Costs of Anaesthesia
It's easy to assume an anaesthetist comes as part of your overall surgeon's service.
As a private patient, you have your choice of surgeon. But when it comes to other doctors present at your operation, your options are more limited. Surgeons will chose their team based on experience and skill set; your anaesthetist is a critical part of that team.
Anaesthetists are independent medical specialists and as such their practice will bill separately to that of the surgeon or proceduralist.
How anaesthesia billing works
Anaesthetists bill in "units". The number of units they charge for an anaesthetic depends on its complexity, including:
- the type of surgery
- the duration of the service
- whether any monitoring devices are used
- the patient's classification on a scale of illness severity
- the patient's age if they are less than 12 months or over 75 years
- after hours emergencies, which attract a 50% penalty rate.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and Australian Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) prepare a list of medical services and fees for private patient anaesthesia services, and index this each year.
Anaesthetists base their fees on this indexed list of services.
Medicare and Health Fund Rebates
The rebate which you receive from your insurers (Medicare and your private health insurance fund) covers only part of the cost of your anaesthetic services.
This amount is fixed by government legislation.
This means that you may be responsible for the remaining balance of the anaesthesia fee.
Estimates
Although the exact fee for your anaesthetic will be determined by the nature and duration of anaesthesia, it is usually possible to give a close estimate before surgery.
When your surgeon informs you that you will be having a procedure, typically they can inform you who the anaesthetist will be on the day.
The anaesthetist will generally make contact with you to discuss issues, medical and otherwise that you may have. This may include an estimate of the costs.
Payment of Fees
Individuals are able to finalise their accounts using Credit card or direct bank deposit.