BOOKING A New Patient Appointment- Information and how to request an appointment:
NEUROLOGY SPECIALISTS' BOOKS ARE CLOSED.
Unfortunately, both neurologists, Dr Romain Briest and Dr Kerrie-Anne Chen have closed their books to new patients as of 05/12/2023 for the foreseeable future due to long waiting lists and reduced consulting availability. Dr Chen closed her Private Practice in March 2024. No other neurologist is setting up private practice in association with us to take on newly referred patients or those on the waiting list.
General Paediatrician Appointments
New non-urgent patients should expect an average wait time of 10 months for paediatrician appointments. Referrals are triaged; cancellations and urgent appointment places are offered first to patients triaged as a higher priority. However, other less urgent patients may still be offered earlier appointments from time to time.
Steps:
You Complete the APPOINTMENT REQUEST FORM below.
You or your doctor provide a REFERRAL of your child.
Your child’s GP or Medical Specialist can send it, or you can email it to us.
We encourage families to seek referrals from a GP who knows their child well. A detailed referral is more helpful for triaging. We welcome your referrer's updates to referrals where clinical concern has increased.
Information about Medicare valid referrals is available here.
We send you the NEW PATIENT INFORMATION EMAIL.
This explains how we manage your appointment request and your child’s appointments if you decide to proceed with your request.
This email details how earlier appointments become available and the specific procedure we use to offer cancellations and how to respond to these offers.
This email also explains the policies, terms and conditions of booking an appointment and requesting the health care services of your child’s provider.
You CONFIRM your request by completing the CONFIRM APPOINTMENT REQUEST FORM,
this will include your agreement to proceed in accordance with our policies, terms, conditions, procedures, constraints, and requirements explained on our website and in the NEW PATIENT INFORMATION EMAIL.
We send you a BOOKING EMAIL.
This details the allocated appointment for your child and advises the applicable requirements, terms, conditions and policies.
please read, check and save this Booking Email.
We will book your child for the next available appointment with the paediatrician named in the referral or your preferred doctor.
The next available appointment for New Patients will likely be many months or a year ahead.
If you would like us to book with the paediatrician who has the earliest availability, please indicate this.
We put your child on the Cancellation List unless you have asked us not to.
Your provider then TRIAGES your child’s referral.
Triage happens a week or so after the appointment is booked and is done by your child’s paediatric specialist (who you will see) or sometimes a colleague.
Children with a higher need for an earlier appointment will be prioritised when offering earlier appointment times when they become available.
Even if your child is not given priority triage, they may still be offered an earlier appointment from time to time.
If given a high-priority triage, we will advise by email.
Infants are prioritised when a paediatrician review is needed.
You complete our PATIENT INFORMATION FORM online within 48 hours of an appointment allocation or waiting list placement.
How do Appointments become available to New Patients?
The Doctors’ appointment books have reserved times for various needs, including urgent patients. If these times are no longer needed or families cancel their appointments, we may then offer the time to new patients. Sometimes, these appointments become available at quite short notice.
Will my child be offered an earlier appointment?
Generally, we expect to move many appointments forward, a little or a lot, depending on urgency, over the year ahead. Being flexible for short-notice offers, readily contactable, and quick to respond to our SMS or phone call will help you secure an earlier appointment. Enter us and our phone number into your contacts (for Dad and Mum). Completing the Patient Information Form promptly will also help. We take great care to avoid appointments being wasted and to bring appointments forward wherever possible.
How are appointments offered?
Appointments are normally offered by SMS to a small number of patients, and the appointment is then given to the first family who EMAILS a response advising they can accept the appointment. Occasionally we phone a family prior to sending an SMS to a group of families. Detailed instructions are provided in the information email we sent you.
Managing during the wait for an appointment- Options and Resources
We understand the difficulties for many children experiencing long wait times. Paediatricians may suggest seeing an allied health therapist as a first step.
Our website has links to other resources or programs that may assist your child here.
Fees:
We will send you a link to your doctor's fee schedule with your Booking Emails. Your Medicare rebate is claimed after you pay the fee immediately following the appointment. The rebate is paid, usually within about 24 hours. Please see your Provider’s Fee Payment Policy for important requirements, terms and conditions.
Concerns regarding Fees
As a private practice, services are funded only by patient fees. Your fees will fund healthcare services and allow us to work efficiently to help your doctor provide excellent, enhanced continuity of care but with budgets that are substantially less than those provided by the government in the public system. Medicare provides substantial assistance, but we understand that some families will prefer or need to seek free public health or lower-cost services. If so, ask your GP, as soon as possible, to redirect the referral to the appropriate public paediatric health service for your area, whether that is the Women's and Children's, Flinders, Lyell McEwin or Modbury Hospitals or a lower-cost private service.