Medicare Patients

Medicare patients are Australian residents or other people eligible to hold a Medicare Card. Medicare patients are treated by a doctor nominated by the hospital and are accommodated in a shared room. You will not be charged for accommodation, diagnostic, medical, nursing or other services provided. As a Medicare patient you do not receive the doctor or specialist of your choice. 

Using Your Private Health Insurance

Do you have Private Health Cover?

As a patient of this hospital you are assured of the excellent clinical services and technical support provided by a major teaching hospital. Using your Health Insurance Fund assists the hospital to provide enhanced services to all our patients. The benefits of being a private patient include: 

• Your choice of Specialist - enjoy peace of mind knowing you have direct access to your own Specialist.

• Simplified billing - if you complete a Medicare assignment form when admitted to the hospital, we can act on your behalf and make all claims for hospital charges to Medicare and your Health fund for you. You will receive a single statement with an itemised list of Medicare and Insurance claims made on your behalf.

• If you enter the hospital through the Emergency Department, you will not be charged any accommodation excess/co-payment fees. If you come in as a planned admission, the hospital can discuss these fees with you.

• Preferential access to single rooms - you may request a single room and you will be given preferential access to single rooms. Please note that single rooms will be allocated to patients based on clinical need and they are limited. If a patient's condition warrants a single room, you may be moved from a single room to assist with this clinical need.

• No out of pocket expenses - if you use your private health insurance hospital cover, we guarantee you will have no out of pocket expenses for accommodation, laboratory, diagnostic, physiotherapy or other Allied Health services at Concord Hospital. Our guarantee includes blood tests, x-rays and scans. (Charges may apply to some prostheses). Our guarantee excludes your private specialist and/or Anaesthetic fees.

• Private patient extras - private patients get free parking (Hospital Road car park) during their inpatient stay. 

Enquiries should be directed to the Private Patient Officer. 

Self-insured Patients

'Self-Insured' patients are people without private health insurance, who are covered by Medicare, and wish to be admitted into hospital under the doctor of their choice. If you do not have health insurance you are still entitled to be admitted as a private self-insured patient and receive the same benefits as a private patient while paying a competitive rate for your hospital accommodation. 

There is an upfront payment for accommodation, with an option of a shared or single room. There is no Medicare rebate for this charge. Specialist medical charges (for example surgeon or anaesthetist's fees) are not included. You need to discuss these costs with your doctor. However, you can claim a significant proportion of these costs from Medicare. If your expected length of stay changes, you will receive an amended invoice to finalise payment. 

To be admitted as a self-insured patient you will need to discuss medical costs with your doctor in advance. You will also need to produce a valid Medicare card on admission and pay the accommodation charge at the Cashier's Office in the Main Foyer of the Hospital prior to your admission. If you have any questions regarding these issues, please contact the  Private Patient Officer or the Admissions Department.

Billing for Anaesthesia Services

When you are admitted as a private patient for surgery at Concord, your anaesthetic will be provided by a specialist Anaesthetist. You may receive a separate account for anaesthetic services from the Anaesthetist's private practice, just as you do from your surgeon. 

If you wish to discuss the likely costs for your anaesthetic prior to your admission, please call the Admissions Department. They will provide your details to the Anaesthetic Department so the anaesthetist scheduled to work with your surgeon can contact you. 

Please note that last minute changes in operating room schedules may result in a change of Anaesthetist close to the time of operation, in which case your new Anaesthetist will endeavour to speak to you either the evening before or the morning of the surgery. 

Your Anaesthetist will endeavour to speak to you prior to the procedure regarding any out of pocket expenses. This is known as Informed Financial Consent. 

Workers Compensation, Third Party and Public liability Compensation

If you are entitled to claim for compensation or damages in respect of an injury, illness or disease, the hospital needs to know your employer's details and contact number, as well as the Insurance company claim number and contact details. 

Compensable patients are also asked to decide whether they wish to be a private or public patient in the event their claim is not successful. Please ensure you inform staff if the treatment you are receiving is in relation to a compensation claim. 

Overseas Patients

If you are a visitor from overseas and not entitled to a Medicare Card, please bring your passport to the hospital and pay for your accommodation, laboratory, medical and pharmaceutical expenses prior to your admission date. Note: Additional costs will be billed on discharge. 

Reciprocal Health Care Agreements

Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, Malta and Belgium. Visitors from these countries are entitled to public hospital care as public patients. Passport proof of origin is required if their condition or injury requires treatment before their departure from Australia. 

Under the Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, visitors are entitled to highly specialised drugs for one month at a co-payment price, then full cost will be charged. 

Partial exception: Visitors from Ireland and New Zealand are only entitled to public hospital care, and must present their passports before treatment as they are not issued with Medicare cards. Visitors are eligible for the duration of their stay. 

Exception: Visitors from Italy and Malta are covered for a period of six months only. The agreements do not cover treatment as a private patient in a public or private hospital. People visiting Australia for the purpose of receiving health treatment are not covered under the agreements. If you have any enquiries please contact Sydney Local Health District Finance Department.

Pharmaceutical Costs

Overseas inpatients (people who are not eligible for Medicare) are charged the full cost of medications after discharge. Overseas outpatients are charged prior to supply being given (this includes overseas students). 

Medicare eligible patients entitled to PBS medicines (S100) need to pay the co-payment on discharge. If you need a supply of medications that have been prescribed to you the pharmacy will need to confirm your Medicare number, Health Care Card and Pharmaceutical Safety Net Card (if applicable). 

Paying Your Account

You may pay accounts at the Concord Hospital Cashier's Office, located on the Ground Floor of the Main Entrance, by cash, bank cheque, travellers cheque (exact amount in $ AUD), MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club and EFTPOS. 

Payment by credit card will be accepted over the phone by our Sydney Local Health District Finance Department. Please quote your Hospital Reference Number (Medical Record Number), name, date of admission, Specialist's name, length of stay and total amount payable. You will be issued with a receipt number to present to the Admissions Department staff on the day of your admission. 

Cheque 

Please make cheques or a money order payable to Sydney Local Health District. Please do not send cash through the mail. 

Sydney Local Health District 

Locked Bag 21 P.O

Camperdown  NSW  2050 

Account Enquiries 

If you have any account enquiries that you wish to discuss, please contact the hospital Cashier or the Sydney Local Health District Finance Department.

Refund Policy 

In the event that a customer is owed a refund due to an overpayment or credit due, once verified by our District Finance Department, that refund will be tendered to the patient by their choice of either credited to the original account or by mailed cheque. All requests are handled in a timely manner as our goal is complete customer satisfaction.