Introduction

Gynaecology and Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery (GAALS) Brisbane is committed to providing open and transparent information about fees and billing and seeking informed financial consent from patients before providing healthcare services. GAALS is a non-bulk billing practice and payment is required at the time of consultation.  Our fees are set based on the significant training, expertise and experience of our specialists. Pre-payment is required for all surgical procedures.

Consulting

GAALS bills patients directly and can process Medicare claims on the patient’s behalf.

Patients will be informed of the estimated service fee for consultations at the time of booking. Occasionally, there may be other expenses associated with your visit, depending on what medical services are recommended.  The cost for these services will be explained to you and your financial consent will be sought before the service is provided.

Estimate the out-of-pocket costs of your appointment

Cancellations

We understand that sometimes patients may need to cancel their appointment at late notice. We ask patients to provide us with as much notice as possible, so that we can offer their appointment to another person on our waiting list.

Cancellations within 24 hours of a patient’s scheduled appointment may incur a cancellation fee equal to 50 per cent of the service fee for the consultation. Patients that do not attend their appointment without advising us beforehand may incur a cancellation fee equal to the full service fee for their consultation.

Surgical Procedures

Prior to any scheduled surgical procedure, you will be provided with a quote estimating the surgeon’s fee for that procedure.  Pre-payment is required prior to the procedure.  Occasionally, the final fee may vary depending on what medical services are provided and the final invoice may be either more or less than the initial amount.  Where the amount is greater than estimated, all efforts will be made to minimise the patient’s out-of-pocket expenses.

Where the pre-payment exceeds the final invoiced fee, a refund will be provided at the earliest time possible.  Where the final invoice is greater than the pre-payment, the patient will be invoiced for the difference.

After the procedure, you will be issued with a receipt with the item number and details of service, which you can lodge with your health fund and/or Medicare. 

Other Out of Pocket Expenses

The anaesthetic fee is an added component to the procedure cost. The anaesthetist will contact you prior to the scheduled operation to discuss the fees associated with the anaesthetic.

If you have private health insurance, this may cover part, or all, of your hospital stay depending on your level of cover.  We recommend you phone your health fund prior to any scheduled surgery to check that you are covered.  If a co-payment is required, this must be paid to the hospital on admission.  If your procedure is not covered by private health insurance, the hospital can provide you with an estimated cost of your hospital stay.

Any pathology, radiology, allied health or pharmacy costs required as part of your surgery or hospital stay are additional costs you may incur.  For pathology tests, you will be sent an account after the procedure.  We cannot provide you an estimate of costs for these services.

Policy last updated: August 2023