Consultation Fees
Full fee is payable on the day of consultation by cash, credit card or Eftpos. Cards accepted are VISA, MasterCard and Amex. We do not accept Diners or personal cheques.
Initial Consultation $280
Review Consultation $180
You will be able to receive a rebate from Medicare that will cover some of the cost for consultation provided an up to date referral is supplied. Your Medicare claim can be submitted at the time of your appointment.
In the event where your overdue account is referred to a collection agency and/or law firm, you will be liable for all costs which would be incurred as if the debt is collected in full, including legal demand costs.
Consultation fees are not claimable from your health fund.
Surgery Fees
A/Professor Donnan’s surgical fees are based on Australian Medical Association (AMA) rates.
You will be provided with an Estimate of Fees prior to your surgery date. This estimate of fees includes the item numbers for your surgical procedure. You will need to confirm with your health insurer that you are fully covered as per this estimate of fees as any benefit not paid by your insurer will be your responsibility.
This estimate of fees is for A/Professor Donnan’s services only and does not cover services provided by any of the following: anaesthetist, surgical assistant, accommodation, radiology, pharmacy, pathology, prostheses/equipment and physiotherapy. As you are admitted as a private patient services provided by those listed above may incur an out of pocket fee.
Full payment is required in advance of your surgical procedure. Following your surgical procedure, you will be issued with an invoice which you can then submit to both Medicare and your health fund for a rebate.
Understanding Surgical Fees
The AMA provides doctors with a schedule (table) of fees that they have determined to be reasonable and fair for the service provided. The structure is very similar to the Medical Benefits Schedule that is published by the Government Department of Health.
Surgical procedures may be described by a single item number or be composed of a number of different items. Surgeons will bill the full amount for a single item or apply a formula for multiple items according to the rule:
Highest item Fee = 100% of that item
Second highest item Fee = 50%
Third highest item Fee = 25%
Forth highest item Fee = 25%
The calculation takes into account that there is dependency between items that accounts for some of the cost.
Out of pocket expenses for the surgeon vary according to both type and level of insurance taken. The table below shows that for a surgery with a fee of $3,920, Medicare would reimburse $1,317 and that due to great variation between insurers the out of pocket expenses vary widely. Anaesthetic and surgical assistant fees may also incur an out of pocket fee.
It is up to the discretion of the insurer how much they will cover.
Prosthetic Costs
Many orthopaedic procedures require the use of a prosthesis, device or therapy. Most devices and therapies we use are registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and approved by the Health Insurers for use.
This means that the majority of devices and therapies are covered by your insurance. It is always wise to check with your insurer that you are covered.
Sometimes a device or therapy is required for your treatment that is not covered and would require a separate payment to be made to the hospital after surgery. We would always do our best to inform you of that potential.
Radiology
For your convenience medical Imaging is available on site at North Melbourne and provided by Lake Imaging.
Lake Imaging provide an immediate service allowing Assoc Prof Donnan to review the images at your appointment without need for travel or parking anywhere else. These are private services that do not bulk bill and do not accept health care or pension cards.
Patients can be referred to other services if they prefer but in most cases will require a second appointment and the images would not be available immediately.
More advanced imaging including ultrasound, CT and MRI is available at the Lake Imaging nearby in North Melbourne
Orthotics
Orthotic services are available through Orthokids who are onsite. This is a private service that would bill you directly for any devices supplied or services rendered.