Private health insurance, methodology and interpretation of 'Variation in outpatient consultation fees of psychiatrists in Australia by state and territory'.

This letter to the editor highlights methodological and interpretational issues with a recent paper on private outpatient psychiatric consultation fees in Australia. The authors argue that the study's data collection is incomplete and does not accurately reflect real-world clinical practice. They also point out that the paper fails to acknowledge certain factors, such as state-to-federal cost-shifting and government subsidies, which can affect the estimation of out-of-pocket costs for patients. The authors question the validity of the study's findings and criticize the discussion for proposing actions that are not supported by the data. They suggest that broader consideration of the healthcare context and access to cost subsidies may be necessary to improve equitable accessibility to care. [Extracted from the article]