with your circumstances — shift work, a tight budget, cooking for a family, eating out, the days that go wrong — rather than handing over an ideal week.
Where eating patterns are disordered, or where food has become a source of real distress, that is addressed properly rather than ignored in favour of a meal plan.
Activity
What happens Referral to an exercise physiologist or physiotherapist where pain, injury or a chronic condition makes knowing how much to do genuinely difficult.
Activity improves blood pressure, glucose, mood, sleep and joint pain regardless of what happens to the number on the scales. That is worth having on its own.
Where joints hurt or a heart or lung condition is involved, professional guidance on how much and what kind is far more useful than a general recommendation.
Treatment
What happens An honest discussion of the medical options, including medications and surgical referral, with the benefits, the limitations, the costs and the risks set out clearly.
There are prescription medications used in weight management in Australia. Whether any of them is appropriate depends on your health, your other conditions and your circumstances, and they are not suitable for everyone.
Availability and cost change over time, and several have been affected by supply shortages. Your GP will tell you where things currently stand rather than what a website said last year.
Related
What happens Management of the conditions that weight contributes to — blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnoea, fatty liver, joint pain and fertility.
For many people the useful goal is not a number on the scales but a blood pressure that no longer needs a second tablet, or a knee that manages a full day.
Modest, sustained changes often improve these measurably, well before any target weight is reached.
There is no single answer here, and anyone offering one should be treated with suspicion. Tap a card.
What everything else is built on, whatever else is added later.
Additional options, discussed honestly and only after assessment.
Bulk billed for patients with a valid Medicare card on weekdays. Weekend arrangements differ — please check with reception.
Tap any card for what that part of the visit involves.
Ask for a long appointment. You do not have to explain why to reception — "a few things to go through" is enough.
Flip backWhat has happened over the years, what you have tried, what worked for a while, and what made it stop working.
Flip backMedications, thyroid, hormones, sleep, mood, pain, and life circumstances. Often several at once.
Flip backWeight, height, waist and blood pressure. You can decline to be weighed, and you can ask not to be told the number.
Flip backBloods where they are indicated — thyroid, glucose, cholesterol, liver. A sleep study where snoring and tiredness suggest apnoea.
Flip backSet out honestly, including what each one does and does not do, what it costs, and what happens when it stops.
Flip backSomething you have agreed to rather than been given, with a first step small enough to actually begin.
Flip backBooked before you leave. This is a long-term thing and it goes better with someone checking in than with a plan and silence.
Flip backTap whatever applies and print the list. You are welcome to hand it over rather than say any of it out loud.
This is ordinary general practice work and all of our doctors do it. Filter by who you would rather see.
Our GPs hold general registration with AHPRA. Areas listed are special interests within general practice rather than recognised specialist registration. Every one of our doctors provides this. If the GP you usually see is booked, any of the others can help — your records are shared across the practice, so nobody is starting from scratch.
Pick your situation and what you're coming in for. We'll show you what to expect before you book.
What are you coming in for?
Figures shown are what you pay at the clinic for the appointment itself. Medicines, devices, imaging and specialist fees are set elsewhere. Reception will always confirm the cost with you before anything goes ahead.
No. You have almost certainly heard the general advice already, and repeating it is not medicine. The appointment is about working out what is actually contributing and what would realistically help in your circumstances.
No. You can decline, and you can ask to be weighed without being told the number. Tell the doctor or nurse at the start — it is a common request and nobody will find it odd.
Yes, on weekdays, for patients with a valid Medicare card — including long appointments and care plans. Weekend arrangements differ, so please check with reception. Allied health providers set their own fees and may charge a gap.
It is worth checking. Thyroid problems, polycystic ovary syndrome, sleep apnoea, some hormonal conditions and several common medications all affect weight. That assessment is part of the appointment.
There are prescription medications used in weight management in Australia, and whether any is appropriate depends on your health, your other conditions and your circumstances. Your GP will assess that properly and explain the benefits, the limitations, the cost and what happens when treatment stops. They are not suitable for everyone.
Through a care plan, where you have an eligible chronic condition. Your GP writes it in a long appointment and it brings a set number of Medicare-subsidised allied health visits each calendar year. The dietitian may still charge a gap.
Your GP can discuss whether referral to a specialist service is appropriate for your situation, and what it involves. It is a significant step with real risks and lifelong follow-up, and it is considered rather than recommended as a matter of course.
Modest, sustained change often improves blood pressure, blood glucose, sleep apnoea, fatty liver and joint pain measurably. Many people find those improvements arrive well before any target weight does.
Say so. It is common and it matters. Your GP can address it directly, and a Mental Health Treatment Plan gives you Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions. Psychology is available here at the practice.
Please tell your doctor at the start. It changes the approach substantially — weighing, calorie counting and some forms of advice can be actively harmful, and the right support is specialised. You will be taken seriously and referred appropriately.
If it has been years since you raised this with a doctor because of how it went last time, book a long appointment and say so at the start.
A long appointment to look at what is driving weight change, including sleep, medicines, mood and other conditions, with a practical plan and referral to a dietitian or exercise physiologist where it helps.
You will find us at Shop 5, 2 Town Centre Circuit, Salamander Bay, inside the shopping centre, a few minutes from Nelson Bay, Corlette and Soldiers Point and an easy drive from Anna Bay, Medowie and Lemon Tree Passage.
Book online with HotDoc at any hour, or call (02) 4008 4400.
