Appointment Information

Making an Appointment

Patients are usually seen on referral from general practitioners and specialists. To be eligible to claim a Medicare rebate from the government you need to be both eligible for Medicare and have a current referral.

Referral Requirements for your Appointments

Referral from your General Practitioner or Specialist Physician

A referral provided by your general practitioner will generally last for a period of up to 12 months. After 12 months it is essential for you to provide a new referral from your general practitioner to meet Medicare requirements. If you have been referred by a specialist physician or through a public hospital your referral will only last for a period of three months. Please contact your cardiologist if you are unsure of your referral status.

Interpreters

If any patient is experiencing language difficulties, please inform our reception staff and we can organise an interpreter for your consultation, interpreters may be booked either on site or over the telephone.

Attending the Rooms

Patients can help us deliver the best possible care by following a few simple guidelines:

Make sure your cardiologist is given or is holding a valid referral on your behalf. This will ensure you can claim Medicare rebates. Please inform the cardiologist of the background to your condition.

If you are attending for the first time please arrive some minutes early to fill out any patient information sheet and privacy consent form that may be required.

For billing and Medicare rebate purposes it is vital you bring your Medicare and any concession cards to the appointment.

It is very important that your cardiologist knows what medications you currently use. The safest way to be sure we have the correct information is to bring the medications to the appointment.

X-rays which pertain to your condition should also be brought to appointments. We will let you know when they are no longer required, for you to take home.

Cancellations and Non-attendances

If you are unable to attend your appointment it is in your own interests to ring and make another time without delay. That way we can also make the vacated appointment available to another patient. Waiting times for appointments to see our heart specialists can be kept to a minimum if all vacant appointments are made available to patients.

Privacy Policy and Access to Personal Records

Patient records are protected by our compliance with all privacy legislation and the guidelines of relevant professional bodies such as the AMA.

A request for access to your medical record should generally be directed to your treating Cardiologist.

Concerns

Our cardiologists and staff are passionate about being first choice in cardiology for patients and referring doctors. We apply a culture of continuous learning and improvement to all aspects of our services, with patient wellbeing as the focus of all our activity. Please feel free to discuss with us any concerns you may have regarding your care.

Billing and Payments

Please discuss billing and payments with the individual rooms. Consultations and procedures mostly attract a Medicare rebate or Department of Veteran’s affairs rebate. Some consultations may be Bulk Billed, however many will have an out-of-pocket charge. Payment is requested in full on the day. All rooms accept cash, cheque, and credit card and provide EFTPOS facilities to facilitate easy payment of accounts on the day. (Visa and MasterCard).

For fast refunds we can also lodge Medicare claims online, so that Medicare rebates are automatically sent to your nominated bank account. If you are not registered for online rebates with Medicare you will be sent a refund cheque by mail from Medicare.