FAQ

A referral is required from a GP or specialist to be able to claim a medicare rebate otherwise you will have to pay the full consultation fee. A GP referral generally lasts 12 months and a specialist referral 3 months.

A portion of the consultation fee is covered by a Medicare rebate and the rest is an out-of pocket cost. The Medicare payment can be claimed directly on settlement of the invoice on site.

You will need to bring:

If you are a private, WorkCover, TAC or Veteran Affairs patient seeking an appointment with Mr De La Harpe, please fax or post your detailed referral letter together with any MRI, CT or x-ray reports to Orthopaedics Victoria. You will be contacted with an appointment time. As Mr De La Harpe has no association with a Public Hospital, only patients with Private Hospital Cover will be seen in the Rooms.

In general, it is advisable for patients to be covered by private health insurance to be seen by the surgeons at Orthopaedics Victoria.

The surgical fee consists of a proportion covered by your private health insurance and an out-of-pocket cost (often called the gap). The health funds differ significantly on what they will pay per surgical item number (Commonwealth Medical Benefits Schedule) so this will vary depending on the fund.

Additional fees include the anaesthetistic and assistant fee. Your anaesthetist will contact you regarding this. The surgeon will also need to use a surgical assistant during the case and he or she is an integral part of the surgical team.

The hospital costs are separate and generally covered by your health insurance fund.