Private Patients

For elective admission from your specialist's rooms 

For elective admission, you will have already chosen your specialist and spoken with them in their consulting rooms. They will book your admission and care for you during your stay. We will assist you in making a post-operative appointment at your specialist's rooms. 

Admission from our Emergency Department (ED) 

If you visit our ED and need to be admitted, and you have a specialist in mind, tell the medical team in ED about your choice. They will then contact your specialist and you will be admitted under their care.  

If you don't have a preferred specialist or your specialist is unavailable, you can choose to be cared for by our specialist on call. 

You can also choose to be admitted under the care of our specialist medical team, which includes a Consultant and a Registrar. This team will care for you during your stay, and you will be admitted as a private patient under their care. 

We cover the gap 

Using your private health insurance means you'll benefit from lower costs for medical care because we cover the gap between what your insurance pays and the actual costs*.  

The Private Patient Liaison Team will handle all the paperwork and details for you, so you can focus on your recovery. 

Out of pocket expenses 

It costs you nothing to use your private health insurance at Grampians Health, even if you have an excess or co-payments on your policy.  

This excludes: 

• Private patients needing an MRI – this will incur an added expense, as the equipment is not owned and operated by us. 
• A small pharmacy fee is paid by all patients for discharge medication. 

Other benefits include:

• The Private Patient Liaison team will help with all the paperwork and administrative work. 
• You can choose your own specialist for treatment or care in hospital. 
• Our staff are available for advice and answers. Contact us on: 
  • 03 5320 4214
  • 03 5320 8693, or
  • 0439 642 221  

You can access private healthcare benefits without private health insurance. To do this you must have your own specialist caring for you during your stay.  

As a private-to-pay patient, you will pay the full cost for private patient privileges. You need to pay an estimated cost of your procedure two weeks before your admission to complete the booking process. These costs are based on the average length of stay and whether any prostheses are used for your procedure. Additional costs such as pathology, radiology, or MRI may apply and will be invoiced after discharge. 

To see a specialist 

• A referral is required from your GP to a specialist of your choice.  
• The specialist's rooms will provide an estimate of their fees. You will need to contact the anaesthetic group for advice on their fees. 

To pay for your admission 

Visit our Accounts page for details of how to pay for your admission.  

Further information 

Private Patient Billing Team 

• Phone: 03 5320 6960, option 1 
• Hours: Monday to Friday; 8.30am to 5.00pm  
• Email: PrivateBilling@gh.org.au  

If you are entitled to compensation, damages, or other benefits for the injury, illness, or disease that you are receiving care for, all fees and charges may be met by your compensation.  

This includes claims under the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Vic), Transport Accident Act 1986 (Vic), Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (Cth), or a claim for damages at Common Law.  

If your claim is rejected, you must still elect to be public or private for your admission. 

Please notify staff if you hold a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) Gold or White Card. All claimable accounts will be sent to DVA.  

For more information visit the DVA website.

If you are a Medicare ineligible patient, you will be required to pay costs for clinical care prior to your treatment. This includes all outpatient visits, inpatient accommodation care and diagnostic tests. 

It is your responsibility to ensure these costs can be covered by you or your health cover.  

A Medicare ineligible person is any visitor to Australia who does not hold a valid Medicare card and also does not fall under the classifications below: 

• Hold a valid Medicare card, OR  
• Be an Asylum Seeker/Refugee, OR  
• Have Reciprocal Rights (see below). 

Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with the following countries: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom.