Thank you for trusting us with your care

The clinic’s responsibility to you:

  • We will provide you with excellent and up-to-date care.
  • We will listen to you and treat you with respect and compassion.
  • We will inform you of the cost of your care in advance.
  • We will communicate with your referring doctor to ensure continuity of care.
  • We will deal with your health information confidentially.
  • We always aim to run on time. If we are not running on time we will contact you.

Your responsibility:

  • Arrive on time.
  • Be involved in the consultation and decision making.
  • Pay your fee.
  • Give at least 24 hours’ notice if your appointment needs to be cancelled so another patient can be scheduled.

Before your Appointment

To make an appointment, you need a current
referral from your doctor or dentist.

The Practice Nurse receives all referrals and advises our adminstrative staff to contact you with an appropriate appointment. Referrals are triaged or prioritised so that patients with urgent health problems can be seen as quickly as possible. If we are unable to arrange an appointment within a clinically appropriate time frame we will inform your referring doctor who may arrange for you to see another surgeon.

You will receive an email confirming your appointment date and time and the cost of the consultation and associated procedure. If you don’t use email, you can request a letter to be mailed.

Complete the patient registration online before your appointment. Please ask if you would prefer a paper version to complete.

You will receive an SMS 1-2 days before your appointment to remind you to attend. If you don’t use a mobile phone you can request a telephone reminder.

If you do not attend your appointment or cancel less than 24 hours before the appointment, a cancellation fee may be applied.

Please bring:

Any relevant test results (especially hearing tests).

A list of your medications and a list of allergies to medications.

If your CT or MRI was done at Health Care Imaging Services (South West Health Care), Western District Radiology (St John of God Hospital), Lake Imaging, Bendigo Radiology or Benson Radiology within the last 12 months, Dr Clancy will be able to access the images online and you will not need to bring a disc or hard copy films with you.

If your CT or MRI was done elsewhere, please bring the disc or hard copy films to your appointment.

If you have recently had tests on the ears, nose or throat and do not have the results, please let our administrative staff know. They will be able to help you locate the results prior to the appointment.

To make the most of your time with Dr Clancy, we suggest you bring a list of questions. Many people find it helpful to attend with a relative or friend and you are most welcome to do so.

Medicare and Referrals

You need a current referral to be eligible for a Medicare rebate after paying your fee on the day of the consultation. Referrals from General Practitioners are valid for 12 months unless your doctor has specified in writing that the referral should be valid for longer. Referrals from specialists are valid for 3 months only. If your referral has expired, you will need to visit your General Practitioner to obtain a new referral. Please allow at least two weeks for this to occur before your next appointment.

Children must attend with a parent or legal guardian

It you can’t attend with your child it is best to reschedule the appointment. It’s not ok for your child to come to an appointment with a friend or relative other than their parent or guardian.

Dr Clancy cannot provide care to a dependent person under 18 years of age without the consent of the parent or guardian. Consent can only be properly gained with a face to face meeting to allow explanation and discussion of the treatment and possible benefits and side effects. Except in the case of extreme emergency, children presenting without a parent or legally appointed guardian will be offered another appointment at a time when a parent/guardian can attend and a second consultation fee will be payable.

Please bring any court orders or documents relevant to the care of your child to the appointment.

The Consultation

Before you see Dr Clancy, you may see the Practice Nurse. The Practice Nurse may help collect information about your health, your height and weight. If you are coming for a snoring assessment the nurse will help you complete an extra questionnaire.

Dr Clancy will discuss your concerns and then examine you. This can include:

She will then advise you on what to do next and you will be given a printed plan.

Telehealth

Our practice offers telehealth consultations using skype or facetime. This is not appropriate for all patients or all consultations. Please ask our staff if you would like to arrange a telehealth consultation.

After the consultation

After each consultation, Dr Clancy writes a letter to your referring Doctor. This letter is faxed or delivered by encrypted email to your doctor within 24 hours. You may request a copy of this letter to be emailed or mailed to you as well. You may also request a copy of the letter to be sent to any other doctor or allied health professional involved in your care.

Payment & Medicare

Fees

Initial consultation, 20 minutes; $200. Medicare rebate 72.75. Out of pocket cost to patient $127.25.

Review consultation, 10-15 minutes: $115. Medicare rebate $36.55. Out of pocket cost to patient $73.45.

Nasal endoscopy $210. Medicare rebate 104.45, Out of pocket cost to patient $105.55.

Ear microscope and suction $160. Medicare rebate $93.45. Out of pocket cost to patient $66.55.

Initial consultation plus nasal endoscopy $410. Medicare rebate $177.20. Out of pocket cost to patient $238.80.

Initial consultation plus ear microscope and suction $306. Medicare rebate $166.20. Out of pocket cost to patient $193.80.

Payment

Our clinic is a private practice. Payment is required on the day of service. We do not bulk bill.

Prior to the appointment you will be provided with an email or letter detailing the cost of your consultation and any additional costs for office procedures on the same day, for example, nasal endoscopy.

Reduced fees for pensioners and people with disabilities

There are no out of pocket costs for children and adults with profound disability, children with Down’s syndrome and other syndromes, and children and young adults attending special school.

Fees for pensioners are discounted by 15% for consultations and 30% for office procedures.

Reduced fees for patients requiring long term care

After the initial endoscopy or ear microscope and suction, for patients having long term follow up of cancer, sinus surgery or cholesteatoma, office procedures may be charged with no out of pocket cost.

Why is there a difference between the private practice fee and the Medicare rebate?

Our fees are based on the actual costs of providing care for you. Medicare rebates do not reflect the real cost of your care. For more information see AMA gaps explained.

 Medicare

A percentage of your fees is rebated by Medicare. Your rebate can be claimed directly from Medicare, or we can arrange electronic transfer from Medicare to you if you have previously registered your bank account details with Medicare.

How are procedures billed?

Procedures undertaken in the rooms are charged according to the fee schedule you will receive when your appointment is made. Payment for procedure in the rooms is required on the day of service. For surgical procedures in hospital, you will be provided with a quote prior to booking the procedure.

Is there a facility fee?

Our practice is equipped to undertake minor surgical procedures under local anaesthetic. A facility fee is charged in addition to the surgeon’s fee for the procedure. The facility fee covers medical supplies, sterilisation of equipment and the assistance of our experienced nurse during the procedure. When a facility fee is charged it is clearly stated on your invoice and cannot be claimed through Medicare.

Further Appointments & Results

Further Appointments

For many patients, one specialist consultation is all that is required and the patient then returns to their General Practitioner for ongoing care. Other patients may need surgery or further investigation, including hearing tests, blood tests, CT or MRI.

Occasionally patients need to have regular appointments with Dr Clancy. A review appointment may be made or you may be placed on a reminder or recall system if the appointment is more than six months away.

If you need another appointment with Dr Clancy for the same problem within 12 months of the initial consultation you will not need a new referral. After 12 months or for a new and unrelated problem, you will need to obtain another referral from your doctor. The purpose of the referral is to update Dr Clancy on any changes in your general health and to allow you to claim a Medicare rebate.

Results

Dr Clancy does not to give results over the phone as this does not allow adequate explanation of the meaning of the tests and of what happens next. To obtain results you must see either Dr Clancy (in person or by telehealth) or your referring Doctor.

Any further questions?

If you have any further questions, please contact the practice.