Treatment and Transport billing
Treatment and Transport billing
Treatment and transport billing
Ambulance Victoria fees
Ambulance is not a free service in Victoria. Ambulance Victoria fees are set in accordance with Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.
Patients who do not have a membership, concession entitlement or other coverage need to pay for the high-quality care they receive.
In some circumstances, the costs of ambulance treatment and transport may be covered by another party.
Coverage
Some people are covered for the cost of ambulance treatment and transport services.
If the ambulance service provided to you was the result of a motor vehicle accident it may be covered by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
In these situations, Ambulance Victoria will invoice the TAC for payment.
In situations where it is unclear whether the ambulance service was due to a motor vehicle accident, you may still receive an invoice.
If you receive an invoice, contact the TAC for claims and claim information on 1300 654 329.
Provide your approved TAC claim number to Ambulance Victoria and we will invoice the TAC for payment.
If the ambulance service provided to you relates to a workplace injury or accident, it may be covered by WorkCover.
If so, please submit your claim through your employer and provide Ambulance Victoria with the details of your approved claim.
Contact your private health insurer to determine if you are covered for ambulance services.
Private health insurance companies write their own terms and conditions, and these can vary. It is your responsibility to ensure you have sufficient cover.
If they do not cover your invoice, you will be responsible for payment.
If you receive an invoice, please act promptly to lodge your claim with your insurer to enable payment by the due date. Ambulance Victoria cannot do this on your behalf.
Holders of a valid Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Gold Card or a DVA Pension Card are covered for clinically necessary ambulance transports. In some cases the holder of a DVA white card will also be covered.
If you hold a White Card and are unsure of your entitlement, we recommend you contact DVA directly to confirm.
Residents of Victoria, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania who are holders of the following cards, valid at the date of transport, are covered for clinically necessary ambulance transports:
- Pensioner Concession Card (includes dependent children listed on the card, but not spouses)
- Health Care Card including dependents and spouses listed on the card (does not include Health Care Card for Carer allowance and foster care issued in the name of the child)
- A child holding a Child Disability Health Care Card, or Foster Child Health Care Card, but not their guardians/families listed on the card
Please note that Commonwealth Seniors Health Cards, Seniors Cards and Medicare Cards do not entitle holders to free ambulance services.
Residents of Queensland and the Northern Territory who have a Pension or Health Care Card should send the Ambulance Victoria invoice to the ambulance service in their state for consideration.
Residents of Western Australia who have a Pension Card (but not a Health Care Card) should send the Ambulance Victoria bill to the ambulance service in their state for consideration.
Neither a Pension Concession Card nor a Health Care Card will provide any coverage for residents of South Australia
Holders of Victorian Ambulance Membership are covered for clinically necessary ambulance transports subject to the rules of the membership scheme.
Dependant students aged 17 years and over are required to provide proof of full-time student status.
Ambulance Victoria membership does not cover every border town. Refer to the approved list of border towns.
It is recommended that you investigate ambulance cover options in your home town to make sure you have sufficient cover should you need ambulance services whilst travelling within Victoria.
If you are covered for Ambulance Service through another Australian Ambulance Service, please verify your entitlement, then forward the Ambulance Victoria invoice to them for payment or verification.
Ambulance Victoria cannot do this on your behalf.
Special rules apply for children under care orders, compulsory mental health patients and asylum seekers.
If you use Ambulance Victoria’s services, please contact us with details of your concession for assessment.
Ambulance Victoria will offer a compassionate exemption to patients where the case record indicates that the patient:
- Required an ambulance following a sexual assault, domestic violence or child abuse;
- Was a deceased child under the age of 18 years.
- Was a member of Victoria’s emergency services who, while on duty, required treatment without transport services.
Hardship assistance
If you receive an invoice for Ambulance Services and find it difficult to pay we can help if you need hardship assistance.
Treatment without transport
Ambulance Victoria charges a fee where treatment has been provided to a patient on scene without the patient being transported by ambulance. Treatment may include professional medical assessment, care or advice for the benefit of the patient.
We will not charge this fee where the ambulance service is activated by a third party and the patient did not know the ambulance was being called, or could not have reasonably authorised it. Where the same ambulance crew treat multiple patients at the same event, the fee will (where practicable) be split evenly between all of the patients.
We invoice according to the information available to us at the time of processing.
You may contact us on 1800 990 029 if you wish to request a billing review because you believe you have received a bill for treatment which you did not authorise, or you were one of multiple patients treated by the same ambulance crew.