My primary duty is to you, and my objective is to provide you with the best possible care that suits you. I have therefore chosen not to enter into contract arrangements with any health funds, as this may conflict with my duty of care to you as the patient.

You are free to choose to subscribe to any health fund, but it should be understood that your health fund cover is a private matter between you and your health fund. My office will assist you by providing all the item numbers that appropriately describe your treatment. However as there are over 30 health funds operating in Australia, many of which have their own set of different business rules, subject to change without notice, I am not able to advise you about your fund.

Following consultation you will be given a Quotation of Fees, including the expected item numbers. My fees are set according to the length of time anticipated to be taken, the difficulty of the procedure, and the cost involved in providing treatment.

Some procedures are designated by the government as "dental". These include, but are not limited to, the removal of wisdom teeth, tooth extractions, placement of dental implants, and surgical exposure of teeth. Rebates for these procedures can be claimed only through "Extras" of your private health insurance. Each fund sets its own level of rebate. The Australian Dental Association has a schedule of services and item numbers for these services, but there is no recommended Fee Schedule.

Medicare also has a schedule of services and item numbers, and a recommended Fee Schedule. These are for "medical" (non-dental) procedures and include, but are not limited to, corrective jaw surgery, removal of tongue tie, biopsy, treatment of fractures, temporomandibular joint surgery, and surgery for pathology. A rebate is received for these procedures from Medicare.

If a "medical" procedure is performed in my procedural room (that is with local anaesthetic), Medicare will pay 85% of their "Schedule Fee" (not necessarily 85% of my fee). There is no further rebate from your health fund.

If a "medical" procedure takes place in hospital, Medicare will pay 75% of the "Schedule Fee", and if you are on the appropriate table for hospital cover, your private health fund will pay the remaining 25% of the schedule fee. Again this is not necessarily 75% + 25% of the fee.

If a procedure ("dental" or "medical") needs to be performed in hospital there will also be an account from both the hospital and the anaesthetist. Hospital fees are claimable only with private health insurance. You will need to contact your private health insurance to ensure you have the necessary cover. If you do not have private health insurance you will need to contact the hospital to obtain a quote for your hospital stay.

The anaesthetist’s account is claimable from Medicare. You will receive 75% of Medicare’s Schedule Fee, with a further rebate of 25% of the "Schedule Fee" from your private health fund if on the appropriate table. Again this is not necessarily 75% + 25% of the anaesthetist’s fee.

There may also be incidental fees incurred at the time of surgery eg: it may be necessary to take a biopsy and the tissue will be sent to a pathologist for a diagnosis. The account from the pathologist is claimable through Medicare.

My office will provide you with the necessary accounts/invoices to assist in obtaining your rebates from your private health fund and / or Medicare.

I hope this information will help to clarify the situation regarding either your treatment or my fees for your treatment.