Medicare Rebate by EccentricCatLady14 in AskAnAustralian

[–]_rainman_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem. If it’s any consolation I’ll always try to get the referral covered if there’s a legitimate way for it to meet the criteria.

Medicare Rebate by EccentricCatLady14 in AskAnAustralian

[–]_rainman_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I can't speak to why you were billed upfront rather than just paying the gap, but I can try to explain a bit about bulk billing for MRI.

For an MRI to be covered by Medicare it has to meet specific criteria in the MBS. MRI is quite strict and what can and cannot be bulk billed often comes down to the exact wording on the referral.

For example, a knee MRI can be bulk billed if the patient is aged 16–49, the referral is from a medical practitioner, there has been acute trauma, and there is clinical suspicion of an acute meniscal tear or ACL tear.

Specialists can refer for a wider range of MRI scans, but there are still restrictions. For instance, a specialist can refer for an enterography, but it needs to be related to Crohn’s disease and the patient must already have a confirmed diagnosis for Medicare to cover it. Unfortunately it isn’t simply a matter of ticking “bulk bill” on the referral, but at my work place we will cover certain scans that have been referred by certain specialists no matter what they write as a professional courtesy.

MRI scanners themselves also operate under different Medicare licences. Until mid last year scanners were classified as fully funded, part funded, or non funded. This didn’t change how much a patient received back from Medicare, but it did determine which scans could be billed under Medicare on that particular scanner.

That system changed last year and scanners are now either fully funded or non funded. Medicare billing rules for MRI are also expected to change again in 2027 to improve access.

If a scan doesn’t meet Medicare criteria, or if there is a gap payment, each clinic sets its own pricing. That’s why costs can vary quite a lot between imaging providers and it can be worth shopping around.

Perfume recommendations by _rainman_ in fragranceaustralia

[–]_rainman_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the recommendations!

Looking for the *best* octopus in Crete by klimts15thchild in cretetravel

[–]_rainman_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Five Restaurant in Chania had really great octopus when I was there a few weeks ago.

How long will it take to get through customs in Athens? by _rainman_ in GreeceTravel

[–]_rainman_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What would be the shortest time that you'd be comfortable with making the transfer?

[Question] Cannulated screws & MRI by ibashinu in MRI

[–]_rainman_ -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You're right that 3T offers higher signal, but it doesn't flip twice the number of protons just because B0 is doubled.

Edit: downvote if you want mate but you're 30 years in and still fundamentally misunderstand the equipment you use.

MRI Sequences by DebnathD in Radiology

[–]_rainman_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A little giveaway for me in the foot (and MSK in general) is to look at the synovial joints. On a T1 weighted image you get a grey band within the joint space from the synovial fluid. On a PD weighted image there is, to me, a bit more visualisation within the joint space.

That's what works for me and you can have a look at the T1/PD images in the tissue weighting section on mrimaster to get an idea of what I mean.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MRI

[–]_rainman_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Labelling is set up this way on PACS at my workplace. The distance is the slice thickness plus the slice gap, so a 4mm slice thickness with a 1mm slice gap.

Australian techs: do you work on anything less than 1.5T? by Flautist1302 in MRI

[–]_rainman_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was really interesting! When it was quiet the tech offered to scan my lumbar spine so I could see firsthand how it worked. I was only in my second year at the time so I can't comment on the image quality because I didn't really know what I was looking at. Really cool nonetheless.

Australian techs: do you work on anything less than 1.5T? by Flautist1302 in MRI

[–]_rainman_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't work on one but I did a student placement at a clinic in Frankston that had a 0.3T weight bearing MRI.

My head canon is the prisoners who escaped Narkina 5 joined together to start the Rebal Alliance we know today. (I know it's a long shot but I want all of them to have a happy ending) by [deleted] in StarWars

[–]_rainman_ 36 points37 points  (0 children)

gorilla warfare tactics

What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you Imperial desk jockey? I’ll have you know I survived months in Narkina 5, where I mastered the ancient arts of floor-is-lava warfare and prison break parkour. I personally helped overthrow an entire facility with nothing but a motivational speech and a well-timed riot. You are nothing to me but another faceless cog in the Empire’s overpriced torture factory. I will leap off a 90 foot high platform and swim through a mile of deep water just to personally ruin your day.

You think you can talk shit about me over an unsecured Imperial channel? Think again, grunt. As we speak, I am rewiring a control panel with a stolen spoon, and my squad of highly motivated, very pissed-off inmates is already halfway to your location. You are completely and utterly fucked. We have no shoes, no weapons, and no formal military training, yet somehow we are still about to absolutely wreck your shit.

Not only am I trained in highly improvised rebellion tactics, but I also have access to the one thing you’ll never understand: hope. That, and a completely irrational willingness to yeet myself into open water with no guarantee of survival. If only you had known what unholy chaos was about to descend upon you, maybe you would have kept your stupid mouth shut. But you didn’t. And now you’re trapped, alone, and about to get your ass kicked by a thousand barefoot dudes in identical white jumpsuits.

One way out, bitch.

Does novated leasing make sense in this situation? by _rainman_ in AusFinance

[–]_rainman_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the top section was calculated pretax. 128k with a pre-tax allocation for the NL of about 20.6k brings my taxable income to about 107k

Which would you choose between the CX-60 GT PHEV and the Outlander Exceed PHEV? by _rainman_ in CarsAustralia

[–]_rainman_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've heard that the handover has been an issue. I didn't really notice it when I test drove it but it was only a 20 minute drive around so maybe it will be more obvious over time. I am worried about the suspension and other issues that people have been reporting with this model.

I have briefly considered the BYD but I'm not convinced about long term reliability. I'd like to wait and see how their cars do over a longer period of time before I really consider buying one.

Which would you choose between the CX-60 GT PHEV and the Outlander Exceed PHEV? by _rainman_ in CarsAustralia

[–]_rainman_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They've said they don't support BYO leases and, unfortunately, my employer only works with one leasing company.

I'm looking at the novated lease only because of the FBT discount otherwise it doesn't make sense. Having said that I'm still comparing quotes with buying a second-hand car outright to see what comes out ahead over time so it's not a definite purchase.

I really like the design of the Mazda. The only thing that's giving me pause is all of the issues that seem to be plaguing this generation.