Billing
Bakers Family Medical Centre, Toowoomba are a mixed billing practice
Bulk billing is available to patients who meet the following criteria
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Concession Cards Holders
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Pension Card Holders
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DVA Card Holders
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All children under 16 years of age
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Patients who are NOT eligible to be bulk billed are required to pay their consultation fee in full at the end of the appointment. For your convenience, after you complete your payment, we can process your Medicare claim immediately into your savings or cheque account (via EFTPOS).
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Please ask our friendly reception staff if you have any questions about our fees.
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Examples of our fees include (updated 28/08/2026):
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Standard Consultation Fee – $80 (Medicare rebate $45.05)
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Long Consultation Fee – $150 (Medicare rebate $87.10)
Please note, some procedures also incur additional fees. We will endeavour to inform you of any additional cost prior to you receiving the service.
​Privacy Policy​
Bakers Family Medical Centre Toowoomba takes the privacy of your information seriously
Introduction
This privacy policy is to provide you, our patient, with information on how your personal information, which includes your health information, is collected and used within our Practice, and the circumstances in which we may share it with third parties. This is done using the Australian Privacy Principles (APPS) framework contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988. This document is commonly called a privacy policy and it outlines how we handle personal information collected (including health information) and how we protect the security of this information.​
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This policy explains:
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what personal information we collect
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how we collect your information
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why we collect and use your information
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when we may share your information
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how we protect your information
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how you can access and correct your information
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how you can make a privacy complaint.
This policy is available to patients free of charge and can be provided in an appropriate format on request.
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The information we collect about you is used primarily to provide safe, appropriate and effective healthcare. We only collect, use, hold and disclose information for appropriate purposes and take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, loss and unauthorised access or disclosure.
1. Why do we collect, use, hold and share your personal information
This Practice collects, uses, stores, and shares your personal information primarily to manage your health safely and effectively.
This may include:
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assessing your health
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diagnosing and treating medical conditions
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coordinating your healthcare
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arranging referrals and investigations
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communicating with other healthcare providers involved in your care
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maintaining your medical record
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managing appointments and recalls
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providing preventive healthcare
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processing Medicare, WorkCover, insurance or other claims
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communicating with you about your healthcare
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managing Practice administration.
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We may use your information to contact you about matters relating to your healthcare, such as:
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appointment reminders
- recalls
- health assessments
- immunisations
- preventive healthcare
- follow-up care
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other healthcare-related matters.
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We may also use information for appropriate Practice activities such as:
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quality improvement
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clinical audits
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accreditation
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patient safety activities
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staff education and training
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Practice planning and evaluation
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population health activities using appropriately de-identified information.
Where information is to be used for a purpose that requires your specific consent, we will seek that consent.
2. What personal information do we collect?
The information we will collect about you may include:
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Names, date of birth, addresses, contact details
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Medical information including medical history, medications, immunisations, allergies, adverse reactions, social and family history, and other information relevant to your healthcare
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Medicare card number
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Health care card
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Private insurance details
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Gender – as identified by the patient
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Next of Kin
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Status​
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Country of origin, and arrival details into Australia
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Preferred language for communicating with your health professional
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Information required for billing, claiming and payment purposes.​
We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it is being collected.
3. How do we collect your information?
We may collect your personal information directly from you or, where appropriate, from other sources.
Information may be collected:
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when you register as a patient
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when you make an appointment
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through our online booking or registration systems
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during consultations with our doctors, nurses or other members of the Practice team
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when you contact us by telephone, email or other communication methods
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through forms completed by you
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through pathology, diagnostic imaging and other healthcare services
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through electronic prescribing and secure electronic health information systems
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through My Health Record where applicable
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from your previous GP or other healthcare providers involved in your care
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from hospitals, specialists, allied health professionals, pharmacists and community health services
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from Medicare, private health insurers, the Department of Veterans Affairs or WorkCover where appropriate
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from a parent, guardian, carer or other authorised person where appropriate
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from other sources where permitted or required by law.
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We generally collect information directly from you. However, in some circumstances, we may need to collect information from another source to provide safe and effective healthcare.
When collecting information from third parties, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is accurate, relevant and handled securely.
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4. Dealing with us anonymously
You may request to deal with us anonymously or by using a pseudonym where this is reasonably practicable.
However, there are circumstances where we may need to identify you. For example, identification may be necessary
to:
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provide healthcare safely
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correctly identify your medical record
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prescribe medication
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arrange referrals or investigations
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make Medicare or other claims
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comply with legal requirements.
Where identification is necessary, we will explain this to you where appropriate.
5. When, why and with whom do we share or disclose your personal information?
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We sometimes share your personal information:
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with third parties who work with our practice for business purposes, such as accreditation agencies or information technology providers – these third parties are required to comply with APPs and this policy
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with other healthcare providers
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when it is required or authorised by law (e.g. court subpoenas)
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when it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to a patient’s life, health or safety or public health or safety, or it is impractical to obtain the patient’s consent
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to assist in locating a missing person
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to establish, exercise or defend an equitable claim
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for the purpose of a confidential dispute resolution process
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when there is a statutory requirement to share certain personal information (e.g. some diseases require mandatory notification)
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during the course of providing medical services, through eTP, My Health Record (e.g. via Shared Health Summary, Event Summary).
Only people who need to access your information will be able to do so. Other than in the course of providing medical services or as otherwise described in this policy, our practice will not share personal information with any third party, including your partner or parent, without your consent.
Requests from insurance companies will only be actioned with your consent.
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We will not share your personal information with anyone outside Australia (unless under exceptional circumstances that are permitted by law) without your prior consent.
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Bakers Medical Centre does not use or disclose personal information for the purposes of direct marketing. We will contact you regarding health recalls, appointment reminders, preventative health measures or similar health-related issues.
6. Disclosure to third-party service providers
Bakers Family Medical Centre uses a range of external services and technology providers to support the operation of
the Practice and deliver quality healthcare.
These may include providers of:
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practice management and clinical software
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secure electronic communication
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electronic prescriptions
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referral and document transmission services
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information technology and technical support
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appointment and communication systems
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accreditation and quality services.
Where external providers handle personal information on behalf of the Practice, we take reasonablesteps to ensure
that appropriate privacy and security protections are in place.
Only information reasonably required for the relevant service or purpose will be provided.
7. Electronic health information and document systems
Bakers Family Medical Centre uses secure electronic systems to support healthcare and communication.
These may include systems used for:
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electronic prescriptions
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electronic referrals
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medical correspondence
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secure transfer of health information
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My Health Record
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appointment management
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other approved clinical and administrative functions.
For example, referrals and other clinical documents may be securely transmitted to another healthcare provider
using approved medical communication systems.
Our Practice team members use individual user accounts and passwords and are only provided with access
appropriate to their role.
We take reasonable steps to protect electronic and paper records from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration
or disclosure.
8. My Health Record
Bakers Family Medical Centre participates in the Australian Government's My Health Record system.
Relevant health information may be uploaded to or accessed from My Health Record in accordance with applicable
legislation, healthcare requirements and the patient's preferences and controls.
Examples of information that may be involved include:
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Shared Health Summaries
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Event Summaries
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Prescription information
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Other relevant health information.
If you have questions about My Health Record or how your information is managed within the system, please speak
with your doctor or contact the Practice Manager.
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9. How are Artificial Intelligence (AI) Scribes used?
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Doctors at Bakers Family Medical Centre may use approved artificial intelligence (AI) scribe technology to assist with
clinical documentation.
An AI scribe may use an audio recording of a consultation to assist in preparing a clinical note for your medical
record. In our practice, Heidi or Lyrebird may be used by your doctor.
Your doctor will ask for your consent before using an AI scribe during your consultation.
You can choose not to have an AI scribe used. Choosing not to use an AI scribe will not affect your access to
healthcare
The Practice may use approved systems such as Heidi and Lyrebird, subject to the Practice's current privacy, security
and contractual requirements.
The Practice regularly reviews the systems it uses to ensure that appropriate privacy and information security
requirements are considered.
AI-generated documentation is reviewed by the treating doctor before being incorporated into your medical record.
The treating doctor remains responsible for the accuracy and content of your clinical record.
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10. Will your information be used for marketing purposes?
Bakers Family Medical Centre does not share your information with any organisation for the purpose of marketing.
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11. How is your information used to improve services?
This practice may use your personal information to improve the quality of the services offered to patients through research, analysis of patient data for quality improvement and for training activities within the practice team.
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We may provide de-identified data to other organisations to improve population health outcomes. If we provide this information to other organisations, patients cannot be identified from the information we share; the information is secure and stored within Australia. You can let reception staff know if you do not want your de-identified information shared.
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​At times, research teams approach general practices to recruit eligible patients into specific studies that require access to identifiable information. You may be approached by a member of our practice team to participate in research. Researchers will not approach you directly without your express consent having been provided to the practice. If you provide consent, you will then receive specific information on the research project and how your personal health information will be used, at which point you can decide to participate or not participate in the research project.
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12. How do we protect your information?
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At Bakers Family Medical Centre, your privacy is very important to us. We work hard to keep your personal and health information safe and secure. Here’s how we protect your information:
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Only staff who need your information to care for you can access it.
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We use secure computer systems with passwords and screen locks.
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Our team is trained to keep your information private and confidential.
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We store paper records safely and dispose of them securely when no longer needed.
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We use antivirus software, firewalls, and secure ways to send information electronically.
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Access to certain areas and information is limited to authorised staff only.
We follow strict procedures to make sure your information is handled properly and in line with the law.
If you have any questions about how we protect your privacy, please contact us.
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13. Overseas disclosure of information
Bakers Family Medical Centre aims to use Australian-based services where practicable.
Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, we will comply with the requirements of the
Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles relating to overseas disclosures.
Where required, we will obtain your consent before making an overseas disclosure.
14. How can you Access and Correct Your Personal Information at our Practice?
You generally have a right to request access to the personal information and health information that Bakers Family
Medical Centre holds about you, subject to limited exceptions under privacy law.
You can request access by contacting:
Practice Manager – Colleen Trewavas
Phone: 07 4633 5800
Email: manager@bfmc.net.au
You may be asked to provide information to confirm your identity before access is provided. This helps protect your
medical information from being disclosed to the wrong person.
For some requests, particularly a request for a complete medical record, the Practice may ask you to complete a
records request form to assist us in processing the request.
We will respond to access requests within a reasonable period and generally within 30 days, unless a longer period is
permitted by law or another circumstance applies.
There may be reasonable costs associated with providing copies of extensive medical records. We will advise you of
any applicable fees before proceeding.
If access is refused, we will provide an explanation where required and advise you of available complaint avenues.
15. How can I ask for my information to be corrected?
We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, complete, up to date,
relevant and not misleading.
If you believe information we hold about you is incorrect, you can ask us to correct it.
Please contact:
Practice Manager – Colleen Trewavas
Phone: 07 4633 5800
Email: manager@bfmc.net.au
You do not have to use a particular form to request a correction, although we may ask for information to help us
identify the record or information concerned.
We will respond to your request within a reasonable period and generally within 30 days.
If we do not agree that information should be corrected, we will explain the reason where required and advise you
of your available complaint options.
Where appropriate, you may ask us to attach a statement to your health information recording your disagreement
with the information.
16. How can you lodge a privacy-related complaint, and how will the complaint be handled at our practice?
We take complaints and concerns about your health and privacy seriously. You can express any privacy concerns you may have by phone, email or in writing. We will then endeavour to resolve any issue that you may have in accordance with our Practice Policy.
Please address any written complaints to:
Practice Manager
Bakers Family Medical Centre
96 Taylor Street
Toowoomba 4350
Phone 07 46335800
Email manager@bfmc.net.au
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We will respond to your complaint within 7 days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.
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If you are not satisfied with our response, or if you prefer to make an external complaint, you can contact the:
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
The OAIC can provide information about privacy rights and investigate eligible privacy complaints.
17. How is privacy on the website maintained?
Bakers Family Medical Centre manages its website and takes reasonable steps to protect information submitted
through the website.
Our website does not intentionally collect or store your medical record or personal health information as part of
general website browsing.
Our website may provide access to third-party services, such as online appointment booking systems. Information
submitted through these services may be collected and handled by the relevant service provider in accordance with
its own privacy arrangements.
18. Policy Review Statement
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Bakers Family Medical Centre regularly reviews this Privacy Policy to ensure that it remains current and
reflects our privacy practices and applicable legal and professional requirements.
If significant changes are made, we may notify patients through appropriate communication channels.
The current version of this Privacy Policy will be made available to patients through the Practice and on our
website.
Please check the policy periodically for updates. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
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Updated 08/10/2026
Patient Feedback
We take your opinion seriously.
If you have any concerns about your care or privacy of your health information, we would love to here hear from you. This may be by phone, email, in writing or in person. We will endeavor to resolve any issue in accordance with our Practice Policy.
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For email or written complaints please address to:
Colleen Trewavas
Bakers Family Medical Centre
96 Taylor Street
Toowoomba 4350
Phone 07 46335800
Email manager@bfmc.net.au
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We also happily accept your input on what what we are doing well and what you feel we could improve on.