Your patients… Our images…
Sound diagnosis…
Reporting Guidelines
North Queensland X-Ray Services are committed to reporting the results of our patients in a timely and accurate manner. With this in mind our radiologists work to the following timeframes:
General exams : Reported within 1 hour
Ultrasound exams : Reported within 2 hours
CT exams : Reported within 3 hours
The maximum wait for these reports is 4 hours.
Echocardiography exams are reported electronically within 14 days. Sonography worksheets are available by fax if you require the initial results sooner.
Important Notes:
- Urgent results are reported directly to the referring practitioner at the time of discovery. Please ensure that your details and the date of referral are clearly legible on all of your referral forms.
- Hardcopy reports are provided with your patients' films and additional copies are available on request.
- Please contact our radiologist direct to clarify any diagnostic outcomes.
- All reports are delivered electronically via Healthlink and reports are automatically downloaded from our clinic every 30 minutes. If you find that your reports are slow in coming through, we may need to adjust your incoming download times to ensure that our computers are in sync. Please contact your nearest clinic for assistance in this regard.
Alternatively, you may wish to contact the HealthLink Helpdesk on Freecall 1800 125 036 or via email at helpdesk@healthlink.net.
Clinical Imaging Guides
With new technology developments in CT and Ultrasound, it's important to be familiar with the procedures now available in the field of medical imaging.
To assist you in referring correctly, we encourage you to view our Clinical Imaging Guides.
The guides are based on industry best practice and have been compiled by our team of Radiologists, Radiographers and Sonographers - the people responsible for performing and reporting these procedures for you.
Should you require specific guidance relating to a patient, please contact us and speak with the doctor on duty.
These guides are a new venture for North Queensland X-Ray Services and have been developed at the request of General Practitioners. Your feedback on their content or requests for additional topics would be welcome and appreciated.
Patient Preparation
To assist you in preparing your patients for their examination, North Queensland X-Ray Services have established a comprehensive patient resource page.
For non-specific patient information, we encourage you to use the following:
- Patient Instructions Summary Page (pdf)
- Why is IV or Oral Contrast Required for CT Examinations (pdf)
We would welcome your feedback on whether our patient resources are a useful addition to your consultation process. To comment on this or to request that we cover additional procedures, please provide your feedback here.
Real-Time Diagnostic Movie Files
At North Queensland X-Ray Services, we understand that words can only say so much – especially where technical jargon is involved.
So why not stop reading for a while and take a look for yourself…
- 2006 Technology Update (pps)
- CT Angiography - Long Leg Runoff (WMV 800k)
- CT Angiography - Renal (WMV 1200k)
- CT Ankle - Orthopaedic Scan (WMV 1100k)
- CT Pulmonary Embolus - Axial View (WMV 3000k)
- CT Pulmonary Embolus - Coronal View (WMV 1700k)
- 4D Ultrasound - Baby Yawning (WMV 1600k)
- 4D Ultrasound - Twins (WMV 2680k)
- 4D Ultrasound - Hand on Face (WMV 2190k)
- Ultrasound Guided Biopsy - Fine Needle Aspirations (WMV 1100k)
- Echocardiography - Aortic Regurgitation (WMV 120k)
- Echocardiography - Impaired Systolic Function (WMV 100k)
Medicare Restrictions and Guidelines
As a bulk billing clinic North Queensland X-Ray Services does not charge your patients at the time of their appointment* #, as long as their referral is clinically indicated. However, there are some restrictions that you need to be aware of.
Are Your Patients Eligible for a Rebate?
- Bone Densitometry (pdf)
- Knee and Shoulder Ultrasound (pdf)
- Nuchal Translucency (pdf)
- Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Podiatrists and Chiropractors (pdf)
General Medicare Information
- Our Price List for Non-Medicare Patients (pdf)
- Sample “Urgent and Necessary” Letter — to accompany referrals for Reciprocal Health Care Card Holders (pdf)
- To view the full version of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, you may wish to visit the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing website. MBS downloads are available at: Department of Health and Ageing.
*excludes Bone Densitometry (DEXA) scans as eligibility for this procedure is tightly controlled by Medicare. When presenting for this procedure, your patients will be asked to pay $75.35 at the time of their appointment. This amount is fully rebateable for patients who are eligible for the procedure.
# If your patient is a Reciprocal Health Care Card Holder from the UK, Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Malta or Italy, he/she is eligible for bulk billing on urgent General X-Ray procedures only providing their examination is deemed by you to be immediately necessary. To receive this service, patients must present with their Medicare card and provide a letter from you that states the procedure is urgent and necessary.
If referred for a CT or Ultrasound examination, the patient will be charged the relevant fee at the time of their appointment, but they will still require a letter from you stating the procedure was urgent and necessary. After the procedure the patient must lodge a claim with Medicare to receive a rebate if eligible. Anyone travelling on a student visa is ineligible for assistance through Medicare regardless of their country of origin.
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