As in the United States, for nonemergency services, all one has to do is contact a primary health care doctor and pay the fee charged for whatever care is provided. The fee is likely to be less than one would pay in the United States. For emergency care they should go to the nearest public acute care hospital which has an emergency department where the appropriate care will be provided and a bill rendered for that care. Nearly all large public hospitals have emergency departments. If one cannot get to the hospital or to a doctor in an emergency situation, one should dial 000 on the telephone for an ambulance.
Australian patients are free to choose their own primary care doctor.
Specialist consultation requires a General Practitioner s referral though in some instances a partial benefit will be paid if the patient consults a specialist without a referral. Patients have a small copayment for the services of those doctors who do not accept Medicare payments as full payment. Public hospital doctors are salaried. When admitted to hospital patients are treated by a doctor selected by the hospital. If the patient chooses, however, to be a private patient in hospital, and choose their own doctor and type of accommodation, they must pay for the additional hospital services and a fee for the doctor s care.