Anaesthetic Fees

Fees charged for an anaesthetic service are set by each individual anaesthetist as required by law. These fees are separate to hospital or other doctors’ fees and are based on the recommendations of The Australian Society Of Anaesthetists and The Australian Medical Association.
Factors that vary the fee you are charged include:
  1. the operation you are having
  2. the duration of your operation
  3. the need for specialised anaesthetic techniques or monitoring
  4. the state of your health and your age
Part of the total fee will be refundable from Medicare and your health fund. The remainder of the fee is called a ‘gap payment’ or ‘out-of-pocket cost’. There is usually a gap payment associated with the fee. This gap is due to the fact that the amounts refunded under Medicare for anaesthetic services fall well below the actual value of the service. This is evidenced by the higher amounts that government bodies are prepared to pay for workers’ compensation and veterans’ affairs patients for the same service. Historical data demonstrates that Medicare rebates have lagged far behind the CPI. Due to the complex nature of Australian private health insurance funds, the portion of the fee covered by your fund can vary considerably.

Usually you will be required to pay only the gap portion of your fee. Your health fund will be billed directly for the rebate portion. Some health funds require that you pay the full amount of your anaesthetic fee to your anaesthetist and then claim your rebate from your fund. If you are uninsured, you will be required to pay the full amount in advance of your procedure.

We want you to be fully informed of the financial implications of your anaesthetic and ask that you contact us for an estimate as soon as possible.

For further information regarding anaesthesia fees and gap payments in general,
please see the following links:
What will it cost? ( ASA )
Billing information sheet ( PDF )

Narcosia specialists are like-minded doctors who operate individual Specialist Anaesthetist practices. The Narcosia Service Entity provides Business Services to the Specialist Anaesthetists under terms of a Service Agreement. As such, payments are made to individual doctors rather than the Service Entity. The Service Agreement is not one of partnership or a contract of employment between the Service Entity and the Specialist Anaesthetist.