Appointment Information
Making an appointment
Patients are usually seen by cardiologist Dr Young Yu on referral from General Practitioners or a medical specialist. 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 the practice if you are unsure of your referral status.
Interpreters
If any patient is experiencing language difficulties, please inform our reception staff and they will organise 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:
Make sure you supply us with a valid referral on your behalf. This will ensure you can claim Medicare rebates and inform the cardiologist of the background to your condition.
If you are attending for the first time please arrive 15 minutes early to fill out the patient information sheet and privacy consent form.
For billing and Medicare rebate purposes it is vital you bring your Medicare and concession cards to the appointment.
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.
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.
Your concerns
Dr Young Yu is 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.
Billing & Payment
Payments and fees
Hurstville Heart Centre is committed to providing equitable access to health care and does not charge above the Medicare rebate for all Department of Veterans’ Affairs patients, aged care pensioners and disability card holders, however, some tests or procedures may attract an out-of-pocket charge which reflects the skill and costs involved in providing our state of the art imaging service.
Payment is requested in full, on the day for everyone, except Pensioners or Department of Veterans’ Affairs patients.
We accepts cash, cheque, and credit card and provides EFTPOS facilities to facilitate easy payment of accounts on the day. (Visa and MasterCard only).
Medicare Claiming
For fast refunds we can also lodge Medicare claims on-line, so that Medicare rebates are automatically sent to your nominated bank account. If you are not registered for on line rebates with Medicare you will be sent a refund cheque by mail from Medicare.
Most Cardiology consultations and testing attract a Medicare rebate. If your test does not attract a Medicare rebate, our staff will advise you prior to your appointment.