Appointment Information

Making an appointment

Patients are usually seen on referral from General Practitioners and Specialists. To be eligible to claim a Medicare rebate from the government you need to be both eligible for Medicare and have a current referral.

Referral requirements for your appointments.

Referral from your General Practitioner or Specialist Physician

A referral provided by your General Practitioner will generally last for a period of up to 12 months unless your doctor specifies “indefinite” referral. After 12 months it is essential for you to provide a new referral from your General Practitioner to meet Medicare requirements. If you have been referred by a Specialist Physician or through a public hospital your referral will only last for a period of three months. Please contact Southern Cardiology if you are unsure of your referral status.

Cardiac investigation referral form (A5 form with appointment date and time)

If you have been referred to have a Cardiac Investigation at Southern Cardiology, please ensure you bring your Referral (A5 form) showing the appointment date and time as this slip shows the reason for the investigation and is required by our Cardiac Technician in order to proceed with testing.

Interpreters

If any patient is experiencing language difficulties, please inform our staff and our reception staff can organize an interpreter for your consultation, interpreters may be booked either on site or over the telephone.

Attending the clinic

Patients can help us deliver the best possible care by following a few simple guidelines:

1. Make sure Southern Cardiology is given or is holding a valid referral on your behalf. This will ensure you can claim Medicare rebates and inform the cardiologist of the background to your condition.
2. If you are attending for the first time please arrive 15 minutes early to fill out the patient information sheet and privacy consent form. Alternatively please print and complete the attached form and bring it with you, to save you time on the day.
3. For billing and Medicare rebate purposes it is vital you bring your Medicare and concession cards to the appointment.
4. It is very important that your cardiologist knows what medications you currently use. The safest way to be sure we have the correct information is to bring the medications to the appointment.
5. X-rays which pertain to your condition should also be brought to appointments. We will let you know when they are no longer required for you to take home.

Cancellations and Non-attendances

If you are unable to attend your appointment it is in your own interests to ring and make another time without delay. That way we can also make the vacated appointment available to another patient. Waiting times for appointments to see our heart specialists can be kept to a minimum if all vacant appointments are made available to patients.

Please be aware that a non- attendance applies if you fail to cancel the appointment in advance.

Privacy Policy and Access to Personal Records

Patient records are protected by our compliance with all privacy legislation and the guidelines of relevant professional bodies such as the AMA.

A request for access to your medical record should generally be directed to your treating cardiologist.

Concerns

Our doctors and staff are passionate about being first choice in cardiology for patients and referring doctors. We apply a culture of continuous learning and improvement to all aspects of our services, with patient wellbeing as the focus of all our activity. Please feel free to discuss with us any concerns you may have regarding your care.