If you would like to make an appointment with A/Prof Cooper, feel free to send us an appointment enquiry, or call our practice at 02 9233 3546.
We make every effort to keep our waiting list as short as possible. If you have a problem that you believe to be urgent, ask your doctor to phone us and we will endeavour to accommodate you as soon as possible.
If you do not have a current referral for your visit you will not be able to claim the Medicare rebate for your visit. Your GP will provide you with a referral on request, this is valid for twelve months. Referral from another specialist is valid for three months. It can be sent by post, fax or email prior to your appointment or bring with you on the day.
If you are an overseas visitor without Australian Medicare then a referral is not necessary.
If you have had surgery for endometriosis please forward any videos, images or operative reports you have to allow time for them to be reviewed prior to consultation.
If you have had fertility treatment before, please forward any treatment records, cycle reports, relevant test results, imaging and operative reports you have by email or fax to allow time for them to be reviewed prior to your consultation.
You will need a letter of referral for both partners.
If you are not from Sydney it is usually possible to schedule a consultation and then surgery the next day. Please contact the office in advance to allow adequate time required for administrative arrangement. It is also possible to schedule a telephone or Skype link up.
Please kindly arrive for your appointment 15 minutes early to allow time needed for registration.
To assist us in streamlining your initial visit to our practice you should bring the following to your appointment:
The cost of the consultation depends on the type of appointment i.e. initial, subsequent, post-surgery consultation etc. Additional fees are payable for other in-room service such as ultrasound, copolscopy, minor surgical procedures etc.
If you are attending with your partner for fertility consultation, your partner will be charged a reimbursable medicare fee. However, if he is not an Australian citizen covered by Medicare, there will be a partner fee of $80 for a new appointment and $40 for follow up appointments.
You will be quoted an estimation of fees at the time of booking your appointment.
If other tests and further investigations such as pap smear, blood tests, biopsies, specialised imaging etc. are required, you will be charged separately by the referred pathology, ultrasound specialist or other health providers. Some of these services are reimbursable by Medicare and your health fund. These fees are separate to our fees and remain the responsibility of the patient.
Please ask if you have any questions about fees prior to consultations and surgery to avoid potential misunderstandings
You will receive a text message before the consultation reminding you of the date and time of your visit. Please confirm your time and planned attendance by replying, or call to make an alternative time.
In order to provide the best possible care to our patients, we request that you please give our office at least 2 working days notice if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment or scheduled surgery. This enables us to offer the appointment or surgical time to another patient on the waiting list and helps prevent our loss of income.
Please be advised that any unadvised non-attendance or late cancellation will incur a cancellation fee amounting to 50% of the applicable consultation or surgical fee.
We thank you in advance of your consideration.
Referrals are necessary for you to claim the full specialist rebate from Medicare and it is thus in your interest to make sure you have an up to date referral. Without a current referral, Medicare will not refund the specialist rebate, but only the lower GP rebate. Referrals also ensure that your referring doctor receives a letter from A/Prof Cooper following your visit, thereby keeping your health records complete and up-to-date.
Referrals must be in A/Prof Cooper’s name. Please be aware that referrals from specialists are valid for three months only and that GP referrals are usually valid for one year.
It is not ethical for referrals to be backdated or for reception staff to request referrals on your behalf. If you are unsure about the validity of your current referral, please ask the reception staff.
Information on our current fee structure is available from our office. A/Prof. Cooper’s room is not a non-bulk billing practice and do not participate in any health fund’s medical scheme to provide no-gap services. We do request payment to be made in full at the time of consultation. Prepayment of the estimated surgery cost is payable a week prior to your procedure. All final accounts are settled upon completion of surgery.
In general, your private health fund and Medicare will cover a portion of your fees. Please note that there will be an out-of-pocket gap payment for most consultations and your surgery, and this varies from one procedure to another.
We accept credit cards (Visa and MasterCard), EFTPOS, cash, bank cheques and personal cheques.
Variations to this billing structure are at our discretion.
A/Prof Cooper operates at St Vincent’s Private, St Luke’s and Royal Prince Alfred Hospitals, St George Private Hospital and all IVF related procedures at Genea Kent Street and Genea North West’s day surgery.
A/Prof. Cooper operates predominantly at private hospitals. Admission as a Private patient in a private hospital entitles you to the option of choosing your preferred treating doctor.
A/Prof. Cooper does operate in a public teaching hospital. He is responsible for an operating list where junior doctors are trained in surgery. However, he has no control over choosing his patient.
Should you elect to be admitted as a public patient in a Public hospital, you will not be given the option of choosing your preferred doctor and your operation may be performed by a Registrar or Fellow training in this field of expertise.
Below are the anaesthetists A/Prof. Cooper works closely with:
St Vincent’s Private Hospital | Dr Luke Vyvyan
Phone: (02) 8382 3200 or 8382 3203
St Luke’s Hospital | Dr Sean Beehan
Phone: 0419 298 313
sean@ozemail.com.au
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital | A/Prof. Richard Walsh
Phone : (02) 9550 4866
For further patient information on anaesthesia, please visit:
The surgical fees are based on the procedures and the complexity of a patient’s case. Every surgery is tailored according to the specific conditions of each individual patient.
The cost of surgery can be broken down to fees payable to:
There will be an assisting doctor in most of the surgical procedures. The normal assistant fee is 20% of the surgeon’s fee.
Anaesthetists charges are generally time based. Our secretary can help you contact the anaesthetist who will be performing your anaesthetic if required.
The cost of your hospital admission depends on the level of your private health fund’s hospital cover. Often people pay an ‘excess’ which is a once off fee for the year, meaning you wouldn’t have to pay the excess amount again for other hospital admissions during that calendar year. Please check with your health fund what your level of hospital cover is, and the excess you may need to pay prior to the surgery
And in some case:
Also, travel and lodging is not a part of our quote, but should be taken into account by patients traveling from out of state.
Please contact your private health fund provider prior to your admission for the procedure. Discussing your procedure with your health fund will provide you with the full scope of your policy at an early stage so you are clear about the procedures it covers, making sure you enquire about claims for investigatory measures including imaging, pathology and hospital fees.
When discussing a surgical procedure with you, A/Prof. Cooper will provide you with quote for his surgeon’s fee, expected rebates from Medicare and an estimate of your gap payment. Each private insurer provides different cover based on your circumstances and policy. It is your responsibility to ensure your health fund will adequately cover your surgery.
The quoted fees is an estimation based on fees charged by A/Prof. Cooper to indicate likely costs at the time of consultation and/or surgery. Please note that the final surgical fee may vary from the quotation as the fees for surgery cannot be determined until the doctor actually sees the extent of endometriosis and can assess what is involved with its complete removal.
Quotes are inclusive of all costs associated with A/Prof. Cooper’s fee only. It does not include fees for the hospital nor other health providers involved in your care.
Quotes are inclusive of all costs associated with A/Prof. Cooper’s fee only. All surgery carried out in private hospitals will incur out of pocket expenses (gap payment) in addition to those rebated by Medicare or your health fund. Pre-payment for all surgical procedures is required at least 1 week prior to your surgery. All final accounts are settled upon completion of surgery.
A/Prof. Cooper’s quote does not include the hospital’s admission, theatre fee and services provided by anaesthetists and surgical assistant and / or other doctors, radiologists, pathologists.
There will be an assisting doctor in most of the surgical procedures. The normal assistant fee is 20% of the surgeon’s fee.
Anaesthetists charges are generally time based. Our secretary can help you contact the anaesthetist who will be performing your anaesthetic if required.
Please contact your private health fund provider prior to your admission for the procedure. Discussing your procedure with your health fund will provide you with the full scope of your policy at an early stage so you are clear about the procedures it covers, making sure you enquire about claims for investigatory measures including imaging, pathology and hospital fees.
We understand that insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs are major concerns for our patients. We also know that this topic can be a confusing issue. Therefore, we have dedicated this section to further explain how A/Prof. Cooper’s practice handles our fees and accounts policies. If you still have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call our office
The following information applies strictly to A/Prof. Cooper’s surgeon charges only. This does not include billing for the hospital, anesthesia and other providers involved in your care.
At first glance, Gap Cover Scheme from private health insurance companies seem to help with reducing or eliminating out of pocket expenses. However, this can often come at the expense of provider’s decision-making and in turn, negatively impact the quality of care you receive. To avoid this limitation, A/Prof. Cooper chooses to in the gap cover scheme. As such, he can maintain autonomy and thus improve patient care so that you receive the treatment that you need and deserve.
While no-gap providers will be covered by insurance, they can be restricted in providing the proper fine-tuned and expert care that A/Prof. Cooper commits to deliver. By remaining non-participating private practitioner of the schemes, A/Prof. Cooper ensures that his patients receive optimal care catered to their individual case.
While we acknowledge that the out-of-pocket expenses is a key component to your decision-making, we urge you to put your health first. Your health is priceless and our goal is to make sure that patients receive the best treatment based on their individual case, in order to ensure they have the highest chance of symptom relief and a healthy recovery.
Medicare and private health fund rebates do not cover the full cost of consultations or surgery. The fees charged are generally in line with those considered fair and reasonable by the Australian Medical Association.
A/Prof. Cooper does not provide no-gap services. There will therefore usually be a gap which you will be expected to pay.
The threshold for the Medicare Safety Net is an arrangement between you and Medicare, and is determined on individual grounds. You are still required to pay the full amount for the consultation at the time of your appointment. When your claim is assessed, Medicare may reimburse you with a higher benefit. Any questions you have about this should be directed to Medicare.
Please ask if you have any questions about fees prior to consultations and surgery to avoid potential misunderstandings
Medicare rebate does not cover the full cost of your appointment in A/Prof. Cooper’s consulting rooms.
You cannot claim the cost of your appointment through your private health insurance. Private health insurance usually covers the cost associated with hospital admission for surgical procedures. At the time of your appointment, we will record your private health insurance details in the event you require a surgical procedure.
Individuals also have access to the Medicare Safety Net benefit. This benefit is for those that have large out of pocket costs for out-patient services. Once the relevant threshold is met, the Medicare benefit increases. For further information please go to: www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/medicare/medicare-safety-net
The threshold for the Medicare Safety Net is an arrangement between you and Medicare, and is determined on individual grounds. You are still required to pay the full amount for the consultation at the time of your appointment. When your claim is assessed, Medicare may reimburse you with a higher benefit. Any questions you have about this should be directed to Medicare.
We also recommend you register for the Medicare Safety Net by visiting the Medicare website www.medicareaustralia.gov.au. If you are eligible for the Medicare Safety Net this may provide you with additional rebates for your out-of-pocket costs for out-of-hospital services for the calendar year.
Private health insurance is not permitted by law to pay benefits towards out-patient medical services where a Medicare benefit is payable. Therefore, you cannot claim the cost of your appointment through your private health insurance.
However, Private health insurance usually covers the cost associated with hospital admission for surgical procedures. At the time of your appointment, we will record your private health insurance details in the event you require a surgical procedure.
All surgery carried out in private hospitals will incur out of pocket expenses (gap payment) in addition to those rebated by Medicare or your health fund.
Please contact your private health fund provider prior to your admission for the procedure. Discussing your procedure with your health fund will provide you with the full scope of your policy at an early stage so you are clear about the procedures it covers, making sure you enquire about claims for investigatory measures including imaging, pathology and hospital fees.
You need to make sure you understand all of the costs involved. The most significant cost involved with surgery is usually the hospital admission, and this is what private health insurance generally covers.
Prior to booking a surgical procedure, A/Prof. Cooper will provide you with an estimate of the surgical fees, and our secretary can help you request an estimate of the cost of hospital admission. The cost of the hospital admission is paid directly to the hospital before your procedure.
In general, repeat prescriptions will not be issued without your condition being checked. You are required to book in for an appointment for this purpose.
The National Cancer Screening Register (NCSR) supports the operations of the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP) by providing a secure, confidential database of screening records.
Starting in 2018, the NCSR will invite all women aged 25– to 74 to have a Cervical Screening Test (the Pap test replacement*) every five years. This new Register has replaced the Pap test registers within states and territories, providing a national database of screening records for cervical screening.
We are required by law to provide this information (unless you specifically tell us that you do not want this to happen). It keeps histories of results, sends reminder letters, ensures women are offered proper follow up care after an abnormal smear and gathers statistics. Please visit below links for further information:
You can download useful Patient Information Booklets provided by Merck Serono on Endometriosis, Fertility and related topics from here.