An invoice for the paediatric care is emailed to you within a week or two of discharge. You can claim Medicare benefits on my fees. The total cost can vary as the billing is based on individual clinical needs but a guide to the fees I charge is included below. The cost of my attendance varies depending on both circumstances and timing. Urgent attendances are associated with higher fees; so are out-of-hours attendances as I will have been called in from home. Hospital fees are more expensive than visits to a specialist in their consulting rooms. This is because my colleagues and I provide a 24-hour service taking calls from the midwifery staff if they are concerned about your baby. In addition, one of us is always available to attend urgently if there is an emergency. There is no separate cost for this around the clock medical cover for your baby; it is factored into my overall fees.
Please note that if your baby requires nursery admission during their hospital stay, fees will vary and your health fund will cover most of the fee. Your health fund will not routinely cover my fees if your baby remains on the postnatal ward as the baby is considered an outpatient of the hospital. Further information will be sent to parents with babies admitted to the Special Care Nursery.
Initial attendance fees
| | Billed amount | Medicare rebate | Gap after medicare | Gap with safety net |
| Routine attendance (in hours) | $475 | $148.35 | $326.65 | $71.47 |
| Elective c-section (in hours) | $525 | $148.35 | $376.65 | $97.47 |
| Emergency attendance (in hours) or Elective c-section (out of hours) | $573 | $148.35 | $424.65 | $136.65 |
| Evening or weekend emergency attendance | $600 | $148.35 | $451.65 | $301.65 |
| Evening or weekend emergency attendance with call in from home | $675 | $148.35 | $526.65 | $416.65 |
| Overnight emergency attendance with call in from home | $750 | $148.35 | $601.65 | $576.65 |
- In hours: 7.30am to 5pm weekdays
- Out of hours: 5pm to 7.30am weekdays, all public holidays and weekends
Subsequent Attendance Fees:
Following my initial attendance, I will come and check on your baby each day until you are discharged home (unless you and your baby are well enough to be transferred to the Park Hyatt). This is to check for jaundice, for signs of infection in the eyes and umbilical cord, to work with the midwifery staff on your baby's feeding plan, and to perform a discharge check. If I am away, or unavailable, one of the other paediatricians in our practice will cover for me and visit instead. If this is the case, you will also receive a bill from them.
I charge $200 for your baby's discharge check (performed the day before you go home), and any other occasion when there is a full clinical review. The Medicare rebate for these consultations is $74.25. Other subsequent attendances are charged at $87.30 (Item 116) or $49.75 (Item 119) depending on the level of complexity; the Medicare rebates for these consultations are $74.25 (Item 116) and $42.30 (Item 119) respectively.
Additional support after discharge from hospital
Most babies won't need any further follow-up with me after discharge, however all babies need a check at six weeks of age. This should be performed by your local GP. I will let you know if you need to bring your baby back to my consulting rooms to see me for a further review. If your baby does need to come back and see me again, this is associated with a separate fee (more information will be provided to you at the time of making the appointment).
I will continue to provide specialist care for your baby in the first three months of his/her life. I provide telephone and email support once you are discharged from hospital, so please contact me if you have any concerns. There is no additional charge for this support, but if your baby needs to come back and see me after discharge, there would be an additional fee.