Consultations
To enable you to claim from Medicare it is usual for a general practitioner to refer you to Dr Sophia Elmes for gynaecological and obstetric services. You should bring your referral letter, test results, ultrasound report, Medicare card and private health insurance card to your first appointment. Generally, referrals from general practitioners are current for 12 months from the date you are first seen by Dr Sophia Elmes, and 3 months if the referral is from another specialist.
Fees and Quotes
Dr Sophia Elmes is a participant of the No-Gap scheme and has arrangements with most medical insurance companies. This means that procedures performed in-hospital will be billed to your medical fund directly and payment from them will be accepted as full payment for the procedure. An item number will be provided at the time of booking to enable you to check that you have adequate cover for St Andrew's Hospital and for your proposed procedure.
We use the Narkos group of Anaesthetists for our in-hospital procedures and should an assistant doctor be required this will be organised through our rooms.
For services provided through our rooms we are able to have your Medicare rebate paid to your nominated account if you are registered through Medicare. We are also able to supply you with a receipt to claim independently through Medicare if you prefer.
We encourage patients to contact reception for clarification of costs, including out-of-pocket costs, for quotes and payment options. Please phone if you wish to discuss any aspect of our billing policy. We accept payment by EFTPOS, direct deposit, credit cards, or cash. Payments can be made over the phone.
Parking/ramp access
Ample parking is available in our carpark located next to the building. Access to the carpark is via the first driveway after the traffic lights on the corner of Thorn and Limestone Streets, Ipswich. Parking is also available at the rear of the building. A signed side entrance to the building, accessed from the carpark, gives ramp access to our rooms. Stair access is available via the front main entrance to the building.
There is a bus stop located in front of the building. We are conveniently located only a few minutes walk from St Andrew's Hospital and Ipswich train station.
On-call Arrangements
Dr Sophia Elmes shares a one in three weekend on-call arrangement with her colleagues who also cover when she is away at conferences or on leave. Please contact the surgery regarding specific dates and on-call arrangement details.
Discharge Information
A post-operative appointment will be made for you before leaving hospital. If an appointment is not arranged at this time please contact our rooms so that one can be organised. Your post-operative appointment is a great time for us to check you are doing well, to discuss your results and to organise further care if required.
If you have any questions, before or after your surgery, you are encouraged to contact our rooms for clarification.