What to know before you start
A simple guide for patients who have been referred to Refr by their physio or allied health clinician.
Why Refr exists
In Australia, your physio, or another allied health clinician, can only refer you for so much. Medicare usually won't fund a scan they send you for, and to see a surgeon you need a referral from a doctor first.
In practice, that means:
- For some scans, the cost without a Medicare-funded referral runs into the hundreds. The government's Medical Costs Finder puts the typical fee for one common MRI at around $550.
- Ultrasound and simple X-rays attract little or no funding on their own.
- To see a surgeon, or to have one plan surgery, you first need a referral from a GP or specialist.
The usual way around this is to book your own GP, wait a few days, explain it all again, and hope the referral comes out right (what your physio wanted).
Refr does that part for you. We collate the information from your allied health consult, connect you with a GP or specialist online, fast, who reviews your details and, if it's right for you, signs a referral that Medicare can fund. Then we help you find a radiology clinic that bulk bills Medicare-eligible referrals. What's funded, and whether a scan is bulk billed, is decided by that clinic under Medicare rules.
You can still involve your own GP if you’d prefer. Refr is one option, and you choose what suits you. But, refr will be used to help deliver the request to the GP.
What Refr is
Refr helps you get a scan, like an MRI, or a specialist referral quickly, often within a few hours, with no need to arrange your own GP appointment or wait days for one.
Here’s how: a GP or Specialist we connect you with consults and reviews your details in a short phone or video call. The referral comes to your phone. No paper slip.
Because a GP or specialist signs your referral, your scan can be Medicare-funded on this pathway, which often isn't the case when you arrange a scan yourself. Whether a scan is funded, and whether it's bulk billed, is decided by the radiology practice you choose, under Medicare rules.
Refr is not your doctor. It’s the service that connects you with a GP or specialist and looks after the paperwork. The medical decisions are always theirs.
How your referral works
Four steps. Here's what happens once you decide to go ahead.
- 1
Pay
You pay the Refr platform charge, either at the clinic's reception or through a secure link we text to your phone (Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card). The charge covers access to Refr. It's separate from any scan or medical service, and there's more on it below.
- 2
Fill in a short form
We text and email you one link to a short intake form: your date of birth, Medicare number, and a quick safety check if you're having an MRI. About two minutes.
- 3
Talk to a doctor
A GP or specialist we connect you with calls you, usually within a few hours, between 9am and 9pm, every day of the week. For most requests it's a quick phone call. For more specialised requests, it's a short video call instead. They review your details and, if a referral is right for you, they issue it.
- 4
Your referral is ready
Your referral lands in your online portal, ready to download. We help you find and send the referral to a radiology clinic that bulk bills Medicare-eligible referrals, and you book in. Afterwards, we'll remind you to rebook with your physio so they can go through your results with you.
If you don't get to your form, our team follows up, so nothing falls through the cracks.
The benefits, and the things to know
What's good about Refr
Fast. A GP or specialist reviews your request and, if it’s right for you, issues your referral, usually within a few hours, any day between 9am and 9pm.
The best funding available. Because a doctor (GP or Specialist) signs your referral, it can attract Medicare funding that an allied health referral, or your GP, usually can’t.
Your GP can stay in the loop. You can still involve your own GP if you’d like. Your results can be sent to them too.
Back to your physio. Your results also go back to the physio who knows you, so your care carries on without you having to chase anything.
The things to know
What you might still pay. Refr has a platform charge, shown to you before you pay. It covers access to Refr, our network and routing, and is separate from any scan or medical service. The exact amount is always shown up front.
Radiology clinics set their own billing. Within the patient portal, we aim to show only clinics that have indicated they bulk bill Medicare-eligible referrals, but a clinic may charge a small out-of-pocket that Refr doesn't control. Whether a scan is bulk billed is decided by the clinic under Medicare rules.
Seeing a surgeon or specialist. Specialists usually charge their own consultation fee, which varies and is set by the specialist you choose, not by Refr.
Paying for Refr doesn't guarantee a referral or funding. A GP or specialist still makes the medical decision. Because your request comes from your treating allied health clinician, who has already assessed you, it usually arrives well supported, and Refr reports a high rate of referrals being issued. But the decision, and any Medicare funding, is never guaranteed.
Refr isn't emergency care. If your symptoms are severe, getting rapidly worse, or you're worried something is seriously wrong, see a doctor or go to your nearest emergency department. Don't wait on a referral.
Not happy? We'll refund the platform charge. If you're not satisfied with the Refr service, we'll refund what you paid us for it. Terms apply.
Still not sure?
Take your time. You don't have to decide at reception. If anything here isn't clear, ask the physio or clinician treating you, or contact Refr directly using the details below. When you start, we'll walk you through each step and ask you to confirm you're happy before anything happens.
General enquiries
help@refr.com.au
Online support
refr.com.au/contact
What you're agreeing to
- Refr is a platform that can connect you with a partner GP or specialist and looks after the paperwork. Refr is not a healthcare provider and doesn't give medical advice. The GP or specialist makes the medical decisions.
- Your physio or clinician will talk you through Refr and ask if you're happy to go ahead. When you start, we'll also ask you to confirm your consent yourself, so nothing happens without your say-so.
- The Refr platform charge covers access to Refr's technology and workflow services. It's separate from any consultation, scan, or medical service. Payment doesn't guarantee a referral, Medicare benefit, bulk billing, or clinical outcome.
- Any information Refr shows about Medicare funding or eligibility is a guide only, not advice, and isn’t a guarantee. Funding is decided by the radiology clinic or provider under Medicare rules.
For the full detail, read our terms and conditions and privacy policy.