Our Fees
How do we structure our fees at BNE?
Q: What does it cost to attend Brisbane Northside Private Emergency Centre ( BNE)?
A: All private emergencies have a similar GAP payment. Our out of pocket is around $250-$300 after the Medicare rebate. This will be explained to you on arrival to BNE.
Q: How do you quantify these costs? And why is the GAP fee the figure it is?
A: This is a complicated question. Let us give you a brief history to explain.
This Emergency Centre is independently owned, but supported by Holy Spirit Northside Private Hospital (HSN) as a service to the community. Emergency centres are extremely expensive to operate and can cost many millions to operate, if they are run correctly.
The actual cost of treating you is more than four times your actual bill. Our emergency centre fees at BNE only cover the medical costs. ALL other costs are borne by HSN with an operating loss of over two million dollars per year.
There is NO funding from Health Funds or the State or Federal Governments, unlike the Public Emergency Centre next door which is fully funded by the State Government. Medicare rebates are not anywhere near the modern cost of providing any extensive medical service let alone Specialists who are in extremely short supply.
Emergency Specialists earn significantly less than other medical disciplines, despite working all hours on shifts. This is due to the poor medical rebates provided by Canberra. Emergency Specialists are the only Specialists who shift work to cover extended hours in order to provide your emergency care. All other types of Specialists work with their colleagues who collectively provide an “on call” roster.
There are more Emergency Specialists working at BNE than any other private facility in Australia and more than most public hospitals of a similar size to us.
Our model and standard of care is such that we will provide experienced, expert and excellent care and service to our patients. Therefore, if you want to be treated in the private sector with all of its advantages, then an out of pocket expense is unavoidable.
So why will the Government (State or Federal ) not increase the Medicare rebate?
The private sector has approached Governments, both at State and Federal level and all of the Health Funds, for over twenty years.
The problem is this: Nobody thinks it is their area of responsibility so we have been refused support at all quarters. This is despite the fact that our very existence prevents the Government system from absolute overload.
There are over 400 beds in Brisbane private hospitals that are filled every day by private emergency centres that would be in the public sector without 24/7 private emergency units as alternatives.
So what next ?
The private sector and ALL doctors will continue to lobby the Governments and Health Insurers. But until we have a win, you will continue to be asked to pay for the same level of out of pocket costs as you are now.
Rest assured though, we will, at BNE continue to provide a high quality level of care to all our patients.
PS....... We would appreciate any feedback you wish to provide and any suggestions to improve our private emergency centre. Please talk to our Administration Manager or to our Nurse Unit Manager or alternatively, drop us a note for our response. If you ever visit our emergency centre for care and are unhappy in any way, please talk to us BEFORE you leave, to give us an opportunity to remedy it.
Financial Consent
Years ago, when you first presented into an emergency centre, we used to start treating you first and then we worried about details like names and addresses etc. THEN the lawyers got involved and the era of financial consent arrived. Now our practice is dictated by law, not common sense. So, now we are obliged to get you to sign a financial consent form before you receive any treatment.
To most patients, and to us, this is clearly distasteful but unfortunately several legal cases have caused this outcome.
Historically, financial consent law originated from booked elective surgery where both the patient and the doctor knew what was going to be done and therefore a ‘quote’ was required.
In an emergency centre, it is almost impossible for us to give you 100% accurate financial consent because we do not know what your diagnosis is. We have also not seen you yet so we do not know what is going on.
We try to give you an approximation of the financial outcome to the best of our ability.
Hospital Financial Consent
Should you need to be admitted to a hospital then the hospital will require a financial consent also.
Health Insurance
BNE is not covered by any insurance system, as this is a fee-for-service emergency centre and is an outpatient facility. Despite this if you are entering a private hospital, then it is wise to have private insurance cover.
The problem these days is that many insurance companies now sell policies with restricted or no benefits to some treatments eg cardiac care or joint replacements so you may not have the cover you think you have. It is wise to ensure you know exactly what you are purchasing (or not purchasing) when buying or reviewing your health insurance.
The chances of being treated publicly (unless very life threatening) is low and with some conditions, not at all.
We urge you to upgrade to the best insurance cover you can get because health is a number one life priority.