Patients

A referral from a general practitioner or surgeon is required for you to receive a Medicare rebate. The referral also provides important information about your medical history and condition to allow your surgeon to make the appropriate appointment for you. 

A referral from your physiotherapist can act as a referral, however you will not receive a Medicare rebate for the consultation fee. We suggest that after your physiotherapist recommends one of our surgeons, you obtain a referral from your general practitioner. 

If you have a referral addressed to one of our surgeons, please select the surgeon you wish to see and upload the referral via the “Request an Appointment” form below. The referral will be triaged and the rooms will contact you to arrange an appointment. 

If you have a referral addressed to the group, please select “Next Available” in the “Request an Appointment” form below and upload your referral. Our reception staff will then make contact with our surgeons and you will be contacted by the next available specialist surgeon for your condition.

A number, but not all, of our surgeons see patients who are not covered by private health insurance. After an initial consultation they may be able to offer surgery through the public hospital system, or accept full fee payment for private procedures. In each instance standard consultation fees apply. Please ask our secretarial or reception staff to confirm if your chosen surgeon sees uninsured patients. 

Private hospital cover differs from extras cover so be sure to confirm your type of cover with your health fund before contacting the rooms. 

The majority of our surgeons see patients covered under workers’ compensation, motor vehicle or 3rd party claims. Please ask our secretarial or reception staff if your surgeon sees patients with a claimable injury/condition.

The Orthopaedic Group WA services are available at a range of convenient locations across WA including Joondalup, Midland, Katanning, Albany and the Pilbara. A list of our locations and the surgeons who attend them can be located on our Contact page. 

• A valid GP referral (if it hasn’t previously been forwarded to the rooms)
• Your completed new patient form (if it hasn’t previously been forwarded to the rooms)
• Your Medicare and private health insurance details
• Your DVA card (if relevant)
• Your workers’ compensation, motor vehicle or third party injury claim details (if relevant)
• Please be sure to bring the details of any imaging you have had in relation to your condition. Our surgeons are able to access imaging from most West Australian radiology companies on-line
• Any other investigations that you may have undergone (ie. EMG, blood tests etc).

Our Nedlands rooms are conveniently located on the ground floor of the Hollywood Medical Centre. There is an undercover patient drop-off area at the front of our building and wheelchairs available to borrow from the concierge.  Ample parking is accessible via Gate 5 off Monash Avenue, both at the front of the Medical Centre and in the high-rise parking block behind the building. 

Buses: We are a short walk from a number of major bus routes with stops along Monash Avenue, Hampden Road, Hospital Avenue and Stirling Highway. To find the best bus route for your journey to Hollywood Orthopaedic Group please use the Transperth Journey Planner – https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/Journey-Planner

Trains: The closest train stations to The Orthopaedic Group WA, Nedlands, are Shenton Park, Karrakatta, Daglish and Subiaco stations. Bus route 97 departs from Subiaco Station to Hospital Avenue regularly leaving just a short walk to our rooms.

Taxis: Either your surgeon’s secretary or the concierge at Hollywood Medical Centre will happily order a taxi for your journey home. There is an undercover waiting area at the front of the building to wait for your ride. 

DVA transport: If you are a DVA card holder, please speak to your secretary about arranging travel to and from your appointment via DVA transport. 

Our surgeons make every effort to minimise wait times. However, unexpected emergencies can arise which may affect the timing of your appointment. Our secretaries will make every effort to inform you if the surgeon is running late before you arrive, but if this is not possible our reception staff will keep you up-to-date when you attend. We ask for your patience and understanding in the unlikely event of there being a delay to your scheduled appointment time.  

Our surgeons operate at multiple locations including Hollywood Private Hospital, St John of God Hospital Subiaco, St John of God Hospital Mount Lawley, St John of God Hospital Midland and Joondalup Health Campus. We also offer private surgery through public hospitals in Albany, Katanning, Port Hedland and Karratha.  

Our secretaries will provide you with comprehensive details of your admission. This will include  fee estimates, admission and fasting details, where to present on the day of surgery and if there are any pre-operative tests or other preparations to be undertaken. 

Our surgeons provide privately billed surgery. Our secretaries will provide you with an estimate of the surgeon’s fee prior to your procedure.  We advise that you contact your health fund after receiving these details to confirm that you are insured appropriately for your operation (we will provide an item number specific to each procedure to confirm this)  and understand the rebate provided and any out of pocket costs related to your policy.

The anaesthetist for the procedure will provide a separate quote to you. Additional fees may be incurred from the hospital, imaging providers, pathology companies and hospital pharmacy, as well as from doctors asked to provide a consultation during your inpatient care (ie: pain management specialist or rehabilitation doctor.)

After your diagnosis has been made and the surgery discussed with you, your surgeon will sign a Consent for Surgery form. At this time, the risks, benefits and possible complications of the procedure will be discussed with you. The consent form is a legal document which you sign to give your surgeon permission to proceed with surgery. This form, along with an admission request form will be sent to the hospital.

You will be asked to complete a preadmission questionnaire by the hospital you are attending. This will either be done on-line or in paper form. The details of this will be provided to you by your surgeon’s secretary.

You will also be asked to sign a financial consent to confirm you understand the fees involved including any difference between the surgeon’s fee and the reimbursement available from your health fund resulting in an out-of-pocket cost. 

If your surgeon has advised you to use crutches or other aids following your surgery, it is recommended that you hire these from your local pharmacy and take these to the hospital for your admission. 

Yes. All children under 18 years of age must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian. Please discuss the accommodation details with the hospital directly.

Boarders are only able to stay for a “medical reason” or where special assistance is required for the patient’s care. The nurse manager on each ward will decide on the appropriateness of this and it will be arranged a few days prior to surgery. 

Not all hospitals provide a formal pre-admission review. If you do require a pre-admission appointment, you will be contacted directly by the hospital or your anaesthetist to arrange a time prior to your surgery. If it is not required, the hospital will contact you the day prior to surgery.

It is advised that in the lead up to surgery you avoid any risky activities that may cause damage to your skin. Cuts and grazes by plants or deep wounds could lead to your surgery being cancelled due to the increased risk of infection. If a cut or abrasion does occur, please contact your surgeon’s secretary to advise them. In most cases, they will ask for you to take a photo and email this to the rooms to confirm if it is safe to proceed with your surgery. 

Prior to your surgery, it is advisable to plan for your return home. Be sure that someone is available to drive you home from the hospital and help with your everyday tasks such as cleaning, shopping and cooking in the post-operative period. 

Make sure you home is hazard free and it is safe for you to mobilise without the risk of falls. Clear your hallways and reduce slip and tripping hazards such as rugs.

You will be discharged from the hospital with care instructions. It is important that you keep the area clean and dry for a period of  approximately two weeks post-operatively. You may be asked to remove bulky bandages in the first few days following surgery, but typically you should not remove adhesive or waterproof dressings until your clinic review. 

It is normal to have some bloodstaining on the dressing. If this increases or if there are signs of infection; redness; rash; an increase in ooze ; or if your dressing becomes soaked in water please contact your surgeon’s rooms or the hospital afterhours nurse  

You will be provided with pain relief medication when you are discharged from the hospital. If you have any questions please discuss these with your doctor prior to discharge from the hospital or contact the rooms as needed following discharge.  

It is important to take your medication as prescribed. By taking the medication as prescribed, you will prevent the pain from getting ahead of you and becoming difficult to control. 

Bruising can be very normal depending on the surgery. You can expect some bruising following most procedures, but if you become concerned, please email a picture of your bruising to your surgeon’s rooms as soon as possible. Our Surgeons, practice nurse or  secretaries will then contact you with advice. 

You are unable to drive 24 hours following anaesthetic or if you are under the influence of narcotic medication. 

If you are in a sling or upper/lower limb cast, you are unable to drive. You are also advised not to drive for 6 weeks following many major lower limb operations including hip and knee replacement surgery.

Clearance to drive should be discussed with your surgeon. The timing of this is determined on a case-by-case basis. 

This may be normal, but in certain circumstances can be an indication of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). If this happens during office hours, contact your surgeon’s rooms immediately. If it is after hours, please attend your general practitioner, or local hospital emergency department. While rare, DVT is a recognised risk of surgery and can be associated with life threatening clots to the lung (pulmonary embolus). This should therefore be assessed and treated with urgency.