Understanding costs is a very important part of my private surgical practice.
Consultation Fees
These reflect the costs involved in running a state-of-the-art medical facility and in maintaining very high quality medical equipment.
Discounts are provided to those with a current valid pensioner card and Gold card holding Veterans are covered by the Department of Veteran's Affairs.
Private Health Insurance does not contribute to consultations outside of hospital but Medicare does rebate a proportion of our fees. At the time of consultation our staff will be happy to process any Medicare claim (provided you have registered your details with Medicare).
Occasionally additional procedures such as endoscopy are performed in the rooms and these are also subject to cost. Please click here to get a better understand what endoscopy entails.
Please contact my office on (03) 9895 0400 for the latest table of fees.
Private Surgical Fees
Fees for surgery include the following:
Operative fees (payable to the Surgeon) - these reflect the duration, complexity and special training required to perform the surgery. The “Gap payment” is the difference between the surgical fees and the refund given from your health fund. It should be stressed different health funds rebate very different amounts for the same surgical service. Gap payments usually reflect the cost of the insurance premium - i.e cheaper insurance = a larger gap payment required to cover the surgical fees. Medicare will also refund part of the surgical fees.
Private Hospital fees (payable to the hospital) - these are determined by the health care facility. They are often fully covered by even the most basic hospital insurance. You will need to check these costs with your insurer prior to booking surgery. They are usually not covered by Medicare.
Anaesthetic fees (payable to the anaesthetist) - these are determined by the Anaesthetist and a quote can be obtained from them prior the surgery. Our staff will tell you who the anaesthetist is well in advance of surgery.
Pathology and Radiology fees (payable to them) - Tissue specimens are often sent to pathology for examination during surgery. Occasionally the need for this is not predicted in advance and additional costs may be incurred. Xrays are rarely needed during surgery. Pathology costs are often covered by private hospital insurance.