Our Fee Policy
About Private Fee Patients
Our practice treats private fee patients.
If you choose to be treated as a private patient you will be able to:
- choose your own treating specialist, and
- be treated at hospitals that our doctor is affiliated to or is a visiting medical specialist,
After discharge, your care and follow up appointments will be carried out by Dr Adham in His private rooms or via telehealth.
As a private patient Dr Adham will perform your surgery personally and will also look after you if you are advised to be an in-patient. All follow up appointments will be in our private rooms.
Fee Estimates
We offer informed financial consent to all our patients prior to surgery. This is a pre-treatment estimate of your surgical costs.
While the fees charged may depend on the specific course of treatment, our practice's standard fees are in line with the Australian Medical Association recommended fee schedule. This means that in most instances there will be a ‘gap’ between our surgical fee and what is covered by Medicare and your health insurance fund.
If there is any problem with either the fee estimate or any other billing issue, it is important that you ask our staff. They can help you navigate what can be a complex process by either advising and helping explain the charges and rebate structure.
All Fee Categories
Our practice fees for either Consulting or Surgery may sometimes only be part of your treatment cost.
Other possible fees or disbursements involved in your care are dependent on which course of action is chosen for your treatment. You may need to also check with your health fund to see what is covered for additional areas of service. Potential fee categories to be sure of can include:
- Hospital Fees,
- Surgical Assistant Fees,
- Anaesthetists Fees,
- Diagnostic Tests (Radiology, Pathology), and
- Post-Operative Care.
Patients with Private Health Insurance
Having private health insurance to cover surgery is usually the best option. Not only are you covered for most in-patient hospital services, but you are also covered for anything that might happen - if you need an extra night in hospital, more tests or investigations, medications etc.
Patients with no Private Health Insurance
If you do not have the appropriate level of PHI, you can either have a consultation and await the 12 month waiting period or proceed uninsured (in selected circumstances, discuss with your surgeon to see if you are medically suitable). Dr Adham can also offer you treatment at the Canberra Hospital as a public patient.
Some charges will be partially covered by Medicare such as:
- Surgeon fee - contribution towards outpatient consultation as well as surgery
- Hospital expenses – Theatre costs, bed allocation and equipment costs as well as extras such as pathology/radiology/pharmacy
- Anaesthetic fees – partial Medicare rebate
Payment Policy
About Our Payment Policy
Our reception staff will be happy to advise you of the consultation fee upon booking an appointment over the telephone. Fees for consultation along with other necessary forms will also be sent to you for your convenience upon booking an appointment.
Surgical fees are billed directly to the Health Insurance Providers. Often there are additional fees for out-of pocket co-payments, these amounts may vary depending on the payment type and the complexity of your surgery or procedure. Patients will be advised, in writing, after the consultation, with a fee estimate and the amount of any gap payment.
Fees or programs available for uninsured patients are advised by the accounts manager upon request.
How to Pay
Full payment is expected for your surgery two weeks prior to procedure and you are to claim from your health fund.
For your convenience we accept a number of payment methods in the rooms, by post and online. These payment methods include:
- Credit Card: VISA, Mastercard, Amex
- Cheque or Cash
- Electronic - EFTPOS, Pay Online (BPay)
Other Payment Choices
Early Release Superannuation
Patients may apply to Centrelink for an early release of superannuation funds to cover part or all of the costs involved. More details can be found on the Centrelink website.
If you chose to apply for this, three documents need to be lodged:
Completed application form - click for more information
- A letter of support from your General Practitioner
- A letter of support from our clinic (we will provide this after your initial consultation)
Please note that processing time by Centrelink generally takes around 3 weeks, and allow a further 4-6 weeks for your superannuation fund to release the funds to your personal bank account.
Tax Rebate Scheme For Medical Expenses
A significant rebate can be claimed through your end of year tax return if you incur medical expenses over $2,000 during the one financial year. Anyone can claim the tax offset: there is no upper limit on the amount you can claim, however it is now income tested. The rebate is currently 20 cents for every dollar over the $2000 threshold.
There is no upper limit on the amount you can claim, and it is not means or assets tested. Because this is a rebate rather than a tax deduction, you can claim this from the ATO even if you do not pay tax. As always, also check with your accountant or financial advisor.
Because this is a rebate rather than a tax deduction, you can claim this even if you do not pay tax. It is claimed at question T9 on your tax return. As always, be sure to check with your accountant or financial advisor. Further details can be found by clicking here
