Frequently asked questions

YES. You are required to pay up front for your Bariatric Procedure. If full payment is not received at least one week prior to surgery, your surgery may be rescheduled.

We can provide a quote with the items for your procedure. It is advised you call your health fund to confirm that you are covered for bariatric surgery. Since April 2019 this usually requires a Gold tier level of cover.

For your consultations, we can provide an itemised receipt that you can take to your health fund and or Medicare for reimbursement, depending on your extra’s level of cover within your private health fund policy.

When your procedures have been paid in full, and your surgery complete – we will issue you with an itemised receipt that you lodge with your health fund and Medicare to claim your rebate.

Alternatively, for some health funds, we can process the claim on your behalf and a cheque (or bank deposit) will be forwarded to you.

For any procedures that are fully covered by your Health fund (ie your gastroscopy), we process the claim on your behalf.

For Bariatric Surgery, if we are required to perform an additional procedure, you will be required to pay the additional amount however, the entire additional amount will be fully rebatable through your health fund and Medicare. It will then be processed with your initial bariatric surgery claim. ie There will not be any additional out of pocket (Gap) payment for these procedures.

If we require to take a biopsy you may have a charge from the pathology clinic which is beyond our control, however you should be entitled to a Medicare or private health fund rebate depending on the fee charged from the pathologist – and your extra’s level of cover.

No. Organising surgery is extremely complex. It involves numerous different entities and careful consideration from our surgeons.

The relationship between the surgeon and your anaesthetist must be complementary. After careful consideration, your surgeon has chosen the anaesthetist to perform your operation, to ensure you receive the highest quality of care.

Most of our operational and endoscopic lists are pre-arranged to ensure we have both theatre availability and anaesthetic cover.

We would advise that you discuss any queries, including fees/payment enquiries to your anaesthetist direct as all anaesthetist are a separate entity to Upper GI West.

No. When a surgical/endoscopy date has been confirmed, our secretarial staff will make the necessary bookings with the hospital and anaesthetist.

You will be required to complete the online admission as advised for the hospital. Please call the hospital admission department if you require assistance.

The Anaesthetist’s rooms will contact you regarding any appointments required and payment.

This would have been discussed with either your surgeon, physician or dietitian prior to surgery.

If you need to change your diet after surgery, this will be again be reiterated to you in your post operation instructions and further discussed with the dietitian during your upcoming appointments.

It is recommended for the first 12 – 24 hours after a general anaesthetic, you should not drive or sign any legal documentation.

Depending on the type of surgery you are required to have and your recovery time, your surgeon will discuss with you how long you should refrain from driving to optimise your healing and prevent further injury.

It is recommended you should not drive until you are comfortable and can always maintain control of a motor vehicle including an emergency. Additionally, you should not be taking strong pain medication when you commence driving.

You may not be covered by your car insurance company if you are impaired and driving during your recovery period.

Additional clearances may be necessary from an external Occupational Physician if you are required to drive in a commercial or occupational setting.

For Day Procedures - Yes. You may be required to stay in recovery for anywhere between 1 – 4 hours. You will need to provide contact details of the person collecting you. The hospital will contact the person when they are satisfied you are ready to be discharged.

For overnight stays, you should arrange for a person to collect you at discharge. The hospital may have policies and procedures in place that do not allow you to leave unaccompanied depending on the advice of the surgeon, together with the procedure you have had and your clinical condition at time of discharge.

Depending on which fund you are with - and your level of extras cover, you may be eligible for a private health fund rebate. We can supply your itemised receipt for you to lodge your claim, with your health fund.

To claim from Medicare for your dietitian fees, you should discuss with your regular GP if you qualify for a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan. This referral must be made out directly to our dietitian. This will generally entitle you to five allied health Medicare rebates per calendar year.

Not usually. We can directly claim from your health fund and Medicare for your procedure. You will need to pay for any gap payments that may occur – and are legally responsible for this payment.

We can provide a quote with the items for your procedure. It is advised you call your health fund to determine your out of pocket expenses.

If you are uninsured or have overseas health/travel insurance, you are required to pay up front for all procedures.

For your consultations, we can provide an itemised receipt that you can take to your health fund and or Medicare for reimbursement, depending on your extra’s level of cover within your private health fund policy.

For any procedures that are not paid up front, we process the claim on your behalf.

Your pre-op quote is an estimate of your surgeon and assistant fees for the procedure based on the likely item numbers to be used. In some cases if an additional procedure is required during the surgery fees will be calculated using the health fund schedules. In some cases there may be a small additional co-payment (Gap) required depending on your Health Fund.

If we require to take a biopsy or send samples to pathology you may have a charge from the pathology clinic which is beyond our control, however you should be entitled to a Medicare or private health fund rebate depending on the fee charged from the pathologist – and your extra’s level of cover.

No. Organising surgery is extremely complex. It involves numerous different entities and careful consideration from our surgeons.

The relationship between the surgeon and your anaesthetist must be complementary. After careful consideration, your surgeon has chosen the anaesthetist to perform your operation, to ensure you receive the highest quality of care.

Most of our operational and endoscopic lists are pre-arranged to ensure we have both theatre availability and anaesthetic cover.

We would advise that you discuss any queries, including fees/payment enquiries to your anaesthetist direct as all anaesthetist are a separate entity to Upper GI West.

No. When a surgical/endoscopy date has been confirmed, our secretarial staff will make the necessary bookings with the hospital and anaesthetist.

You will be required to complete the online admission as advised for the hospital. Please call the hospital admission department if you require assistance.

The Anaesthetist’s rooms will contact you regarding any appointments required and payment.

This would have been discussed with either your surgeon, physician or dietitian prior to surgery.

If you need to change your diet after surgery, this will be again be reiterated to you in your post operation instructions and further discussed with the dietitian during your upcoming appointments.

It is recommended for the first 12 – 24 hours after a general anaesthetic, you should not drive or sign any legal documentation.

Depending on the type of surgery you are required to have and your recovery time, your surgeon will discuss with you how long you should refrain from driving to optimise your healing and prevent further injury.

It is recommended you should not drive until you are comfortable and can always maintain control of a motor vehicle including an emergency. Additionally, you should not be taking strong pain medication when you commence driving.

You may not be covered by your car insurance company if you are impaired and driving during your recovery period.

Additional clearances may be necessary from an external Occupational Physician if you are required to drive in a commercial or occupational setting.

For Day Procedures - Yes. You may be required to stay in recovery for anywhere between 1 – 4 hours. You will need to provide contact details of the person collecting you. The hospital will contact the person when they are satisfied you are ready to be discharged.

For overnight stays, you should arrange for a person to collect you at discharge. The hospital may have policies and procedures in place that do not allow you to leave unaccompanied depending on the advice of the surgeon, together with the procedure you have had and your clinical condition at time of discharge.

Depending on which fund you are with - and your level of extras cover, you may be eligible for a private health fund rebate. We can supply your itemised receipt for you to lodge your claim, with your health fund.

To claim from Medicare for your dietitian fees, you should discuss with your regular GP if you qualify for a Chronic Disease Management (CDM) plan. This referral must be made out directly to our dietitian. This will generally entitle you to five allied health Medicare rebates per calendar year.