At our medical centre, we are dedicated to providing the highest standard of patient care. A central component of this commitment is offering access to the most effective diagnostic technologies available. This post aims to provide a transparent explanation of a necessary fee adjustment for our FotoFinder Automated Total Body Mapping service, ensuring you understand the value and expertise this fee supports.

Effective from our next billing cycle, the fee for a full-body skin check using the FotoFinder system will be adjusted to $375. We recognise that any fee increase requires a clear justification, and we want to be forthright about the reasons for this decision. This adjustment is essential to maintain the viability of this premium service and ensure its continued availability to our community.

The Unmatched Value of FotoFinder Technology
The FotoFinder system represents the pinnacle of skin cancer surveillance technology. It is a highly specialized service that requires significant investment in equipment, software, and dedicated clinical time.

Key features of this service include:

• Exclusive Availability: We are the only practice in the Greater Bunbury region offering the FotoFinder Automated Total Body Mapping system. This technology provides a level of diagnostic precision that is not available through standard skin checks.

• Automated Total Body Mapping: The system captures high-resolution images of your entire skin surface, creating a comprehensive baseline. In subsequent annual checks, it performs an automated comparison to instantly identify any new or changed lesions. This systematic approach is critical for the early detection of melanoma and other skin cancers.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Decision Support: The FotoFinder’s integrated AI analyzes dermoscopic images of suspicious lesions, providing a risk assessment score. This acts as a powerful decision support tool for the clinician, adding an additional layer of analytical precision to the examination.

This combination of total body photography, automated lesion tracking, and AI analysis provides a standard of care that simply cannot be replicated with conventional dermoscopy alone.

The Importance of Clinical Expertise
Advanced technology is only as effective as the clinician operating it. The FotoFinder service is provided exclusively by Dr. Archer, who brings substantial expertise to every consultation.

Dr. Archer’s qualifications include:

• Nearly a decade of dedicated experience in skin cancer medicine and complex skin surgery.

• The near-completion of a Master of Medicine (Skin Cancer) through the University of Queensland. This represents one of the highest levels of postgraduate qualification a GP can attain in this field.

When you book a FotoFinder appointment, you are securing a full hour of one-on-one time with a highly qualified expert dedicated to a meticulous examination of your skin. This level of focused clinical time is a critical part of the service’s value.

Understanding the New Fee Structure
We believe in complete transparency regarding our fees. The new structure is as follows:

• Total Service Fee: $375.00
• Medicare Rebate (Item 44): $125.10
• Patient Out-of-Pocket Cost: $249.90

To place this investment in your health into perspective, an annual out-of-pocket cost of $249.90 equates to approximately $4.80 per week. This is a modest weekly investment for the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are receiving the most thorough and technologically advanced skin cancer screening available.

The fee adjustment is a necessary step to cover the significant operational costs and the extensive clinical time required for this hour-long procedure. In the same period, a doctor could conduct up to five standard consultations. The revised fee ensures we can sustainably protect this appointment time for the comprehensive surveillance our FotoFinder patients require.

Broader Context and Patient Savings
It is also important to consider this adjustment within the context of recent changes to Medicare. New bulk-billing incentives mean that many of our patients who previously paid a private fee for standard consultations are now bulk-billed for those shorter, uncomplicated appointments. For many individuals, the savings from just two or three bulk-billed visits throughout the year will offset the cost of this fee increase for their annual skin check.

Your Health is Our Priority
Our decision to adjust the fee for the FotoFinder service was made to protect and sustain a vital local health resource. It ensures that we can continue to offer our patients a world-class standard of care in skin cancer detection, supported by leading technology and dedicated clinical expertise.

We remain committed to providing your family with the highest quality of medical care. Investing in early and accurate detection is one of the most important steps you can take for your long-term health.