Pre-admission Clinic

Patients who:

• are having major surgery.
• have pre-existing health conditions such as diabetes, heart problems, obstructive airways disease
• have had previous problems with anaesthesia.

You will either be referred to PAC by your doctor or triaged by our PAC team based on your health history.

You need to complete your health questionnaire and pre-admission form via our secure e-admission portal. before your PAC appointment. This will help our PAC team to decide if there are any tests and medications you may need before the surgery.

If you require any assistance with the portal, please contact our admissions team on (02) 9812 3000 or via email at reception@muh.org.au.

During your appointment, you will be asked about any health goals you want to achieve. Your goals help your care team understand your expectations, any personal needs or preferences for your care.

The links below will provide you with some helpful information around setting your goals:

• Setting your healthcare goals.
• Identifying goals for care: Tips for patients and consumers.

• Recent Patient Health Summary from your GP (which includes your allergies, medical and surgical history, social history, medicines list and immunisation history).
• Recent blood, radiology and other test results that relate to your conditions.
• Letters from any doctors you have seen in the last 12 months.
• Any recent hospital discharge summaries.
• Medicare Card.
• Concession or health care cards (Pensioner Concession card, Health Care card, DVA card).
• Medicines in their original pack.
• Copies of any of the following documents you may have:
  • Advance Care Directive.
  • Enduring Guardianship.
  • Power of Attorney.
  • Resuscitation Order.
  • Voluntary Assisted Dying.

You will be seen by one of our nurses, anaesthetists and/or physicians who will discuss the following:

• your planned surgery
• previous medical/surgical history
• medication review
• discharge planning
• any other concerns you may have.

You may also have a number of tests undertaken on the day. These may include:

• pathology
• ECG
• X-ray of your chest.

Fasting is not required for any of these tests.

Depending on your planned surgery, your appointment may take up to two to three hours.

MQ Health also runs a free online group program to support you to prepare for your hospital admission.  The Prepare for hospital program is run by provisional psychologists from MQ Health’s Psychology Clinic. When you attend the PAC you may also meet a provisional psychologist from the program who will explain the program and its benefits.

How much will my appointment cost?

Your appointment with the anaesthetist will be $255. With a Medicare rebate, your out-of-pocket cost will be approximately $100.

For Pension, DVA and Senior Health Care cardholders, your appointment with the anaesthetist will be $205. With a Medicare rebate, your out-of-pocket cost will be approximately $50.

Workers compensation patients will need to have a claim number approved for your upcoming surgery.

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 do not cover specialist consultations. For more information we recommend contacting your health fund directly.

When do I pay for my appointment?

You will need to pay at the time of your consultation. Remember to bring your Pension, Health Care or DVA card, so we can 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.