The Journey
There are three major parts to your surgical journey
- Pre-surgery: before surgery you will need to consult with the Surgeon, then the Dietitian and Physician
- Surgery: Hospital costs include Theatre and Hospital
- Post-surgery: Your After-care program
With or without Private Health Insurance?
For most people it would be a much better idea to have private health insurance that covers bariatric surgery. For most insurers this is "Gold Cover" but not always - check with your health insurance provider whether you are covered for a Sleeve Gastrectomy (item number 31575) or a Gastric Bypass (31572 or 31584).
Private Health Insurance
If you have private health insurance or are looking to take it out, make sure you are covered for weight loss surgery (bariatric surgery).
For most insurers this will require Gold level cover for at least 12 months.
As a Private patient in a private hospital, you have the choice of which surgeon, your surgical operation, timing of procedure and wait time until surgery.
With the appropriate level of private health insurance (usually Gold level) your health fund will cover hospital costs (usually $18,000 - $22,000) including:
· Overnight hospital bed costs ~ $1,200 per day (note, ICU/HDU/CCU admission ~$4,000 per night)
· Theatre utilisation – approx. $2,000 per hour
· Theatre equipment – prosthesis, stapling devices, haemostatic agents - starts from $5000 dependent upon the operation
PHI covers
part of the following:
- Hospital - Investigations such as blood tests or scans (not done routinely, only as needed)
- Medications - discharge medications and some added medications such as antibiotics
- Anaesthesia-related costs
PHI does NOT cover
- Clinic Fee
- Surgical assistant
Clinic Fee (Bariatric Management Outpatient Fee and Aurora package)
The Clinic Fee is a bariatric management package which contributes towards your outpatient care as well as the expenses of administering a clinic.
This ensures you are covered for:
- Pre-op Consent visit: your second Surgeon consultation is included
- Post-op consults: All post-operative Surgeon and Bariatric GP consultations are included for a year after your surgery. These routinely include your 3 week visit and 3 month visit with the Surgeon, plus the 6 month and 12 month bariatric GP visits, also including any others you may need.
- Administrative support, management and coordination of multidisciplinary care and treatment
- Organisation and review of regular scheduled postoperative blood tests at 6 and 12 months, plus as needed
AURORA BOX
Your "Aurora Box" is an exciting new package which will include:
1. Bariatric Cookbook and Nutritional Guide
All patients will receive a book "Your Complete Guide to Nutrition for Weight Loss Surgery" by Sally Johnson in hard copy. This is the essential guide for your pre-operative preparation and what to expect after surgery, plus handy tips and some excellent recipes.
2.
Dietetic Starter Kit
We include a large variety of shakes, VLCD samples and protein/fibre supplements so you can try each before you buy. Included here is a set of BN multivitamins (in chewable and capsule form) as well as a water bottle to help you keep track! Finally there is a portion bowl to ensure you're sticking with the right size of food.
3. ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) Kit
To help with your hospital stay and recovery, we include an eye mask, ear plugs, peppermint tea, hand moisturiser and lip balm. We also include an extra long phone charging cable - trust me you'll need it!
4.
Meal Replacement Card
After a sleeve or bypass - you can't eat the same size of food in one sitting that you did before. Likewise, you can't eat or drink within 30 minutes of each other or risk stretching your pouch. To help with ordering in restaurants, we have provided you with a card that will tell the waiter you've had surgery to your stomach (without specifying exactly what surgery you've had).
Uninsured Patients
Uninsured patients can include those with no private health insurance, those with ancillary cover only (no hospital cover) or those with an inadequate level of hospital cover for bariatric surgery (usually requires a "gold" level of cover). Some patients are candidates to proceed uninsured - if your BMI is between 32-45 and you do not have a medical condition which increase your risk of an ICU admission (severe sleep apnoea, significant type 2 diabetes or similar).
If you are thinking about undertaking surgery without private health insurance, please speak to us first. Not everyone is eligible for uninsured surgery (those that are having revisional surgery, or bypass procedures). The biggest cost will be the operating theatre costs and your hospital stay; if you require re-admission you will not be able to be re-admitted to the same hospital, and they may be significant additional costs if intravenous medications or further surgery is required.
For Payment Plans, follow this link to see what your options are:
https://www.aurorabariatrics.com.au/payment-plans
Superannuation Release
You can access your superannuation to pay for bariatric surgery in some circumstances under a "Compassionate Release of Super" process.
This process can be significant - Supercare may be able to assist. We have a "Patient FAQ for accessing Super" - please email us to request this handy guide.
