Patient information

Who can refer me to your clinic?

Your medical practitioner or another cardiologist can refer you to our clinic. Referrals from a specialist are valid for three months, while referrals from a general practitioner (GP) are valid for one year.

How can I contact you?

Contact us on +61 (2) 9812 2900 to make an appointment with our cardiologists, or to discuss your heart health concerns.

What happens after I book my appointment?

MQ Health Cardiology Clinic will call to confirm your appointment and remind you of any necessary reports that will be required for the day.

How long should I allow for my first appointment?

We recommend you allow two hours. During your first visit to our clinic you'll need to have some tests, and discuss your medical history and condition with your specialist in detail.

Can I drive after my appointment?

Check this with your cardiologist before your appointment. In some cases you may need arrange for a friend, family member or taxi to pick you up.

Is there parking available?

Yes there is. See directions and parking information.

We suggest you bring the following items to all appointments:

• Referral – a valid referral from your medical practitioner or specialist.
• Cards – Medicare, health fund, pension and Veterans' Affairs cards.
• Medication list – of all your current medications, vitamins and supplements.
• Test results – including CT, X-ray, heart test results and pathology from the past 6–12 months.
• Discharge summaries or procedure reports if necessary.
• Comfortable clothing if you are having a stress test.

Arriving at the clinic

You will need to complete a patient information form. Our staff will then register you as a patient.

Your initial consultation

Next, you may be seen by a cardiac technician, a university-trained allied health practitioner who assists your cardiologist. Your cardiac technician or nurse will take any diagnostic tests required by your cardiologist.

You will then see your cardiologist who will analyse your test results, perform additional tests and determine the next steps for your treatment. Your cardiologist will talk to you about your condition, when and if you need to come back, and your ongoing treatment plan.

Questions to ask your clinician

We want our patients to go into their treatments with confidence. We encourage you to ask your doctor key questions, such as:

• Do I really need this test, treatment or procedure?
• What are the risks?
• Are there simpler, safer options?
• What happens if I don't do anything?
• What are the costs?

Next steps

Before you leave, our reception staff will create an account for your consultation and any testing performed. Upon payment, we can electronically lodge your account claim with Medicare. You can also make any follow-up appointments at reception before you leave.

How much will my appointment cost?

The costs of consultations vary. First appointments can be more expensive as they tend to be longer.

Concession rates are available for pensioners.

You may also need to pay additional fees for certain types of diagnostic tests such as echocardiogram, stress echocardiogram and ECG.

If you would like to know the estimated cost of your appointment, phone our rooms on +61 (2) 9812 2900.

Will I get money back from Medicare?

Medicare offer rebates for your appointment fees and diagnostic tests with a valid referral. In most cases, however, there will be a gap between Medicare rebates and our fees.

We can lodge your rebate with Medicare on your behalf when you pay for your appointment. Medicare will then credit your nominated bank account.

Will I get money back from my private health insurance?

Most private policies only cover you when you are admitted to hospital and don’t cover specialist consultations.

For more information, speak to your health fund directly about what’s covered in your policy.

When do I pay for my appointment?

MQ Health Cardiology is not a bulk billing practice, so you will need to pay at the time of your consultation. Please remember to bring your pensioner, health care or DVA cards to ensure we bill you at the correct rate.

What if I am a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) patient?

If you are a DVA patient with a gold card, we can lodge your account directly to DVA with no out-of-pocket expense for you. Remember to bring your gold card to each appointment.

If you are proceeding to surgery, you may need to have measurements calculated first. These detailed measurements will incur an expense.

We welcome positive and constructive feedback in order to continuously improve our service. You can leave a message in the feedback box in the reception area, complete our survey or email us at feedback@mqhealth.org.au

If you feel your experience with us has been unsatisfactory, please discuss any complaints with us in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact either the Health Care Complaints Commissioner on 1800 043 159 or the NSW Ombudsman on 1800 451 524 to discuss your complaint.