Patient Information

• APPOINTMENTS
• WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR APPOINTMENT
• COSTS
• PREPARING FOR SURGERY

APPOINTMENTS

All private and public patients require a doctor's referral letter to make an appointment. You can obtain one from your GP or specialist.

Private Patient Appointments

Dr Craig Sommerville     Ph: (07) 5563 1360

Office hours for appointments are from 8 am - 4pm, Monday - Friday. (except public holidays). If you have an after hours emergency, then dial 000 or attend the Allamanda / Pindara Emergency department.

To get a public appointment your referring doctor must send a letter to the Gold Coast Hospital requesting an appointment. There is no guarantee that you will be able to see a particular doctor. Your GP should include as much information as possible to allow the GCUH to decide how urgent your referral

Please let our secretaries know if you require DVA transport to the appointment. They will be happy to arrange this for you. A DVA car will also be available to take you home.

Please arrive 5 minutes before your appointment. We appreciate your time is very valuable and we try to run on schedule. However, because of the nature of our work in our schedules are very unpredictable. Please keep your mobile phones turned on and with you on the day of your appointment. If we are called away to urgently operate, our secretaries will contact you and reschedule. This does not happen often, but we apologise in advance if it does.

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR APPOINTMENTS

Please bring with you:

• Your doctor's referral letter
• All relevant x-rays and blood tests - we must have your actual x-rays (not just the report) to determine the best course of treatment.
• Any family members you need to support you.
• Your medicare card and health fund detail.

COSTS

Private health insurance does not cover the cost of any outpatient services. This includes appointments, x-rays and scans. A proportion of these services is likely to be covered by Medicare.

We charge a fee for the first and subsequent consultations. This fee is variable, depending on the condition you have and the length of your appointment. This fee must be paid at the time of consultation by cash, cheque or credit card. We do not issue accounts.

Medicare will refund some of the cost. We have the HIC Medicare system so if you have your bank details registered with them, we can process your Medicare claim at the time of your appointment.

The cost of private health care and the Medicare system can be very difficult for people to understand. If you need any clarification please call our rooms to discuss on 07 5563 1360.

All patients are assessed on a case by case basis and any fees charged will be informed in writing prior to surgery.

There may be other out-of-pocket fees from your anaesthetist and any other specialists who are asked to look after you. You should ask them ahead of time for any out-of-pocket costs. Ask us who will be performing your anaesthetic and you can make enquiries with them about any out-of-pocket expenses.

If you have an excess on your health insurance policy, you will be asked for this payment when you enter the hospital.

There may be extra costs for x-ray, pharmacy and pathology. You have a right to gain 'informed financial consent'. Fees from other practitioners are beyond our control and you should ask for the costs from each person who is asked to look after you. Patients have a choice when it comes to paying for their health care and you are fully within your rights to shop around.

Provided you have a referral, any person may come and see us for a consultation. The consultation fees mentioned above will apply and you will receive some money back from Medicare.

If you require a procedure and do not have private insurance, we will discuss the options with you. These options may include:

1. Paying the costs to have your surgery in the Allamanda / Pindara Private Hospital:

If you are uninsured and if you would like to take up this option, we will provide you with a quotation for hospital, surgeon and anaesthetic fees. This quote will be the minimum but the cost can be much more.

If you decide to go ahead with this option, please note that payment for the surgeon, assistant surgeon (if required) and anaesthetist must be paid at least one business day prior to your date of surgery. This may be done via cash, cheque or credit card.

2. Be referred on the public hospital waiting list:

You can be assessed and be referred to the public hospital waiting list for a public operation, fully covered by Medicare. The wait for surgery can be unpredictable and determined solely by GCUH.

If you have overseas insurance, you will be given a quotation for surgery, anaesthetic and hospital fees and must pay in full prior to the operation.

PREPARING FOR SURGERY

We will book your operation and ask you to sign a consent form. If you are having major surgery you may be admitted to hospital the day before. Otherwise, you will come in on the day of surgery. You will be notified by reception staff.

Gold Coast Private / Pindara Hospital will contact you by telephone the day before your admission and let you know what to do and what to bring to the hospital.

• You must have nothing to eat or drink for six hours prior to surgery. The hospital will confirm this time with you.
• You must bring all relevant x-rays to the hospital with you.
• If you smoke, it is in your best interests to stop completely, as soon as you can. See your GP for alternatives, if you wish to or call Quitline (13 18 48) if you wish to seek advice.
• If you are having major surgery you should abstain from drinking alcohol as soon as this problem is diagnosed. If you are having gallbladder or hernia surgery, you should not drink the day before your surgery.
• Bring all your current medications with you to the hospital.
• Bring comfortable pyjamas, personal toiletries, small change for newspapers etc.
• Do not bring large amounts of cash or valuables.
• If you are on blood thinners such as Aspirin, Warfarin, Plavix, Iscover, Clopidogrel, Pradaxa, Dabigatran or anti-inflammatory drugs (Brufen, Mobic, Voltaren, etc), they can cause bleeding during surgery. We will advise you about what to do with these drugs prior to surgery. You must let us know about these drugs and the decision to stop them is based on each individual patient's needs.
• Diabetic medications: we will give you advice on whether to take your diabetic medications on the morning of surgery or not. Some diabetics will be admitted the night before the operation.
• If you are taking any alternative medications e.g. St John's Wort, fish oil or garlic, you should stop these tablets one week before surgery as they may lead to bleeding.
• You may continue to take a multivitamin.
• Continue to take all other medications, even on the morning of surgery with a small sip of water

If you have income protection insurance, start doing the claim paperwork before the operation. Centrelink claims can take many weeks to process. It is difficult to recover well when you are worried about finances. Before any major surgery it is wise to get your affairs in order including an Advance Health Directive, Will and Power of Attorney. Talk to your employer and let them know that you may be away from work for many months.

Call the Queensland Cancer Council 13 11 20 as they have a number of general support financial assistance programs in place if needed.

You can contact the Gold Coast Ostomy Association for information or support on 07 5594 7633 or visit their rooms on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am - 3pm at 8 Dunkirk Close Arundel QLD 4214.

Family

This is the time to rely on family and friends for support. If you receive offers of home cooked meals and household help, you should accept them happily. That way, you can concentrate on getting better. It is a good idea to bring your family to any consultations you attend as it is often difficult for patient's to remember things at this emotional time.

If you are a public patient, your surgery will take place at:

Nerang Street
Southport QLD 4215
Ph: 07 5519 8211
The pre-admission staff will tell you about the admissions process when you are booked for surgery.