Welcome to the forum @Zog,
Have you considered ‘we’ have the plumber bill also while our incomes are usually far less than the anaesthetist’s? How long could you go without a pay cheque? How long could he go holding an account that might be paid next week, next month, or maybe he will someday put it to a collection company to recover? He still gets the Medicare amount regardless so always has ‘pay’ coming in.
Chill dude. I was being sarcastic.
Plumbers are just as rapacious. $50 for a sniff of their special plumbers gas. $50 for an inch of silver solder.
Just making the point that greed is NOT limited to anathesists.
Welcome to laissez faire economics.
Apologies for mistaking it for anything serious. I think we are going to enjoy your contributions ! Cheers,
Thanks. Just wait till he/she (anesthetist) gets MY bill.
My husband had two identical procedures within 3 months - we had a quote from the surgeon and were made aware that there MIGHT be an out-of-pocket charge by whichever anaesthetist is on duty at the time. None of the two anaesthetists gave any indication of their fees when we met them before the operation, and we were worried about bigger things than a bill at that stage. First procedure came with a GAP payment of just over $800 for the anaesthesia (no discount offered for quick settlement), while there was NO extra payment for the second procedure, that a crusty Scottish anaesthetist attended. Go the Scots!
Welcome to the site @Albie, I hope you enjoy your participation here.
You can ask but as Anesthetists are usually only fronting up just before you go for surgery it is often hard to get a contract or even ask the price/cost of their services. As well you are often more worried about the surgery and those risks than asking what they are going to slug you for. It’s a novelty to meet the Anesthetist before you get to the waiting area but it does occasionally happen and then you might have more time to ask before you buy. I do agree though that they should have something in writing for you before you go under, maybe the Surgeons need to fix that cost as part of their arrangement ie they sub-contract the Anathetist and add that to their quote.
What was the response when the anaesthetist was contacted. I missed that bit.
Not sure myself but the following may be helpful:
It seems the Anesthetist wasn’t very upfront about the quantum of their fees when they appeared for their part in the procedure but at the admission it was advised that there would be out of pocket costs for Specialists but again no figure for the amount.
As can be read from the analysis by @UtaMihm the invoice amount requested may be in breach of the health fund’s Gap Scheme and “It is also not in the spirit of a known gap scheme to not provide financial consent before the procedure and put the patient under pressure after the procedure”.
Perhaps if @southerton makes a formal complaint to the Ombudsman we will be able to get further detail and if any resolution was obtained.
Yep, a lot of words, but I still can’t see the response of the surgeon or anaesthetist when they were contacted re the bill. We’re they contacted? Otherwise people are just running around in circles casting blame for no good reason.
What we found was that out of 3 anaesthetics for 2 hips recently, the only anaesthetist’s office that rang to offer their account and details (and cheapest) was not the doctor that the surgeon preferred for that case due to co-morbidities. It meant a delay of 3 weeks as the anaesthetist was away. Then when the list came out, another anaesthetist had been allocated. When the surgeon was notified, a switch was organised without fuss. It meant a few more hundred, but to have a brilliant outcome was worth it. And we are only on an aged pension with top medium tier fund coverage.
We also received the anaesthetist’s account in the mail with 7 day turnaround. The first procedure was not charged due to events in the anaesthetic bay, the second was paid after notifying the anaesthetist’s rooms that medicare rebate was coming and they were more than happy with this and recorded on their books, the third was paid immediately by phone and claimed later as there was a long and confusing turnaround with all the accounts going together to medicare.
The surgeon bill’s were beyond our belief…The first operation was cancelled without extra charges for coverage in a private hospital when he visited every day including weekends. After the first operation was done the week after, we received his account, which had been discussed during the pre-operation visit, wit 2 prices - cut of $1000 if paid within a month, otherwise $5000. The second operation the same. The surgeon came in every day and followed up after discharge with home care and IPTAAS explanatory letter. Couldn’t have asked for more. $8,000 for 2 hips; $4200 for anaesthetics. Hospital covered theatre etc, fund covered their agree amount. Most costs were pathology, accommodation in Sydney. RFBI home care covered postoperative care and equipment in Sydney.
What was interesting was the pathology accounts. One admission, one hip operation and 9 pathologists, under the same umbrella, putting in for new patient to do the same common everyday progress results. Ended up with a $960 gap. Check your pages of tests as we found that some were duplicated. Interestingly there were no bills for the second operation done at the same private hospital.
Alison
Urunga NSW
Welcome @Albie,
As a practical matter you are sitting in the waiting room ready to be rolled in for a surgery. This is the first time you meet the anaesthetist. Let us assume you have the presence of mind to ask about fees and payments and fund memberships and gaps. If you are not happy with the answer do you call it off on the day? Do you ask your surgeon or the facility staff to find someone else, while they are probably busy with another patient?
It is a unique circumstance one has no real control over in a practical sense, is it not?
No. There was a choice at the surgeons office. Get a breakdown of the full out of pockets or walk away and get a second opinion (and price). By the way have you been able to ascertain the response of the surgeon / anaesthesist to the complaint?
Next time you visit a surgeon, get them to provide the fees for all their assists. I hope your experience was better than mine when I asked.
Even some of the offices I rang tried to avoid actual quotes.
FWIW the surgeon was excellent. I did not feel a thing, lived, and paid the anaesthetists statement when it arrived, the first time I could be certain of the out of pocket.
daylight robbery report go AMA and find someone else
Hi there and welcome Albie
No, there was no choice of provider as this was for a pregnancy, the hospital chooses from a list of providers. We did ask if we could choose our own in the lead up to the due date, but we were told no. It’s complicated by the difficulty in that the day and timing for when the anaesthetist is required is completely unknown.
The bill has already been paid by my wife who saw the deadline, freaked out, and paid immediately to avoid the extra charge. We haven’t yet had the chance to complain to the anaesthetist as we just don’t have the headspace with a 5 week and a tittle toddler at home. Any spare second At the moment is spent sleeping, or trying to sleep 
It was my belief that the client had to be advised of all specialist out-of-pocket expenses prior to the procedure, and signed by the person paying the bill! Sounds like the specialist has an agreement with your fund to keep out-of-pocket costs no more than $500, and this is their attempt to get more than they have agreed to.
The reason there is no item number on this invoice is because you can’t claim it from your fund or Medicare.
I think Choice is advocating for a Royal Commission, or at least an inquiry, into the fees charged by specialists. Health funds cop the flack for not paying enough, but it is about time these greedy specialists were called to account. My husband had the same procedure (carpel tunnel) performed by two different surgeons, a couple of years apart - the first one charged more than $300 over what Medicare and our health fund covered, the other charged nothing extra and neither did his anaesthetist.
If you mean an informed consent it is mostly window dressing when taken in context of all costs one may have.
I have been advised that other health professionals may be involved in my treatment and I understand that this estimate does not include their fees or charges unless specifically stated otherwise.
A surgeon will, for example, not provide estimates for the allied providers but will provide a sheet with their contact details for the patient to follow up. In each category there could be numerous potential providers listed on the referral sheets. Regardless, by signing you agree $all is good.
The above text bears highlighting.
Baby will turn up when baby is good and ready. You won’t know the date in advance. So no anaesthetist can commit to being the one.
The only way you could have agreed fees in advance is
Someone I know had the opposite experience.
Surgical procedure. Anaesthetist involved. Patient discharged. Bill from surgeon received, paid, claimed, all good.
Time passes. Time passes. Time passes.
A year after the procedure a bill from the anaesthetist turns up. (Certainly no time pressure there!) The bill was legitimate, and a reasonable amount. The only problem: it is now too late to claim back a portion of the bill on Medicare (or so the patient said, I don’t know what the time limits really are). Patient complains to anaesthetist. Anaesthetist agrees to withdraw the bill and bulk bill the procedure i.e. nothing for patient to pay and it’s all then between the anaesthetist and Medicare.
