Full skin checks and Excisions

Education, Prevention & early Detection are the keys to reducing your risks of skin cancer.

With one in twenty Queenslanders likely to be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime, it is no wonder that Brisbane is often called the skin cancer capital of the world. More than 1300 Australians die from skin cancer each year, and one in two will get skin cancer in their lifetime. We use state-of-the-art high resolution imaging to improve the likelihood of early detection of all types of skin cancers to assist with a patient’s diagnosis and management.

What is skin cancer?

There are 3 important types of skin cancer:

• Basal Cell Carcinoma or BCC
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma or SCC
• Malignant Melanoma – the most serious

Understanding the differences between these, and how to treat them effectively requires training and expertise. 

Every change in a mole is an alarm signal, and they can often be in the most obscure hidden areas such as between your toes and within the hairline. If you notice any of the following changes, we recommend you book in to see one of our Skin Cancer Clinic doctors immediately:

• Change in colour
• Irregular edges
• Changes in the surrounding skin e.g. reddening, itching or an odd sensation, scaliness, roughness, oozing, bleeding, or
• A sore that doesn’t heal
• A mole that bleeds
• New moles (especially if occurring after 25 years of age)

How do we get skin cancer?

Each one of us can be at risk of developing skin cancer. The risk does increases as you get older, therefore being vigilant is important.

The most obvious cause of skin cancer is too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation (from sunlight or tanning beds and lamps) UV is the invisible killer that you can't see and can't feel. Even mild sunburn can cause long lasting damage to normal skin. Heat and high temperatures are not an indication of the level of UV radiation; you can be exposed to dangerous levels of UV even in winter. Look for UV Alerts issued by the Department of Meteorology to better know your risks day to day. UV levels of 3 (moderate) and above can damage your skin and can cause skin cancer.

Your skin type can also be a risk factor when it comes to developing skin cancer. People with pale skin which burns easily or doesn't tan much or at all, or those with natural red or blond hair are potentially more at risk.

A family history of skin cancer or a weakened immune system may increase your chances of developing skin cancer.

Talk to your doctor about these factors when you book in for your next skin check or go to www.cancer.org.au/preventing-cancer/sun-protection/causes-of-skin-cancer.html   

How can I help prevent skin cancer?

Lowering your risk of skin cancer can be as simple as avoiding long exposure to intense sunlight and practicing sun safety. You can still exercise and enjoy the outdoors while using sun safety at the same time.   

The key steps to being SunSmart are easy to use all the time:

• Step 1 – seek shade where possible
• Step 2 – wear protective clothing that covers your arms, legs and body
• Step 3 – wear a broad brimmed hat that shades your face and neck
• Step 4 – wear good quality UV protection sunglasses
• Step 5 – apply SPF30+ broad-spectrum, water resistant sunscreen every 2 hours
• Step 6 – Check the UV rating at   before stepping outside – perhaps you can avoid being outdoors during the highest risk times of day

Click here for more information (PDF)

Please call the surgery on 07 3351 0323 to arrange a skin consult.

All skin cancer consultations will be privately charged. Standard fee will be $ 106.00 with a Medicare rebate of $ 42.85. Children 15 years old and under, full time students under the age of 25, Commonwealth Pension card, health care card and Disability Pension card holders will be charged a reduced standard fee of $ 83.00 with a Medicare rebate of $ 42.85. Commonwealth Senior Card holders will be charged a reduced standard fee of $ 86.00 with a Medicare rebate of $ 42.85. Any extra procedures such as freezing, biopsies or excisions will incur an extra fee.

Please note that all skin checks appointments made with Dr Trish Baker will be booked for a longer length of time than usual standard appointments. Fees for all skin checks with Dr Baker will start at $ 172.00 for all private patients, $ 126.00 for children 15 years old and younger, students between the age of 16 and 25 and anyone on a Commonwealth Pension card, Health Care card and Disability Pension card, and $ 152.00 for all Commonwealth Senior card holders. Patients will receive a higher Medicare rebate of $ 82.90.

The doctors of Keperra Family Practice and Skin Cancer Clinic, supported by our team of nursing and administration staff, provide a comprehensive range of health services to meet the health needs of our community.

These include:

• Minor trauma services
• Skin cancer checks
• Minor surgery
• Medical marijuana prescribing - only available to patients over the age of 25
• Iron infusions
• Microscopy guided ear suction
• Women’s Health: all forms of contraception including long-acting reversible contraception; menopause health; puberty and other adolescence related health issues
• Men’s health
• Children’s health
• Mental health
• Vaccinations
• Travel medicine
• Pre-employment medicals
• Health Assessments
• Care Plans

If you need a service not provided your doctor will know where to refer you, so your health needs are met.

he doctors at Keperra Family Practice each work for themselves as tenant doctors and set their own fees. They are private billing doctors, endeavouring to keep their fees affordable to ensure all patients have access to essential healthcare. The doctors are supported in their individual practices by the team at Keperra Family Practice.

The doctors accept EFTPOS, credit cards and cash for your convenience. Patients will receive a rebate from Medicare for privately billed consultations. Surcharges apply to all credit, debit and Eftpos payments.

We use Tyro which is a quick, secure and convenient way to claim your rebate on the spot.

Bulk billing will only be available to:

• DVA Gold Card holders.
• DVA White card holders for specific conditions.
• Childhood immunisations.
• GP Management care plans and yearly health assessments, aimed to improve and manage a chronic health condition. A care plan is a specific type of appointment only available to patients with certain chronic health conditions and it can only be reviewed every 3 months.

A reduced fee is offered to children 15 years old and under, full-time students under the age of 25 and Commonwealth Concession Card holders. Commonwealth Concession cards include: Aged pension card, Senior card, Health Care card and Disability Pension card.

All consultations are required to be paid in full on the day of the appointment and the Medicare rebate will be processed immediately.

Existing patients may request a repeat script online or via the phone.

The request will be forwarded to their regular GP for approval and there may be a 48 business hour wait. Please note the issuing of the repeat script will be entirely under the discretion of the practitioner and they may request an appointment if a review is needed before providing a script or referral.

This service is only available to current existing patients of the practice and the fee is $ 20.00 and there is no Medicare rebate.

Please note this service is only available for repeat scripts, and not for new scripts and not for medications deemed addictive such as sleeping tablets, benzodiazepines, opiates or narcotics.

Credit cards details are required during the request process however payment will only be raised on issued scripts.

Below are our standard fees for both face-to-face and telehealth consultations:

All skin cancer consultations will be privately charged. Standard fee will be $ 106.00 with a Medicare rebate of $ 42.85. Children 15 years old and under, full time students under the age of 25, Commonwealth Pension card, health care card and Disability Pension card holders will be charged a reduced standard fee of $ 83.00 with a Medicare rebate of $ 42.85. Commonwealth Senior Card holders will be charged a reduced standard fee of $ 86.00 with a Medicare rebate of $ 42.85. Any extra procedures such as freezing, biopsies or excisions will incur an extra fee.

If patients need to see a doctor or get tests regularly, they could end up with high medical costs. Medicare Safety Nets can help to lower the out-of-pocket costs. When patients spend certain amounts in gap and out of pocket costs, they will reach the thresholds, which means they will start getting higher Medicare benefits and more money back for certain services.

Patients enrolled in Medicare are eligible for Medicare Safety Nets and if they are part of a family or couple they can combine the costs by registering as a family.

Please visit the Medicare website to find out more: Medicare Safety Nets - Services Australia

We understand sometimes changes need to be made to appointments, however any cancellations or changes to any face-to-face and telehealth appointments made within three hours of a scheduled appointment will incur a $ 20.00 fee which will be required to be paid prior to be able to make any further appointments. A $ 20.00 fee will also apply if a patient fails to attend an appointment without notifying the practice.

Sometimes paperwork is unavoidable! To make it easier for you, we have provided the forms below for you to print out and complete prior to your appointment. This will give you the opportunity to provide more detailed information that can often be forgotten at your appointment. You can either bring the form with you or fax it to us on 3851 4508 prior to your appointment.

If you prefer to fill them out at the practice prior to your appointment, please arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to do so.

These forms can be downloaded in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader® installed on your computer to view PDF files.

New Patient Forms: 

We welcome new patients to the practice.  Please complete this form prior to your first visit with us.
Download (PDF)

Skin Cancer Checks: 

This form provides information on what to expect when you vist our Skin Cancer Clinic.
Download (PDF)