FAQ
Your anaesthetic bill may require an “Out of pocket” expense despite you being privately insured. The reason being is Medicare (the government’s medical care system) and private health funds only cover to a certain level.
When first introduced the Medicare Benefit and the AMA Fee (the fee recommended by the Australian Medical Association) were on par with each other. However, since its inception in 1984, the Government Medicare Benefit has remained relatively static and not kept up with increases in CPI, Inflation, and Average Weekly Earnings.
The Australian Society of Anaesthetists has prepared a document to further understand your billing. To read this click here.
If you wish to discuss your bill please contact our rooms. For contact details click here.
Your anaesthetic bill is separate from your proceduralist’s/surgeon’s or hospital bill. Patients with private health insurance will have a percentage of their bill covered by medicare and their health fund. If your anaesthetist charges you a No Gap then you will have no out of pocket expenses. A Known Gap anaesthetic bill is often charged where you will be required to pay an “out of pocket” fee not covered by your funds. The amount charged is estimated given the predicted time and complexity of your anaesthetic as well as your health fund. You should be given written financial consent prior to your procedure from the rooms if you are having an elective procedure. However if surgery is scheduled at short notice you may receive a phone call from our secretarial staff or have your financial consent discussed with you by your anaesthetist.
This very much depends on the types of medications you take. If you are concerned please contact your anaesthetist. You can contact them via the rooms.
Generally we request you take your regular medications as you would normally on the night before and on the day of surgery. However if you take diabetic medications or blood thinning medications please contact your anaesthetist and/or your surgeon for instructions.
As per the Australian and New Zealand College Guidelines we request all patients fast (not eat) for 6 hours before surgery. You can have water or plain tea or coffee (NO MILK) up until 2 hours before your procedure. We request this for safety reasons and if unfasted you may have your procedure cancelled.
A consultant Anaesthetist Specialist is a doctor who has partaken in further medical training in the specialty of Anaesthesia. Once completing medical school (usually a five to six year course) they are required to work as a generalist hospital doctor for at least two years before they may commence their Specialist Anaesthetic training. In Australia and New Zealand this is a five year training program with structured learning and rigorous exam requirements.
During that time your Anaesthetist trains in the many sub disciplines in medicine related to patient care before, during and after surgery.
This includes
- Post operative pain management
- Acute pain management
- Resuscitation and management of medical emergencies
- Intensive care
Your Anaesthetist will also often have an area within Anaesthetics that they have trained further, and have expertise in.
These may include
- Anaesthesia for Cardiac Surgery
- Paediatrics
- Anaesthesia for Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery
- Anaesthesia for Thoracic and Lung Surgery
- Regional Anaesthesia and Nerve blocks
- Anaesthesia for Orthopaedic Surgery
- Anaesthesia for General, Liver and Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery
- Obstetrics
- Retrieval Medicine
- Acute and Chronic Pain Management
Specialist Anaesthetists in Australia are registered or recognised by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA). All Derwent Anaesthesia Anaesthetists are fellows of this college.