Frequently Asked Questions
Appointments & Referrals
Do I need a referral? Yes. Best practice medical care is a partnership between your GP and specialists. Referrals ensure all doctors are fully informed of your medical history and ongoing care. GP referrals are valid for 12 months, and specialist referrals are valid for 3 months. Without a valid referral, you cannot claim a Medicare rebate. If your previous referral has expired, you will need a new one from your GP before your visit.
Can I book appointments online? Yes, you can make or rearrange appointments using our secure Patient Portal. Please email or call reception if you need access to the portal.
Can I bring a family member to an appointment? Yes, family members or support people are welcome with the patient’s permission. We strongly recommend that a family member or carer attend if the patient has been referred for memory problems, cognitive changes, or dementia.
Will the neurologist see me earlier if I arrive early? Our neurologists stay on schedule with complex appointments throughout the day and will see you at your scheduled appointment time.
Why may there be a delay in my appointment? Delays occasionally occur due to unexpected medical emergencies or complex clinical care required for earlier patients. We keep you informed as best we can, and apologise for any inconvenience. If you are unable to wait, or in the event of unforeseen cancellation, we will promptly reschedule your appointment.
I feel sick with a cold or flu. Should I attend? Please only attend in person if you are well, as we treat older and vulnerable patients. Contact reception to seamlessly convert your consultation to a telehealth call or reschedule your appointment. If recovering from COVID-19 or experiencing a post-viral cough, please wear a mask when visiting.
How do telehealth and video appointments work? For telephone appointments, your doctor will call you within 30 minutes of your scheduled time, so please keep your phone nearby. For video appointments, you will be provided with a secure meeting link prior to your consultation. You are welcome to forward this link to any family members or carers who wish to join the appointment remotely.
Where can I park when visiting Harbour Neurology? There is metered on-street parking available near our clinic, as well as five commercial parking stations within a short walking distance:
- Greenwood: 90 Pacific Highway
- Secure: 111 Pacific Highway
- Secure: 99 Mount Street (access via Hill Street)
- Secure: 99 Walker Street (access via Little Walker Street)
- Wilson: 1 Pacific Highway (access via Little Walker Street)
Can I bring food or coffee to my appointment? Please do not bring tea, coffee, other hot or cold drinks, or food into the clinic. Bottled water is permitted.
Do you see children or paediatric patients? Our clinic consults with patients aged 16 years and older. Because our doctors are specialists in adult neurology, we do not provide paediatric services. If your child is under 16 and requires neurological assessment, please discuss a referral to a specialist paediatric neurologist with your GP.
Billing, Payments & Medicare
Does Harbour Neurology Bulk Bill? Harbour Neurology is a private billing practice and does not bulk bill.
Do I need to provide a credit card before my appointment? Yes. To secure your booking, credit card details must be provided prior to your appointment via our secure Patient Portal or over the phone with reception. Following your consultation, your stored card is automatically debited, and your Medicare rebate is lodged on your behalf. Appointments may be rescheduled if payment details are not completed beforehand.
How can I pay for an appointment? We accept Visa and Mastercard only. We do not accept Amex, Diners, cash, cheques, or direct debit at checkout.
How and when will I receive my Medicare rebate? Provided you have a valid referral, your claim is lodged with Medicare immediately after payment. Funds typically reach your Medicare-registered bank account within 1 to 3 business days. If not received after 3 days, contact reception or call Medicare on 132 011.
Do you charge a cancellation fee? Yes. Please provide at least 48 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. Cancellations within 48 hours incur a $150 cancellation fee (charged to your stored credit card) unless we can fill your appointment slot.
Do you see Workers' Compensation and CTP patients? Yes, provided your insurer or lawyer has agreed in advance to pay our fee estimate. Otherwise, patients must pay at the appointment and seek reimbursement from their insurer.
Will doctors write a medico-legal report? The minimum fee for a medico-legal report is $4,000 + GST.
Communication & Patient Portal
What is the Patient Portal and how do I use it? Our Patient Portal (powered by Clinic to Cloud) allows you to securely access past invoices, test results, doctor's letters, and upload credit card details or documents. Use is optional, but it allows instant access to your records. If we must manually send information to third parties (like insurers or lawyers), administrative fees may apply.
Can the doctor automatically access my past scans and tests? Our doctors can generally access pathology and scan results if performed by a private clinic or if you have shared them via My Health Record. However, if your scans were performed at a public hospital, you must physically collect the reports and images from the hospital and bring them to your appointment.
Can I email questions to the doctor or request a script? Yes, we welcome your questions and script requests by email. Sending this information in advance is highly encouraged, as it allows your doctor to review your file and address your concerns quickly and efficiently. However, for clinical safety and privacy, doctors cannot provide medical advice or issue scripts directly via an email reply. Once you have emailed your request, we will contact you, or you may contact reception, to book a brief telehealth consultation where your doctor will resolve the matter with you.
I have official documents (e.g., NDIS, Centrelink, Fitness to Drive) to complete. Please book a telehealth consultation. Doctors cannot complete official legal or administrative paperwork via email requests.
My medical letter needs a correction. What should I do? Please email reception with the details, and a telehealth appointment will be arranged at no fee to discuss the changes.
Cognitive Health, Dementia & Clinical Services
Does Harbour Neurology provide emergency care? No. Harbour Neurology is a specialist outpatient clinic and does not operate an emergency or after-hours service. If you require urgent medical attention, please call 000 or attend your nearest hospital emergency department.
I am worried my loved one has dementia. What happens during the initial consultation? Facing a potential dementia diagnosis can feel overwhelming. During your appointment, the neurologist will take a detailed medical history, perform a physical examination, and conduct preliminary cognitive screening to evaluate memory, language, and thinking skills. The neurologist may use terms such as ‘dementia’ or ‘Alzheimer’s disease’ during the consultation.
What tests are required to confirm a dementia diagnosis? Confirming a subtype (like Alzheimer's, frontotemporal, CTE, or Lewy body disease) can take weeks or months. Your doctor may recommend neuropsychological testing, brain imaging (MRI, CT, or PET), and laboratory blood tests to rule out reversible causes.
Do you offer neuropsychology and neurocognitive testing? Yes, we have a team of specialist neuropsychologists who perform comprehensive cognitive assessments. Please note that we only arrange neuropsychology appointments for patients who are actively seeing a Harbour Neurology neurologist. If you have been referred for neuropsychology, you will need to have a consultation with one of our neurologists first before a testing appointment can be booked.
Do I need to prepay for neuropsychology appointments? Yes. Neuropsychology appointments require prepayment two business days prior to your scheduled visit. Your stored credit card will be automatically debited two days before your appointment.
How should we prepare for a memory or dementia appointment? We recommend booking a morning appointment (to manage cognitive fatigue), bringing a family member, preparing written lists of symptoms/medications, and being prepared for direct, open communication regarding safety (including driving assessments and decision-making capacity).
Where can carers and families access immediate support? Contact the National Dementia Helpline (1800 100 500), Carer Gateway (carergateway.gov.au), or My Aged Care (myagedcare.gov.au) for 24/7 guidance and resources.
Are the new Alzheimer’s medications available? Anti-amyloid therapies are now available for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. If you wish to discuss eligibility, please book a consultation with Dr Mobbs.
Do you offer EEGs, Botox therapy, or Nerve Conduction Studies? Yes. We offer routine and sleep-deprived EEGs, Botox therapy for conditions including chronic migraine and hyperhidrosis, and comprehensive Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG) performed by our specialist neurophysiologist.
How do you store and protect my personal data and credit card? All clinical and personal records comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Credit card data is vaulted securely through PCI-DSS-compliant software; our staff cannot view your full card numbers.
Do doctors use AI or record my consultation? Yes. To ensure your doctor can focus entirely on you during your visit rather than typing out notes, our specialists use secure, medical-grade AI clinical assistants (such as Heidi) to help transcribe the consultation and draft clinical letters. These systems temporarily listen to the consultation to generate text but do not permanently store the audio recordings. All AI tools we use are strictly compliant with the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian healthcare data security standards. However, your comfort is our priority; if you prefer not to have AI used during your consultation, simply let your doctor know at the beginning of your appointment, and they will take notes manually.
Will my medical information be shared? We share clinical updates with your GP, treating specialists, hospitals, and My Health Record to ensure ongoing care. We never sell or share data with commercial third parties without explicit consent.