Surgery Connect

Costs and out of pocket expenses

The cost of your treatment and associated medical services are covered by Queensland Health as part of the Surgery Connect program.

You will be responsible for organising and paying for transport and accommodation, including:

• transport to and from any appointments
• transport to the private hospital for surgery
• accommodation that may be required outside of the hospital stay.

Transport and accommodation subsidies may be available for you and possibly your carer through the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS).

Other costs you will be responsible for are the same as those you would pay if treatment was provided in a Queensland Health public hospital. Costs may include:

• telephone calls, television hire, newspapers
• discharge medications prescribed by the treating doctor
• community services, domiciliary care, or functional or mobility aids (such as shower chairs etc.) that you may require.

Referrals and elective surgery waiting lists

To be put on a waiting list for elective surgery, you will first need a referral letter from your GP. Read more about waiting lists and the process for getting surgery.

If you are already on the public elective surgery waiting list, you could still have your surgery through Surgery Connect.

If you meet the clinical suitability criteria for the program, your local public hospital will automatically identify you on the waiting list and guide you through the consenting process for Surgery Connect.

You will then confirm that you:

• still require and are ready for surgery
• can arrange
  • transport to and from appointments and surgery
  • accommodation outside the hospital, if required.

What happens before and after surgery

Understand the basics of the surgery process.

Before surgery

You will be contacted by someone from the private hospital or the doctor's rooms to arrange a date and time for any consultations or surgery. This can be either by phone or text message.

If you are unable to attend an appointment or surgery date, contact the doctor's rooms or Surgery Connect team as soon as possible. Failure to attend an appointment or surgery date may result in your treatment being returned to your public hospital with probable delays.

Getting home after surgery

You will be discharged when the hospital staff decide it is safe for you to return home.

Make sure you have a responsible adult to accompany you home after you have been discharged from hospital and to stay with you overnight (if advised by your surgeon or treating hospital).

Reactions or feeling unwell after surgery

After leaving hospital, if you feel you are having any unexpected reactions or complications from your surgery, or generally have any concerns, contact your treating surgeon, GP or call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

In the case of an emergency, visit your local public Emergency Department or call 000.

Follow-up appointments

After your surgery, you may need to attend follow-up appointments. If ongoing appointments are needed over a long period of time, further care may continue at your public hospital.

Sharing medical records

To provide your treatment, information and medical records related to your treatment and clinical information after your treatment, will be shared between the public hospital, the private hospital and the private treating doctor via a secure Queensland Health web-based system.

Queensland Health uses the information collected to manage the Surgery Connect program.

Find out more about how Queensland Health manages your private information.

When to contact Surgery Connect

Contact Surgery Connect (details below) if you have any questions or:

• change your name, address or phone number
• no longer want to have surgery through the Surgery Connect program and wish to remain with your public hospital for treatment
• haven’t heard from a private hospital within 2 weeks of receiving a letter confirming your procedure will be performed as part of the program
• feel you are not ready for surgery..

If your condition worsens while you are waiting for your appointment or surgery date, contact your GP or your local emergency department.

Need more information?

Contact your public hospital, the treating private doctor's rooms (if they have already contacted you), or the Surgery Connect team.

You can contact Surgery Connect by calling 07 3708 5880 or 0428 573 284, or emailing surgeryconnect@health.qld.gov.au.