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Self funded surgery
If you are paying for your own treatment, whether because you don’t hold private health insurance, your policy excludes this procedure, or you have chosen to self-fund, we can help you understand the full cost of your care before you go ahead.
Your total cost has three parts:
- Surgical fee, quoted by our rooms
- Hospital fee, quoted by the hospital
- Anaesthetic fee, quoted by your anaesthetist (unless your procedure is done under local anaesthetic alone, in which case there is no anaesthetic fee)
We will help you gather estimates for each of these so you know your likely out-of-pocket cost before your admission.
Hospital fee estimate
Your procedure will take place at The Avenue Hospital. We will request a hospital fee estimate on your behalf, which will include any device or prosthesis Dr Tomlinson has listed for your procedure.
As a self-funded patient, The Avenue requires that the estimated hospital costs be paid by you, or your nominee, prior to or on admission to hospital.
For questions about self-funding your treatment with The Avenue, contact:
Sheryl Vail VailS@ramsayhealth.com.au
Payment information for The Avenue Hospital is available here: The Avenue Hospital – Payment Information
Anaesthetic fee estimate
If your procedure requires a general or regional anaesthetic, or sedation, we will request a fee estimate from your anaesthetist.
Our anaesthetists are independent practitioners and each sets their own fees. This means your estimate will reflect the individual fee of the anaesthetist allocated to your procedure.
Local anaesthetic only: some procedures, including carpal tunnel release and trigger finger release, can be performed under local anaesthetic alone. If this option is suitable for you, there is no anaesthetic fee.
Fee estimates are a guide only
All fee estimates – surgical, hospital, anaesthetic, pathology – are based on the procedure as booked. They are a guide, not a guaranteed final cost. Your actual fee may be higher than estimated if, for example:
- Your procedure takes longer than the time estimated
- A prosthesis or device is used that was not anticipated at the time of the estimate
- You unexpectedly need to stay overnight after surgery, for any reason
- Additional screws are required
- A more expensive or longer plate is needed to fix a fracture
Any device or prosthesis that Dr Tomlinson anticipates needing will be listed to the hospital in advance, so it can be included in your hospital fee estimate. Unplanned changes made during surgery for your safety or the best surgical outcome cannot always be predicted in advance.
Getting your estimate
If you are considering a hospital procedure we routinely provide you with a surgical fee estimate and request hospital and (where indicated) anaesthetic fee estimates so you have a clear picture of your total cost ahead of your admission.
These third party fee estimates are set and billed independently of Melbourne Hand Surgery:
- Anaesthetist: if your procedure needs an anaesthetist, their fees are set by them and vary between anaesthetists.
- Hand therapy: some conditions and procedures need hand therapy before or after surgery.
- Radiology: you may choose your own radiology provider and can discuss their billing with them directly.
- Pathology: histopathology for our patients is handled by Histolab. Information for patients is available on the Histolab patient information page. Microbiology for our patients is handled by Melbourne Pathology.
Why we don't provide surgical fee estimates without a prior consultation
We are not able to provide surgical fee estimates to people who email or phone requesting a figure. This is not a barrier we put in your way.
An accurate estimate depends on the specific Medicare item number or numbers for your planned operation, and on your individual circumstances. These are only known after Dr Tomlinson has assessed you. A figure given without them could be wrong, which would defeat the purpose of informed financial consent.
The way to receive an accurate written quotation is to book a consultation. Our consultation fees are set out on our fees page.
Helpful resources
Two independent resources can help you understand medical costs:
- Medical Costs Finder (Australian Government Department of Health): typical costs for common private specialist services. It is a guide only and is not a quotation for your care.
- AMA Guide to Informed Financial Consent (Australian Medical Association): a plain-English guide, developed with medical colleges, explaining costs and the questions worth asking.