You can choose to use your private health insurance in our public hospitals.

If you are eligible for Medicare and hold private health insurance when you are admitted to one of our hospitals, you can elect to be treated as a private patient.

Benefits

By electing to be a private patient you can choose your specialist doctor and their treating team. If the specialist of your choice is unavailable you can choose to be treated by another specialist who is on call at the time of your admission.

You may also be entitled to receive:

• no out-of-pocket expenses for accommodation fees, theatre fee, diagnostic services, prostheses, pathology and medications
• a discounted excess or co-payment depending on your type and length of admission
• a single room if available (this will be provided where possible—single rooms are allocated on a clinical needs basis).

Supporting our hospitals

Hospital funding and resources are limited. Each time you use your private health insurance at one of our hospitals, you are helping us:

• purchase new equipment
• maintain and develop accommodation and facilities
• improve and expand patient services
• increase resources
• fund medical research.

More information

Our Patient Options Liaison Officers (POLOs) can answer any questions you have before you choose to be treated as a private patient.

You can speak to your hospital’s POLO about issues such as:

• financial concerns
• investigating and confirming what your private health insurance will cover
• completing paperwork
• liaising with your health fund.

If you would like to get in touch with your local POLO, please speak to the ward staff.