Appointment Information

Making an appointment

Patients are usually seen on referral / request 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 / Request requirements for your appointments.

Referral / Request from your General Practitioner or Specialist Physician

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

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

If you have been referred to have a Cardiac Investigation at Southern Heart Centre, please ensure you bring your Referral / Request (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 test, 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 Heart Centre is given or is holding a valid request 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 10 minutes early to fill out the patient information sheet and privacy consent form.
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 our technician/Drs know what medications you currently use. The safest way to be sure we have the correct information is to bring a list of the medications to the appointment.

Cancellations and Non-attendances

If you are unable to attend your appointment please call ASAP to cancel / reschedule. We can then make the vacated appointment available to another patient.

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.