Sports and exercise physicians

You’ll need a referral from your GP to book a sports and exercise physician appointment.

Your GP might recommend one to you or you can book one of your choice.  We’ve put together a specialist referral checklist to help you along the way.



To find a sports and exercise physician near you:

1. Visit the Bupa’s Find a Provider tool.
2. Select hospitals & specialists.
3. Enter sports and exercise physician and your suburb or postcode to find a specialist near you.

Sports and exercise physicians have extensive knowledge around movement of the human body. They often treat exercise and sport-specific issues and movement restrictions in the body, including: 

• sports injuries
• chronic (long-term) diseases such as heart disease, obesity, mental illness, and cancer
• pain or discomfort in pregnancy
• exercise issues in adolescence
• movement restrictions for those with a disability.

Bupa has arrangements with some specialists to reduce the costs you pay in their fees when you go into hospital. This is called a Medical Gap Scheme.

When a specialist chooses to use Bupa’s Medical Gap Scheme for your treatment, they agree to only charge up to a certain fee. Bupa pays a much higher amount, so that you pay less. A specialist may be a part of a medical gap scheme, but not use it for your treatment. They can choose whether they want to use it each time.

Your specialist can only use the medical gap scheme in public hospitals or in a private hospital that has an agreement with Bupa.

You can read more about the Medical Gap Scheme and find out if your specialist is a participating provider who works at a hospital near you.

If you’re a Bupa health insurance member, you can check your cover online.

If you’re eligible for Medicare and have a referral from a GP or another specialist, Medicare will reimburse you for a portion of your specialist consultations or treatments. Some specialists may see you without a referral, however Medicare will not cover any of the costs.