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 special care.
Initial Consultation Fees:
Attendance after routine birth (8am - 5pm) - $475.
Booked attendance at Elective Caesarean Section (8am-5pm) - $525.
Emergency attendance in hours (8am - 5pm) or elective Caesarean Section out of hours - $573.
Booked attendance at weekend Elective Caesarean or Emergency attendance in hours (8am-5pm) - $600.
Emergency attendance in evening (5-10pm) or at weekend - $675.
Emergency attendance overnight (10pm - 8am) - $750
The Medicare rebate for this attendance is $143.35. If you have reached your Medicare safety net for the calendar year then you will be eligible for a much higher rebate on this amount (around 80%).
Subsequent Attendance Fees:
Following my initial attendance either me or one of my colleagues (A/Prof John Mills, Dr Andy Malikiwi or Dr Elys (Elly) Green), 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. You receive a bill from my colleagues for their attendance.
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 $71.70. Other subsequent attendances are charged at $84.35 (Item 116) or $50.20 (Item 119) depending on the level of complexity; the Medicare rebates for these consultations are $71.70 (Item 116) and $40.85 (Item 119) respectively.
Most babies won't need any further follow-up with me after discharge but 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). If there are any concerns about your baby at any time once you go home from the hospital, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.