costs and insurance
Your cost estimate
We will provide you with an estimate of your hospital stay costs before your admission. This estimate will include any potential gap between the cost and your health insurance benefits. While we strive for accuracy, please understand that this estimate may change based on your care needs during your stay. We'll do our best to keep you informed of any changes.
WHAT IS AN EXCESS?
All health funds have different levels of cover for certain surgeries at different levels. Any excess you may be required to pay is determined by your health fund and the level of cover that you are under. It may require you to pay something out of pocket, over and above what your health fund pays. This will be collected prior to your admission.
PATHOLOGY AND PHARMACY WYVERN MEDICAL IMAGING
Pathology and pharmacy are billed separately from your stay. These services are external to the hospital and, if applicable, they will send you invoices as required. Your discharge medications will need to be paid as you pick them up from the pharmacy.
DISCHARGE PAYMENTS
The night before your discharge we may present you with an invoice of additional expenses accumulated throughout your stay. If you receive this invoice, you will be directed to Level 1 Admissions on your discharge to settle your account before leaving.
Hospital fees
Not all costs are covered by healthcare funds, and to cover these expenses Wyvern may charge an administration fee. This may be taken at your admission and is non-refundable.
INFORMED FINANCIAL CONSENT (IFC) AND HEALTH FUND CHECKS
If you have private health insurance, we recommend checking with your insurer to ensure you are covered (given exclusions and waiting periods) for your surgery. As part of your Pre-Admission documentation, the Admissions Staff will run a health fund check on your behalf to assess how much of your stay you are covered for. They will then provide you with an estimate of your out-of-pocket expenses and an Informed Financial Consent form. Please read both documents carefully before signing and returning them to us.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
If you are a workers’ compensation, public liability or third-party patient, you must have approval from your insurer prior to admission. We will require approval from the organisation prior to admission. If you are a veteran, your referring Doctor will apply for approval based on your White or Gold Card cover.
Credit Cards
We’ll take an imprint of your credit card at admission to cover any incidentals or other items not covered by your private health fund. The imprint will be held securely until your account has been finalised when you leave hospital. Payment options may differ at each site and get in touch to find out more.
UNDERSTANDING SPECIALIST FEES
Your specialist doctors, surgical assistants, and anaesthetists will bill you directly for their services, as they are not employed by the hospital. We strongly encourage you to discuss their fees with them before admission so you clearly understand potential costs, as the Medicare rebate and your health fund rebate may still leave a gap fee to be paid.
METHODS OF PAYMENTS
To settle your financial obligations during your stay, you can pay using credit card, cash, American Express and B-Pay. We will contact you to arrange payment prior to take payment from you at your admission and settle any accumulated expenses at discharge. For those paying by credit card and Amex please be aware there is a credit card surcharge fee (calculated based on the type of card used for payment).
Your Feedback
patientfeedback@wyvernhealth.com.au
Please share your thoughts, ideas and reflections with us, so that we can continue to improve, and reward our staff who went above and beyond in your care.