Patients without a GP or Nurse Practitioner referral can still see Dr Gray but will not receive a Medicare rebate. If surgery is required we recommend you see your GP or Nurse Practitoner for a referral to access a rebate from medicare and your health care fund. Patients who do not have a medicare card are billed as full fee paying patients.
If you have not been seen by that surgeon then the referral can be used to see any orthopaedic surgeon.
Second opinions need a new referral from your GP to see Dr Gray.
For lower limb examinations it is best to wear shorts or loose pants that can be pulled up above the knees. Sheets are also available to protect your modesty.
You are very welcome to bring a relative, friend or advocate. Support workers and translators are also welcome.
Please ring ahead if you need to bring a guide, hearing or assistance animal so we can streamline your arrival & care.
Please bring your:
- Medicare card
- Health fund details
- DVA or Workcover details
- List of medication
- The names of other people in your healthcare team
- X-rays and other images: most Sunshine Coast radiology companies have digital access. Please ring ahead if you have images done elsewhere.
- If you are being referred for revision surgery please bring as much information about the original surgery & prosthesis used
We are committed to your privacy, and it is important to us that you understand how your information is used. We do this in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, the Australian Privacy Principles (APP) and relevant State and Territory privacy legislation (referred to as privacy legislation).
Our practice collects information from you for the primary purpose of quality health care. Federal Privacy Laws require you consent to this.
We need your personal details to care for you, information to communicate with other healthcare providers and financial details. This information is stored on our computer medical records system which complies with Australian standards for healthcare data storage & transmission. Our computer system controls who can access your data, from where and helps us monitor attempts at unauthorised and unwanted data access. Two factor authentication and the use of ‘swipe cards’ support your data security.
The information is collected via this Patient Registration Form, questions from our administration staff, referrals from other healthcare providers and information gained during you consultation.
We use this information for
- Administration purposes
- Billing purposes including compliance with Medicare and Health Insurance Commission requirements
- Connecting and informing your healthcare team including the admitting hospital, your GP and allied health professionals
- Emergency situations where we need to share this information with medical staff or ambulance staff to allow emergency treatment and transport to hospital if required
The law determines how long we may need to keep your data for. We may be legally required to release information without your consent. Other legal requests for information with require your written authorisation noting which parts of your medical record you would like released to a 3rd party.
If your information is required by other health care professionals or services than are currently not involved in your care, we require written authorisation. For transfer of care a written authorisation is needed that states that you will be utilising alternative health services and that these health services have consented for a transfer of personal/health information.
If you have an questions or concerns about our privacy policy, what information we hold or the use of your personal data please email us at [email protected]
For some patient keeping their safety and privacy whilst in our clinic is a priority. This may be due to domestic violence, being immunocompromised or wanting to avoid media attention. Please ring ahead so we can streamline your attendance.
The Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) is an initiative of the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA). The Commonwealth of Australia has declared the AOANJRR a Federal Quality Assurance Activity under part VC of the Health Insurance Act, 1973. The AOANJRR is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care.
It is a world leading data set that guides joint replacement decisions. Detailed analysis identifies those prostheses & surgical approaches that have a higher rates of complications and revision surgery. Australian orthopaedic surgeons use this data to ensure patients have excellent long term results as revision operations are more invasive and have higher risks. As we have highlighted before your best joint replacement is your first.
We ask all patients to contribute data to this registry. Further information about what data is collected and how it is used can be found in English here. Information in other languages can be found here.