NEW PATIENT APPOINTMENT INFORMATION
Thank you for choosing us to support your health care needs.
Our respected and skilled cardiologists are available to treat all patients with new and existing medical conditions.
Appointments
Please obtain a referral from your GP or specialist, prior to making an appointment indicating the reason for the consultation or test.
Your doctor may also contact us directly via phone or they can fax or email a referral so that we can contact you to organise a suitable appointment.
All appointments are made by contacting our Main office in Frankston on 03 9789 0088 | or via email on reception@peninsulaheart.com.au
General Appointment Information
- Referrals
- Attending your appointment
- Pacemaker Check
- What to bring
- Cancellations and Non-attendances
- Our Locations
Why do we require a referral?
- To receive a full Medicare rebate for the consultation or tests, a current referral must be provided.
Without a referral, the patient will be liable for the full payment without a Medicare rebate.
- A current referral assists us in triaging appointments to ensure patients with urgent medical issues are prioritized to receive urgent care and that all patients are seen in an appropriate and timely manner.
- It provides us with your health care information including your past medical history, current health issues and medications.
- It allows us to identify the most appropriate cardiologist for your medical condition.
- It helps us determine whether any tests are required prior to your appointment to assist in diagnosis.
- It ensures your current GP or specialist receives a detailed letter and/or comprehensive report giving greater visibility of your holistic medical treatment.
- It allows us a means of confirming what tests you may already have undertaken.
As of the 1st of August 2020, Medicare rebates may be limited for some cardiac tests. It is important that if at all possible, your tests are performed at Peninsula Heart Centre to allow us to track your tests and to ensure continuity of care. Please contact our rooms so that we can help you determine your eligibility for bulk billing.
A referral from a General Practitioner for a specified medical condition or treatment is valid for a 12-month period.
A referral from a Specialist doctor or Emergency Department (ED) for a specified medical condition or treatment is valid for 3 months.
It is your responsibility to ensure you have a current referral.
Your GP may be comfortable to offer an “indefinite referral” for a specified condition or ongoing management (e.g. Pacemaker check).
Please contact Peninsula Heart Centre prior to your appointment if you are unsure of the status of your referral.
New Patients
If you are attending Peninsula Heart Centre for a test or consultation for the first time, please arrive 15 minutes early to allow time to complete a New Patient Registration Form and/or read and sign the relevant test (Stress/stress echo) consent form.
For your convenience these forms can be:
- completed and lodged online
- completed at home and emailed to the office prior to the appointment
- completed and printed out at home to bring to your first appointment.
Existing Patients
If you are an existing patient of Peninsula Heart Centre and are attending our clinic for on-going management, please ensure you have a current referral from your doctor.
Please advise us if there have been any changes to your personal details (address, health fund, pension status etc). You may be asked to complete a current Patient registration form to ensure your details are accurate.
Prior to your appointment if you have a home monitoring device, you will be asked to send a ‘remote check/download’ via your device.
This will allow the pacemaker information to be available to your doctor on the day.
If you do not have a home monitoring device, a pacemaker check will be performed on the day.
In both instances, any adjustments to your pacemaker settings will be made during your visit.
- A current referral letter if not already sent, copies of relevant test results or past procedures or hospital discharge summaries
- Medicare card, Private Health Insurance details, (Link to item numbers for cardiac?) DVA , Pension or Health Care Card.
- A list of your current medications with dosages, Webster pack, current scripts or your medications in their original containers.
Following your appointment
We aim to work closely with the referring Doctors to co-manage your health care.
Following your consultation or test, the Referring doctor and any other doctors involved in your care, will receive a detailed letter or report from your Cardiologist.
Our correspondence is sent promptly and securely using either encrypted electronic transmission, faxed directly or via Australia post.
If you are unable to attend your appointment and wish to reschedule to another day or cancel your appointment, you must notify us no later than 24 hours prior to your scheduled time.
Notification allows us to offer your appointment time to another patient and helps us provide a prompt service to all of our patients.
Our staff will happily assist you to find an alternative appointment date.
You may incur a cancellation fee for non-attendance.
- Frankston Suite 11, Peninsula Private Hospital, 525 McClelland Drive, VIC
- Mornington Suite 7, Beleura Private Hospital, 925 Nepean Highway, VIC
- Rosebud Suite 8, Peninsula Medical Suites, 1533 Pt Nepean Road, VIC
- 1142 Pemberton Street, Albury NSW 2640
Urgent Appointment Information
Urgent appointments
The Cardiologists at Peninsula Heart Centre are always available to see you for an urgent appointment if requested by your referring doctor.
Our priority is to have our urgent patients assessed by the first available cardiologist on the day and this may not always be your usual doctor.
Your prior medical history is available to all our doctors to ensure continuity of your cardiac health care.
Urgent hospital admissions
If you have been assessed as medically stable by your GP and have private health insurance, we may be able to assist you to be directly admitted into Peninsula Private Hospital for in patient management. Your GP can call to discuss this with our cardiologists or critical care nurses to arrange admission.
Patients in need of urgent attention requiring transfer to Peninsula Private Hospital via ambulance, can be taken directly to PPH Emergency Department. You must alert the receiving Emergency department staff that you are an existing patient of Peninsula Heart Centre so that our doctors will be notified. We will provide the Emergency department with your most current history and be involved in your hospital care.
New patients are welcome to request the care of one of our specialized cardiologists, regardless of who is on call for the hospital or cardiology service.
There is an out of pocket fee for attending Peninsula Private Hospital Emergency department.
Patients who do not private health insurance can be referred directly to Frankston Hospital Emergency department for prompt treatment.
Payment Information
As a private specialist practice, we do not provide a bulk billing service for our specialist consultations. We do have concessional fees for our pensioners and health care card holders and we accept Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold cards.
Payment for the consultation is required on the day. Having your bank account details registered with Medicare allows us to immediately lodge your claim online, following payment. Your Medicare rebate will be directed back into your nominated account within 1-2 working days.
Our tests are bulk billed except for pharmacological stress eco and multi-day Holter monitors. Blood pressure monitors are bulk billed if medicare requirements are met.
Changes to Medicare rebates on August 1st 2020 have specified a limit to the bulk billed tests. It is important to have an understanding of when and what test was performed. Ensure you request your tests with your treating cardiologist to avoid duplication and an out of pocket expense.
Private Health insurance claims are only available for inpatient services associated with an admission as a private patient to a private or public hospital.
Cardiologists at Peninsula Heart Centre subscribe to a “No Gap and Known Gap Scheme”. This means our Doctors’ fees for your admission and inpatient procedures may be covered by your Private health insurance and Medicare. Depending on your health fund and level of cover you may incur a “Known Gap” for our doctors’ services. This known gap is capped at $500.
Please contact your private health fund to ensure you are covered for Cardiac services in a private hospital.
Quote the following examples of cardiac items numbers to determine your level of cardiac cover:
- Coronary angiogram 38218
- Coronary Stenting 38246
- Pacemaker insertion 38353
If you are fully covered for any of these procedures, your private health fund and Medicare will cover our fees.
We accept credit card, cheque or cash and provide EFTPOS facilities. We ask patients to settle accounts in full on the day of consultation.
