finance
Average Out-of-Pocket Cost for First Australian Dermatology Visit: $230 (2025 Report)
A new Cleanbill report details average out-of-pocket costs for dermatology appointments in Australia at $230 for first visits and nearly $190 for follow-ups, with nationwide increases of almost $18 and $20 respectively over one year. The findings, based on 322 clinics, highlight steeper rises in Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania.
FI
KO
SE
DE
FI
sbs.com.auAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
An average first visit to a dermatologist costs an adult patient without concessions $230 out-of-pocket in Australia. Follow-up appointments cost almost $190 out-of-pocket. These figures come from a Cleanbill report published on Sunday, based on data from 322 clinics.
Cleanbill collected information on the pricing, services, and locations of Australia's dermatology clinics in 2024 and again in late 2025. The report shows the cost of a first dermatology appointment rose nationwide by an average of almost $18 in one year. Follow-up appointments rose by almost $20 in the same period.
Cost increases were steeper in Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania. Australia has just under 700 specialist dermatologists nationally and about 130 dermatology trainees. By comparison, psychiatry has 6,500 qualified psychiatrists and more than 2,500 trainees in Australia.
The number of dermatology training positions is constrained by funding and capacity within public hospitals and public outpatient clinics, according to the Australasian College of Dermatologists. Some repeat patients may have arrangements with their specialist that see them being charged lower fees, said James Gillespie of Cleanbill.
These lower fee arrangements are not usually available to first-time patients.
"Cleanbill is focused on providing insight into the general billing policies of clinics and practitioners so that patients can be aware of costs before booking in for an appointment for the first time," Gillespie said. The report reflects findings from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, he added.
Almost 810,000 Australians aged over 15 didn't see a specialist when they needed to because of cost, based on 2024-25 data from the bureau.
"Specialist care is becoming something you have to budget for, plan for, and in too many cases, go without. That is especially true for dermatology, where ongoing care is often not optional, it is medically necessary. The gap between what Medicare covers and what specialists charge has been widening for years.
