Our reception staff are able to provide an estimate of the fees for your initial and follow up consultations at the time of making the appointment. We ask that all consultation fees be paid on the day of your appointment. We accept cash, cheque or credit card (excluding American Express or Diners). A current referal from your General Practitioner or another specialist is required for you to claim a rebate through Medicare.
After your initial consultation, if surgery is recommended, we will provide you with a quote for the fees which apply for that procedure. Our clinic staff are not able to provide quotes for surgery prior to your initial consultation, as the fee is determined by the type, nature and complexity of the operation as recommended by Dr Weinrauch. Your itemised quote will include an estimate of the Surgeon's Procedural Fee, Surgical Assistant's Fee (if applicable) and the private health care/ Medicare rebates which may apply.
The Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) is a listing of how much financial assistance the government will provide to assist patients with the costs associated with health care provided by a private specialist.
A gap is the difference between what the doctor charges and the Medicare rebate. For operations, your health insurance provider will pay a portion of the gap. The amount of assistance varies between different health insurance funds. The remainder of the gap represents an 'out of pocket' expense to the patient.
The MBS schedule represents the amount of financial assistance the Commonwealth will provide to patients for private health care, taking into account economic and budgetary constraints. Since the development of the MBS in 1985, the schedule has not increased in line with inflation to reflect the increasing costs of health care provision.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) issues a regularly updated listing of recommended fees for medical services which are calculated taking into consideration the economic burden of providing health care and other circumstances.
An Item Number is a code which identifies a particular medical service or procedure. For example, Total Hip Replacement is identified by the item number '49318'. Some operations involve more than one part, and therefore are associated with more than one item number. When provided with a quote for your operation, the item number(s) will be listed. This information is required by your health insurance provider to calculate the benefit you will receive for this service. The number(s) will also be required by the hospital and other providers of health care services to calculate fees associated with your care.
Some health care funds offer 'Gap-Cover' or 'Co-Payment' arrangements to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses associated with medical services. Benefits payable and conditions associated with gap-cover arrangements are determined by the health insurance providers, and therefore differ between health care funds. Most surgeons do not participate in Gap-Cover arrangements, or participate only on a selective basis.
This information handout has been written by Dr