ACT residents are paying the highest prices for medical specialists in five out of 11 non-surgical specialties in the nation, and are also paying the second-highest fees for three other specialties.
Research published earlier this month in the Medical Journal of Australia examined the variations between what different specialists charge for their services.
Nationally, it showed the amount individual specialists charged in fees for a standard Medicare consultation (MBS110) varied by up to 73 per cent in some specialties.
But it has also revealed specialists in Canberra in endocrinology, gastroenterology, immunology, medical oncology and rheumatology were charging the highest fees in the country, compared to all other states and territories.
The paper indicates that for each of those five specialties, ACT patients were being charged between $275 and $325 for a standard Medicare Benefits Schedule 110 specialist consultation.
Similarly, Canberra's haematologists, nephrologists and respiratory medicine specialists charged the second-highest fees compared to those in other states and territories, with charges in those three specialties starting at just over $200 in the ACT.
The paper has highlighted the differences between specialists nationwide and sparked a wider debate specialists' fees, who face little in the way of public scrutiny of their fees.
It remains unclear why those working in these specialities in the ACT are charging in some cases significantly more than other jurisdictions.
Lead researcher Dr Gary L Freed wrote in paper that there was "no clear rationale for the variation in median fees between states and territories".
"High fees for many consultant physician specialties in the ACT may reflect the economic status of the region of that of the patient population," the paper reads.
But Dr Freed told The Canberra Times that he was "unable to state with [any] certainty" what was driving the higher rates in the ACT, but that "it should be investigated".
The paper shows several factors may be at play, including the size of the local market of specialists, waiting times for specialists in the public health system and the fact health insurers do not cover specialists consultations outside of a hospital.
ACT Health has to date been unable to provide up to date figures on waiting times for non-surgical specialists in the public health system.
The research has prompted calls from the Consumers Health Forum and others for a transparent, independent public website to compare specialists on both fees and the quality of their work.
CHF chief executive Leanne Wells said the government could even go as far as penalising specialists who chose not to participate in such a scheme losing their Medicare benefits and "subsidised private health insurance benefits".
The chief executive of Defence Health, a not-for-profit insurer, Gerard Fogarty, also backed the proposal, but he was also open to a website that only GPs could access, to log on during a consultation with a patient.
"The really important thing is that the consumer gets good advice from their GP and has some clarity around what is to be preferred," he said.
"It's interesting that the average consumer would never think to ask (for lower fees), but they would shop around if they were buying plane tickets or hiring a car - I think it's the same principle."
But Ms Wells said such information needed to be available in a "protected, independent and authoritative website that anybody can access".
"Limiting such details to doctors would also likely put more demands on GPs in providing advice to patients," she said.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, which represents specialists, said in a statement the research took "a simplistic view of specialties, given the complexity of care provided and the variable cost of running a practice".
College president Dr Catherine Yelland said that any conversations about fees needed to consider the "broader context of [Medicare] rebates" and the freeze on increases, which had "created the situation where the increasing cost of healthcare is ultimately being passed on to patients".
But Dr Freed said the rebate freeze only played a role in the fees specialists' charged "up to a point".
Clarification: This article previously quoted Gerard Fogarty as CEO of Defence Healthcare. It should have read Defence Health.