What to Bring
Payment of Your Consultation Fee
Payment in full is required on the day of your appointment. We accept cash, EFTPOS payment with Visa or Mastercard, and cheques. Please note that we do not accept American Express. Once the account is paid, we can transmit your account to Medicare online to immediately claim your rebate on your behalf.
For patients covered by WorkCover, TAC or DVA, we send our accounts directly to the relevant party for payment, and therefore no payment is required from you on the day of your appointment.
Cancelling an Appointment
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can reschedule your appointment and offer your cancelled appointment to another patient. We ask that you kindly give us at least 24 hours’ notice, where possible, when cancelling an appointment.
Consultation Fees
The initial consultation fee with Mr Patten is $230.00, and any subsequent review consultations involve a fee of $120.00. Both fees attract a Medicare rebate, which we can claim on your behalf electronically at the time of payment.
The Cost of Surgery
There are several costs to consider for any surgery you may have. Mr Patten performs all his operations in Epworth Hospital Richmond, a private hospital. For a patient’s hospital admission and surgery, there are numerous involved providers who will bill the patient and their health fund:
For patients covered by WorkCover, TAC, DVA or Defence, there will be no charge from Mr Patten to you for your procedure.
About Mr Patten’s Fees
Orthopaedic procedures are identified by Medicare item numbers. Each item number is associated with a rebate from Medicare and private health funds pay an additional rebate of up to 25%. Over time the cost of running a high-quality practice has risen, and unfortunately the rebates given by Medicare and private health funds have not increased at the same rate. As Mr Patten’s fees are based on the AMA’s recommended fees, which is higher than Medicare’s rebates, this generates an out-of-pocket cost (a ‘gap’) to the patient for surgery.
For any surgery Mr Patten recommends, a written quote detailing all item numbers and fees will be provided to you.
Uninsured Patients
For patients without health insurance, we will be happy to obtain quotes on your behalf from the hospital, anaesthetist, assistant, and any involved prosthetic companies, to ensure you are fully informed of all costs involved with surgery.
Surgery in a Public Hospital
Should you wish to have surgery in a public hospital, your GP can send a referral to an orthopaedic outpatient clinic at a public hospital. There are no fees for surgery in a public hospital, however there is a waiting list. Your position on the hospital’s waiting list will depend on the severity of your condition. If you wish to discuss fees further, please call us on 9516 2390 and our friendly staff will assist you with any questions you may have.
For your convenience, you may request an appointment online by filling in the below. Once submitted, one of our friendly staff will contact you to book an appointment for you.