Our Billing Policy
Bill Payment
You will be asked to settle your account at the end of each consultation, by cash, cheque, credit card or EFTPOS. For all patients who are not pensioners there will be an out-of-pocket payment, and Dr Brazenor’s staff will notify you of that when you phone to make your first appointment.
This applies also to Workers’ Compensation and TAC patients, who will also have an out-of-pocket fee per consultation, and Dr Brazenor’s staff will notify you of that when you phone to make your first appointment.
Health Insurance
Dr Brazenor is happy to see you whether or not you have health insurance.
Health insurance does not provide any part of a specialist doctor’s fee. If you need surgery, however, please be aware that the public hospital system in Victoria functions well for surgical patients only if they have suffered trauma, or have severe life-threatening conditions. For painful conditions such as sciatica due to lumbar disc prolapse, the waiting list to achieve surgery can be years. Accordingly, Dr Brazenor recommends that you have private health insurance. What is not generally known is that a year and a day after you take out private health insurance, you are covered for all pre-existing medical and surgical conditions, no matter how longstanding.
What if I do not have Health Insurance?
Dr Brazenor is happy to see you whether or not you have health insurance.
If you need surgery, however, please be aware that the public hospital system in Victoria functions well for surgical patients only if they have suffered trauma, or have severe life-threatening conditions. For painful conditions such as sciatica due to lumbar disc prolapse, the waiting list to achieve surgery can be years.
Accordingly, Dr Brazenor recommends that you have private health insurance. What is not generally known is that a year and a day after you take out private health insurance, you are covered for all pre-existing medical and surgical conditions, no matter how longstanding.
Fees, Payments and Options
An Explanation of Fees
The standard fees charged by our rooms are in line with the Australian Medical Association recommended fee schedule. This means that in most instances there will be a ‘gap’ between our surgical fee and what is covered by Medicare and your health insurance fund.