Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to bring?

• A referral letter from your GP, other specialist / Emergency doctor
• All details related to imaging including X-rays / MRI / CT scans of the affected region
• Your medicare card / DVA card/ private health insurance card
• WorkCover claim number (if applicable)
• Any other relevant information about your conditio

Am I ready for surgery?

Pre-operative planning
Dr Andrew McBride will work with you and your general practitioner to ensure you are ready and in your best health for surgery. We encourage you to cease smoking as this inhibits wound healing, increases the risk fractures not healing, and makes you more vulnerable to infections.

Some medications need to be ceased prior to surgery. Please discuss this with Dr McBride prior to your surgery.

Post-operative instructions

Specific post-operative instructions will be given to you at the time of your operation. For rehabilitation guidelines please see the rehabilitation page on this website.

Surgical risks and informed consent
Any surgical procedure carries some associated risk. The specific risks and benefits of your surgery will be discussed with you at the time of your surgery. 

How much is it going to cost?

Consultations 

The standard fee charged for initial and follow up consultations is a proportion of the Australian Medical Association recommended fee. This can be provided on request by phone or in person prior to at the time of your consultation. In most instances there will be a portion of your consultation fee, which will not be covered by Medicare. The rebate from Medicare for eligible patients is $72.75 for the first consultation and $36.55 for each subsequent consultation. Follow-up consultations are generally quicker than initial consultations, and are therefore charged a lower fee. 

Surgery

If you are undergoing surgery with Dr McBride you will be provided with an estimate of costs related for your procedure. The specific costs will vary, depending on your procedure, your health fund and level of cover. In most instances, the majority of the cost will be covered by medicare and your health fund, however there is usually some out of pocket expense which is not covered. For the majority of procedures, Dr McBride is a known gap provider which limits the out of pocket expense to patients. Patients insured with health funds that do not participate in a "known gap scheme" can be exposed to higher out of pocket expenses depending on the type of surgery they are undergoing. 

Other

Other costs should be covered by your health fund however please check with your health fund and/or the relevant practitioner as to whether an excess applies to;

• The Anaesthetist’s fee
• The Private Hospital fee
• Hand Therapy fees
• Radiology fees
• Pharmacy fees

There are no additional fees associated with WorkCover or DVA patients. Full payment is required at the time of consultation. If surgery is planned full payment is required one week prior to surgery. Payment options include cash, cheque, EFTPOS or credit / debit card. If you have a WorkCover claim approved, kindly bring the approved claim number; if an approved claim number has not yet been issued, you will be required to pay for your consultation and have this reimbursed through WorkCover.