Introduction

Dr. Pak is a member of the Australian Medical Association (AMA). The AMA is a professional association representing the professional interest of doctors and the health care needs of patients and communities. The AMA provides an annual list of medical services and the recommended fees. The fees are considered to be reasonable when taking into account the running costs of a medical practice and the level of training required (please see AMA position statement on medical fees below). Under most circumstances, our fees are based on the AMA recommendations.

Consultations in private

Consultations in private incur an out of pocket expense. Patients who are eligible for Medicare will have part of the fees reimbursed to them from Medicare. 

Private health insurance does not cover the cost of a consultation. The fees are the same for insured and uninsured patients.   

Patients who are covered under Workcover and TAC are required to pay for their initial visit. Part of the fee is reimbursed by Workcover and TAC. Patients will have some out of pocket expenses due to ​a significant time and work required to support patients in the approval process if treatment is required. 

Consultations in public hospitals

Dr. Pak consults at The Werribee Mercy Hospital as part of his public appointment. Patients who are eligible for medicare usually do not have an out of pocket expense for the consultation. 

If ancillary items such as splints and orthoses are required, then payment for these items are usually required. 

Surgical fees

Patients who have taken out private health insurance can have their treatment as a private patient in hospital with the majority of the costs covered by their health fund. 

An excess is usually payed by the patient for an admission to hospital. The amount is stipulated by their health fund.

The health fund will then usually cover the cost of the hospital admission, theatre fees, and costs of implants used during the procedure. These costs are substantial and constitute the majority of the the overall cost of treatment.

The doctors' fees are not fully covered by the health funds. For this reason, an out of pocket expense is incurred by the patient to cover the shortfall between the health fund rebate and the doctors' fees. For a surgical procedure, the following medical practitioners are usually involved in treatment.
  • The surgeon performing the operation
  • The assistant surgeon
  • The Anaesthetists

We provide our patients with a close estimate of the costs involved. However, we do not set the fees charged for the anaesthetist or assistant surgeon. 
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AMA position statement on medical fees
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