Patient Information

Appointments

Appointments are made as soon as possible depending on the urgency of the problem. If an urgent appointment is required, please explain the nature of it to the Receptionist and we will endeavour to fit you in at the next available urgent appointment. Alternatively your local doctor may wish to contact the practice directly on your behalf.

When you attend your first appointment you will need to bring the following:

  • Referral from you General Practitioner
  • Medicare Card
  • Health insurance details (if applicable)
  • Any relevant X-Rays and Blood results

Due to the nature of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, emergencies do arise. Wherever possible you will be advised of any delays. This is not always possible and I apologise in advance for any unplanned delays. To facilitate good communication ensure your details are up to date with your current home and mobile telephone numbers.

Fees

You may have heard of different types of fees mentioned in the past. The below is a list of what they are and their differences.

  • Health Insurance Commission (HIC) administer Medicare. Every year they publish a Medicare schedule of fees. The government sets these fees. The fee does not reflect the complexity of a particular procedure. The Government will rebate 85% of the schedule fee for an outpatient service and 75% of the fee for an inpatient procedure.
  • Australian Medical Association (AMA) also recommend fees. They take into account the complexity of the procedure or operation and the level of training required to perform these procedures. They are invariably much higher then the scheduled fee. Although reasonable it does put Private health care out of the reach of many people.
  • The ‘Gap’ is the difference between the schedule fee and the Medicare rebate. It is refundable through private health insurance depending on your level of cover. Health insurance covers treatment in an accredited hospital, but does not cover any other consultations in a doctor’s surgery.

The Practice fees are above the Medicare schedule fee but still below those recommended by the AMA. The fee structure is listed in the practice and it is available for you. It would be appreciated if charges for consultations were paid at the time of your visit.

NB. If you are provided with a service by an Anaesthetist, Pathologist, etc, whilst you are a Private patient in hospital, you will be billed independently by them for this service.  

The Pregnancy Management Fee

The Pregnancy Management Fee is a fee charged by all Obstetricians for the management of pregnancy progressing past 28 weeks. It reimburses the Obstetrician the cost of being on call 24 hours a day, answering telephone queries from you, to cover medical indemnity insurance and to coordinate your care. This fee in total is $2,350.

A certain amount of the fee can be reimbursed by Medicare. As of the 1st of January 2010 the federal government changed the Medicare rebate for this item number. To find out your rebate please discuss this with Medicare.

NB. Should you birth your baby via Caesarean Section, an assistant Surgeon is required to assist with the Surgery. The assistant’s fee will be billed directly to your health fund if you are covered by no gap private health fund or separately itemized on your invoice if you are uninsured. The current assistant’s fee for uninsured patients is $189.00.

Gynaecology Fees

If you are in a Private Health Fund you should take details of this with you to the Hospital and if you are not insured but wish to pay for a Hospital bed on a daily basis you should discuss this with the Hospital Cashier at Buderim Private Hospital before you come to Hospital. You can contact Buderim Private Hospital on 5430 3303 for details.

If you are having surgery, a surgical assistant may be required depending on your type of surgery.  This fee varies depending on the type of surgery required and we will endeavour to give all uninsured patients a quote prior to surgery.

On Call Arrangements

Obstetrics and Gynaecology is a demanding specialty. It would be impossible to work efficiently and safely 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. DR Kylie Isaacs works independently and therefore during the week is on call for her own patients, however, chooses to share the weekend On Call demand with five other Obstetricians.

Kylie works every fifth/sixth weekend. That is, she works one weekend on and has four/ five weekends off. During any weekends off DR James Orford, DR George Bogiatzis, DR Kirsten Morrow, DR Kelvin Larwood or DR Nerida Flannery cover for her. All of these doctors have equal qualifications and the cover arrangements work well.

Any leave for holidays or conferences will also be covered by the above doctors.