General
Please bring the following as applicable:
1. Medicare details,
2. Private health insurance (if any),
3. Pension or concession cards (in your own name)
4. Original signed referral from your General Practitioner or family doctor
5. Any pertinent x-ray reports and test results
The following, if available are very handy:
1. A list of all medications that you are currently taking
2. A list of any known drug allergies and the symptoms you may have from taking these medicines
3. Any previous procedure or surgery reports, if you have had surgery elsewhere (if available)
Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. Our privacy policy is available if you wish to see it. Please ask staff for a copy. We will not release the contents of your medical file without your consent except in specific situations (please refer to our privacy policy for details).
During your initial visit, your doctor will discuss your medical history and other relevant details, perform relevant examination as required, review previous results, provide you with a management plan and answer any questions that you may have.
Management plan may include further investigations or specific procedures. You will also be informed about specific issues in relation to your management plan, treatment options, pros and cons including risks associated with these options or procedures.
The information is provided to aid you to make an informed decision about your health and acceptable management. Once (and when) you have made the decision, relevant paperwork will be completed and presented to you for approval.
Our practice hours are from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday through Thursday & 8:30am to 1:00 pm on Friday. We are closed on public holidays, weekends and for a short period over Christmas / New year.
Appointments can be made by telephoning our practice at (08) 8523 2500 or Online
Appointments are given on “first come first serve” basis.
We do aim to schedule all appointments within a reasonable time frame and preferably as soon as possible. However, there can be a delay between the time you contact us for an appointment to the actual appointment time.
At times, we do have to triage our referrals based on their symptoms, so that those requiring more acute care are seen earlier. Due to this reason, your turn may not be strictly in order of receipt of your referral.
We do have a provision for urgent appointments. These are based strictly on medical grounds and, due to clinical nature of the condition, they will always be given priority.
If your health concerns are urgent, speak to your referring physician (in most cases your GP) so that they can advise us of the medical reasons for your priority. We will try our best to take this into account.
If you feel you need a longer appointment, or have several issues to discuss, please let staff know when making your appointment, and we can allow appropriate time.
This may be due to, among other reasons, if a patient has needed urgent attention unexpectedly or some un-anticipated complexity was encountered. Please be assured that when it's your turn, we will not rush to catch up & will give your consult the time it deserves.
If the doctor is behind schedule, the receptionist will inform you upon arrival to the clinic or if the doctor is running significantly late the receptionist will attempt to contact you prior to your scheduled appointment time to advise you of the delay.
Please feel free to call prior to your appointment to see if your doctor is on time. This helps prevent long waiting times.
We’ll try to, if time permits, accommodate you when you are able to reach us. In certain situations, either due to appointments further down the queue or other commitment of your doctor, we may have to reschedule your appointment. We will try to accommodate your preferred time to our best ability.
If you are not able to keep your appointment, we really appreciate a call to let us know as much in advance as possible. This will help us optimize our time utilization or, even better, we may be able to give your appointment to someone else in the queue.
We reserve the right to apply a fee for non-attendance without notice. This fee is not rebatable & cannot be claimed from Medicare. Therefore, if applied, settling this account will be your responsibility.
However, as per Medicare rules, we do need a written referral from your GP addressed to the specific doctor you will be consulting before or at the time of consultation itself. The letter must be dated for the day of consultation or prior. This is a legal requirement as Medicare will pay rebates for specialist services only if you have been referred appropriately.
Also, the specialist you are seeing needs information on your general health and relevant past medication history to plan a treatment that is appropriate for you and your condition.
We do NOT have any after hours service provisions. Our working hours are from Monday to Thursday 8:30 am to 4:30pm & Friday 8:30am to 1:00 pm.
There is no provision on site to handle acute medical care requirements, emergencies or after hour services. You may wish to attend the emergency department of the hospital closest to you.
If your situation is life threatening or requires urgent attention, please call 000.
Medicare & Fees
A standard fee is charged for every consultation which vary with the nature of consult (e.g. initial consult vs. review). This account is payable in full at the time of consultation. We do not issue accounts.
Medicare will reimburse a part of this consultation fee. This means that there will be a part of your consultation fee which will not be covered by Medicare. Health funds do not reimburse any part of the outpatient consultation fees. It is important that you ask about this gap before the consultation, preferably at the time of making your appointment. Our staff is fully informed with charges and rebates and will be able to help you navigate your way through this.
Concessional rates are applicable if you have a valid concession card in your own name, for pensioners, etc. Whether these will apply is at the absolute discretion of the treating physician (we do not accept Senior’s Health Care Cards as valid cards for concessional rates).
We can organize an immediate refund from Medicare for you. To be able to claim the Medicare rebate on the spot, you will either need to have a debit or savings card for the refund or have your bank details registered with Medicare.
Cash, debit cards or credit cards (MasterCard, VISA) are acceptable means of payment. We do not accept American Express cards, PayPal, Gift Cards or personal cheques.
You do not need private health insurance for a consultation or a procedure. If you have only Medicare cover, your procedure or surgery can be organized at a public hospital with no cost to you. Having private health insurance (with hospital cover) will allow you more choice and better control in terms of facility and timing of your procedure or surgery.
Private Health insurance allows you and your family to access the health services at a time of your choice (rather than having to wait for your turn in a public hospital waiting list). It also allows an option from range of private hospitals to choose from.
It is a Medicare requirement that we receive a valid signed and dated referral prior to your appointment.
We can offer you an appointment without a referral (it may not be always feasible to have it sent over before scheduling an appointment). However, we do require you to source a referral from your doctor prior to this appointment.
If you have any questions about seeing medical specialists or about the Medicare benefits system, please ask your family doctor or contact Medicare on 13 2011.
DVA Gold card holders & Workcover claim patients do not have any out-of-pocket expenses. However, you need to present your valid DVA Gold card or approved Workcover claim number prior to the appointment for this.
We do not issue accounts. All outstanding accounts will be referred to debt recovery agency and any charges incurred in doing so will be passed on to the client in addition to a 10% surcharge on total amount due as account processing fees.
Conditions & Procedures
Procedures are offered at either public hospitals (Gawler Health Service & Modbury Public Hospital) or private hospitals (Calvary Central Districts Hospital & North Eastern Community Hospital).
We offer a wide range of services. Some examples include:
Cholecystectomy (gall bladder surgery)
Hernia repair (laparoscopic or open)
Carpal Tunnel Release
Skin lesions
Lump & bumps
Diagnostic Scopes (Colonoscopy & Upper GI endoscopy)
Miscellaneous (abscesses, appendix, node/muscle/artery biopsies, pilonidal sinus, vascular access like infusaports, biopsies of lymph nodes or temporal artery, etc.)
Pelvic floor (Fecal Incontinence, rectal prolapse, haemorrhoids, fissures and fistula, sacral nerve modulation)
If you have any questions, please speak to your doctor who will be the best person to advise you. If we cannot offer treatment for your specific condition, we are happy to organize a referral for you to an appropriate specialist. Alternatively, you may wish to speak to your GP to seek a referral.
It should not !
During a procedure, anaesthesia ensures that you’re comfortable and feel no pain. If general anaesthesia is used, you’ll even sleep through the entire operation. After surgery, any pain of discomfort you may experience can usually be controlled through medication and will usually subside in a matter of days.
Each patient will tolerate pain post-operatively in a different way. While some patients may describe the pain as an ache, others experience greater discomfort. Appropriate pain medications are prescribed for the post-operative patients and to help minimize discomfort.
This differs widely on the procedure that has been performed, your general health and a lot of other factors. Your doctor will advise you on how soon you can return to work.
As a rule of thumb, you are advised to listen to what your body tries to tell you and only do things that you can comfortably do for at least the first 2 weeks, sometimes even longer. Please ask your doctor for more specific information regarding your circumstances.
If you receive anaesthesia (either general anaesthesia or sedation) you are not legally allowed to drive for 24-48 hours afterwards.
Each procedure is different and there is no blanket rule regarding driving. Please ask your doctor regarding more specific advice regarding this.
ALWAYS remember to check with your motor vehicle insurance provider regarding their rules for insurance cover while driving after a procedure. Insurance providers differ in their exclusion periods after a surgery and/or anaesthesia.
Remember, every person is unique and therefore recovery times may vary widely as your body responds differently to the procedure compared to someone else.
The discomfort or pain after surgery should decrease considerably over a period of days following the procedure and your requirement for pain relief medications should proportionately decrease. If, however, you continue to experience disproportionate pain or discomfort or feel concerned, we recommend that you contact us, and we can try to help you.
The time when a patient can resume regular exercises varies based on the operation performed. All patients are encouraged to start a slow walking routine on the second postoperative day.
Regular aerobic and more vigorous activities are not allowed during the first 2 weeks to allow the body to recover and to reduce the risks of bleeding, swelling, and bruising. Weightlifting and contact sports are usually not allowed for at least 1 month in most cases (in some cases up to 2 months or more).
Please speak to the doctor prior to procedure or as soon as possible after it to discuss your case and recommendations suitable to you.
Each medication is different. Please check with your doctor at the time of consultation regarding your diabetic medications.
As a general guide, all oral medications for diabetes need to be stopped prior to surgery (this is just a general principle, so please follow the instructions of medical professionals on this). How long to stop it prior to surgery will be advised (please ask us if it has been missed).
Reasons for using blood thinners and the action of blood thinners vary widely depending on the medication used.
There is no general guide on continuing or stopping blood thinning medications. Various factors like reasons for prescribing these medications, exact type of medication, risks of stopping the medications, other medical conditions like kidney or liver problems, type of procedure or surgery, etc. need to be considered before a recommendation can be made.
Please contact your surgeon who will be able to consider all these and advise appropriately.
Miscellaneous
On road parking is available on Adelaide Road (both sides). Please note that there may be time restrictions to this parking.
Off-road parking is available at that rear of the building. It can be accessed via:
a) Water Lane (this is a one-way road) and access is through Seventh Street (opposite Hyde & Partners Medical Centre)
b) Side entrance to the premises (off Adelaide Road)
Yes we can!
If we have your permission to do so, we send you an SMS reminder to your mobile number regarding your upcoming appointment with the doctor.
Surveillance saves lives !
We are committed to best possible standard of care and surveillance in accordance with guidelines by national and international bodies. We send out reminder letters offering you preventative or surveillance health services appropriate to your needs. (e.g. repeat scopes, CT or ultrasound scans, blood or stool tests or plain simple consultations)
Please feel free to contact us if you are experiencing any inconvenience in keeping these schedules.
If you would prefer not to be part of our system, please inform your doctor or reception staff.
Not all of us communicate in the same language.
Please let us know when booking your appointment if you require a translator or are hearing impaired and staff can make the appropriate arrangements for a translator.
Although translating and interpreting services are provided through the Australian Government, we may have to incur a cost to arrange for the translation service. If we do incur a cost, this will be passed onto you.
Waiting areas:
We aim to provide you with reasonable waiting area while you wait for your turn. There are limited options of reading materials for your benefit.
Please notify staff immediately if you notice any safety hazard or if something concerns you.
Toilets:
There are toilets available on site, strictly for use of patrons. Please contact reception for guidance.
Please notify staff immediately if you notice any safety hazards, if the toilets require restock of supplies or if something concerns you. As a courtesy to people who may use the toilet after you, please leave it as clean as you found it.
Child minding:
Children are a source of joy and full of curiosity! Consequently, they do require undivided attention.
We understand, that at times, you child(ren) may need to accompany you to the clinic for your appointment. There are limited options to entertain a child in the waiting areas. We request you to please supervise your child at all times, while using these.
We do NOT accept any responsibility of any consequences of you or your child using these toys or facilities. As a courtesy to our patrons and others using the area, may we request you to please replace them in their storage once you are done using them.
We do not have any provision for child minding services available on site. It may not be appropriate for children to accompany you into consulting rooms as they may be either a distraction, may hurt themselves inadvertently from equipment in the rooms or due to privacy concerns during periods of discussion or examination.
We DO NOT ALLOW leaving your child of ANY AGE unsupervised in the waiting rooms. Please be mindful of these when planning your visit.
We are sorry that, in spite of our best intentions and efforts, you felt the need to access this section.
Please notify us of your grievance in writing. ALL COMPLAINTS WILL BE DEALT WITH STRICT PRIVACY. We request you to provide us with as much detail as possible along with your preferred contact details. Our practice has a complaints policy to handle all complaints. If you wish, please ask the staff for a copy.
We will evaluate the circumstances of the concerns raised as promptly as we can and get in touch with you.