Appointments

Patient Information

Your Appointment

To arrange an appointment please phone our practice on 07 3202 4636 or fill out the online appointment form. Please have your GP or specialist referral letter available when making your appointment.
For address details, parking information and transport options, please visit our locations here.
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment to allow our receptionists to check you in. You will need to complete a new patient registration form prior to your consultation. This can be downloaded here or we can email you a copy to return prior to the appointment.
  • Referral from your GP or specialist
  • Medicare card and Private Health Fund membership card
  • DVA card
  • Any relevant X-rays / CT scans / MRI scans / audiograms / blood test results
  • Completed new patient registration form (if not already forwarded)
Please contact us as early as possible so that we may offer the appointment to patients on a cancellation waiting list. Failure to cancel your scheduled appointment 24 hours prior may result in a cancellation fee being charged.

Your WestsideENT specialist will take a medical history and complete a full ear, nose and throat examination. This may include using a microscope to examine the ears or a fibre-optic examination of the nose or throat.

​The findings of the consultation along with treatment recommendations will be discussed with you. Arrangements will be made for you to have any recommended tests or schedule a follow-up appointment if required.

​If surgery is recommended, your WestsideENT specialist will discuss the surgery with you including the risks and likely benefits of the surgery.

Your doctor at WestsideENT will liaise with your referring doctor and any other relevant party at your request so that they are aware of the outcome of your consultation.

Your Operation

You and your ENT specialist have agreed that there is a need for surgical treatment. We will provide information on what to expect from the surgery and create a treatment plan for your post-operative care. See our operating locations.

WestsideENT staff will provide instructions regarding fasting when you book your surgery. If you have any concerns or are unsure please call us to confirm fasting arrangements as failure to fast correctly can delay surgery or lead to its cancellation.

  • Comfortable sleeping attire
  • Toiletries including toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant
  • A change of clothes for discharge
  • All of your usual medications
  • ALL SCANS and X-RAYS
  • Any outstanding hospital forms
  • Reading material or other entertainment options

Medications that increase the risk of bleeding may need to be stopped 10 days prior to surgery. This also applies to natural products such as fish oil. Please ask, if you are unsure. Most other medications can be taken as usual, including on the day of surgery.

Immediately following surgery, you will awaken in the recovery area. You will then be moved to a chair in day surgery or taken to the ward if an overnight stay is planned.

You will be given sips of water a couple of hours after surgery and if you tolerate water the nursing staff will gradually introduce solid food until you are back to a normal diet.

Nursing staff will monitor you at regular intervals and assist with pain relief and other comfort issues.

Your ENT specialist will see you on the same day as the surgery to ensure your recovery is progressing as planned.

If you are having a day surgery procedure and are ready for discharge before your doctor has been able to see you, then you will be contacted by phone to check on your well-being.

If you are in hospital overnight, your specialist will see you the next morning to ensure you have recovered well and to arrange your discharge.

Fees & Payment

At WestsideENT, we are committed to financial transparency. Our fees are set at or below the recommended AMA rate.

Our receptionist will provide you with the consultation fee when you make your appointment. There may be extra fees for in-room procedures carried out during the consultation such as cleaning the ears using a microscope or fibre-optic examination of the nose or throat.

Payment for the consultation is required on the day. You may pay the fee via EFTPOS or credit card (Mastercard or Visa). In most cases once payment is complete, we can electronically submit a rebate claim on your behalf to Medicare. We do not accept cash.

As part of informed financial consent, our receptionist will provide you with a quote for the expected fee for your surgery. Medicare and your private health fund will pay a proportion of the fee for your surgery.

The difference between the surgical fee and the combined amount of the Medicare rebate and the benefit your health fund pays is the out of pocket cost or gap.

It is essential that you check with your Health Fund to ensure you are covered for the planned procedure. Failure to do so may lead to cancellation of your surgery or the full cost of the hospital treatment becoming your responsibility.

You will be provided with the contact details of your anaesthetist when surgery is scheduled. Please contact them prior to the day of the operation to obtain a quote or if you have any questions regarding your upcoming anaesthetic.

The cost of providing safe, patient-focused, and exceptional medical care continues to rise. The key factors that increase the cost of providing healthcare include the consumer price index and more specific costs such as insurance costs, consumables, equipment, etc. Unfortunately, the government’s contribution via Medicare rebates to the cost of health care has not kept up with the actual costs of providing quality healthcare.

It is estimated by the AMA (Australian Medical Association) that Medicare fees have increased to meet only two-thirds of the actual cost increases over the last 25 years.

To put it more simply there are gap fees charged because Medicare rebates have not kept up with the cost of living for nearly 30 years. This is creating an ever-increasing gap between what it costs to provide quality healthcare and the rebates provided by Medicare.

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Appointments