Surgeon’s Out of Pocket Fee
Consultation Fee
Dr William Braun charge an initial consultation fee.
Under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) this is Item 104.
The fee is $250.00. You will receive a medicare rebate of approximately $75.00 directly made payable to you from Medicare via Cheque or to credited to your linked Bank Account. Review fees are charged at $150.00
Bariatric Patients: If you are a bariatric patient, Dr William Braun will not charge you an out of pocket consultation fee whether you are seeing him for a review or a new general surgery matter. However, a GP referral is essential.
Surgery Out of Pocket:
For privately insured patients, there are ZERO out of pocket fee for:
- Colonoscopy
- Gastroscopy
- Haemorrhoidectomy
- Cholecystectomy (Gallbladder)
- Inguinal Hernia
- Lymph Node Biopsies
Hospital Accommodation
Accommodation fees must be paid prior to admission. You are required to pay accommodation fees based on estimated length of stay for the admission. If you remain in hospital longer than what is expected, you will receive an invoice for the additional amount. The hospital will invoice you directly. The estimate provided to you is subject to change. Depending on your private health insurance, you may only be liable for hospital excess. Please ensure you contact your private health insurer directly to confirm.
Anaesthetist Fees
If Anaesthesia is required during your admission, applicable fees will be charged and you will be charged accordingly. The anaesthetist will invoice you directly. The estimate provided to you is subject to change.
Diagnostics and Pathology
During your admission you may be required to undergo medical imaging and/or clinical testing. The facility will invoice you directly. If additional pathology test is required, an invoice will be sent to you, which you are responsible for payment. Your private health fund may cover a portion of this fee if applicable. Any estimate provided to you is subject to change.
Pharmaceuticals
You will be required to pay for the cost of any discharge medications (if applicable).
Prosthetics
Based on information provided by our practice, we have obtained an estimated fee from the hospital of the surgically implanted prosthetics that may be used during your surgery. The hospital will invoice you directly. The estimate provided to you is subject to change. If the number and type of prosthetics used during surgery increase from that provided in the estimate (subject to change of your procedure type), you will be issued with an additional invoice, which must be paid on day of surgery.
Payment Methods
- EFT
- Visa and Mastercard
- Direct Deposit
- Cash Payment
- Bank Cheque
- Personal Cheques are not accepted.
Don’t Have Private Health Insurance?
If you don’t have private health insurance, the cost of weight loss surgery is going to be expensive for you. The expenses are going to depend on the procedure, the equipment used, the costs of prostheses, theatre fees, surgical payments, assistant surgeon’s fees, anaesthetist’s fees, and the days spent in the hospital.
Plus, if you need any further stay in hospital due to complications, these are not covered by insurance providers and the expected costs might escalate dramatically.
Questions About Your Bill
Q. What billing or insurance information will I receive?
A. You will receive your bill addressed to you for payment. It is up to you to ask your health insurance whether or not you are entitled to a co-payment by them.
If so, you could make arrangements for them to send a cheque direct to our clinic, or you could pay your total bill and seek a rebate.
Q. How long will it take to get things settled with the private health insurance company?
A. It varies, but it is important to have your bill completely paid one week prior to your surgery.
Q. Who else will I get a bill from?
A. Each physician who provides professional services will send you a separate bill from his or her office. These physicians will include:
- your own GP
- your Anaesthetist
- the Hospital
- External service providers
These may include specialists in anaesthesiology, cardiology, emergency medicine, nuclear medicine, pathology, radiology, or urodynamics. You will be responsible for paying these bills as well if this is applicable.
Q. I received a notice that my insurance company has paid on my bill, but I can’t understand how they calculated their payment amount. Do you know?
A. If we have received any such information from your insurance company, we’ll be glad to share it with you. However, for answers to any questions about insurance payments, deductibles, or co-payments, you generally need to check with your insurance company.
