There is a lot of stress and excitement that comes with booking an appointment to see a specialist regarding weight loss surgery. This takes a lot of courage for some people to get in the right headspace to make the first step just making contact with the office. This is a quick list of what you should do prior to booking an initial appointment and attending the appointment.
Referrals
Book an appointment with your GP to obtain a referral to see Dr Adib. Please ensure that the referral also includes all relevant medications that you are currently taking and also previous, and current medical conditions. If you are not seeing your regular GP for the referral, please ensure that you include the list of your medications and current medical conditions for the appointment. Please also note that a GP referral last 12 months. It is the patient’s responsibility to ensure that they always have a current referral.
Initial Consultation Fee
The initial consultations for bariatric (weight loss) patients with a GP referral and current medicare card are bulk-billed. You will require both of these documents in order to be bulk-billed for the consultation. The consultation fee for patients without these is $200. Please note that if you are seeing Dr Adib with regards to non-bariatric related procedures, the initial consultation is $200 with a $75 medicare rebate.
Accessing Early Release of Superannuation
Insured patients accessing super for gaps or Uninsured patients accessing super to fund the whole procedure.
Accessing superannuation you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds in your superannuation account to allow early release. It is also advised to check that you have adequate funds to allow for the tax that the ATO charge for early release of your super funds. We also ask patients to set up their MyGov account and link the ATO online services to their MyGov account. You can read more on how to apply for superannuation here.
Insured Patients
We ask all insured patients to check the item number of the bariatric procedure they are wanting to undergo with their private health insurance. This will help when you attend your initial consultation on how you will be financing your procedure. Please find below the item numbers for the weight loss procedure:
- Sleeve Gastrectomy – 31575
- Roux en-Y Gastric Bypass – 31572
- Gastric Band (Lapband) – 31569
- Orbera Balloon – 30473
During your appointment
- Bring a support person
- Have a possible date in mind for your surgery
- Bring a list of questions that you may have regarding your medical circumstances
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions when the surgeon is explaining procedures if you are unsure of anything
Booking an appointment
If you’re ready to book an appointment to discuss your weight loss options, contact us on either 07 3871 2277 or complete the enquiry form.
