NSW Waiting List for Ankle Surgery - How Can I Get a Short Queue?

smashed on 14/11/2016 - 16:16

TLDR: Hospitals have varying average waiting list times. How can I get referred to a hospital with a short queue.

I have had ankle issues for 20 years but it has reached a new level of pain.

The specialist finally diagnosed my issue as Os Trigonum (extra bone in ankle) and quoted around $6k for surgery. I was advised I can continue exercise if I can cope with the pain (sometimes I can, sometimes I cannot).

I was going to try my luck with a medicare public hospital waiting list but I have no idea how I can get myself into a queue at a hospital that has a shorter waiting list.I did find a graph showing the shorter queues but I don't have it to hand.

http://www.myhospitals.gov.au/about-the-data/elective-surger…

I would have to stump up $200 to see a specialist somewhere to get on a queue and I obviously don't want to go on multiple lists.

Can anybody please offer any constructive advice so that I don't have to waste my docs time asking these questions :)

Thanks

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • aretsa9 on 14/11/2016 - 16:48

    Not sure whether this is relevant to you but when I was waitlisted at the Eye Hospital, I was given the option of choosing any available surgeon rather than my own and therefore I was able to get in earlier.

    • smashed on 15/11/2016 - 08:45

      Thanks

  • dasher86 on 14/11/2016 - 18:22

    break your ankle and go through the emergency room.

    • smashed on 15/11/2016 - 08:46

      Things are not that desperate just yet :)

  • airzone on 14/11/2016 - 18:51
    +1

    The doctor manages their own waiting lists to an extent, so if they consider your case to be urgent, you will go in faster… But realistically, if you've been able to cope for 20 years, you'll probably be a non-urgent case.

    My wife had her gall bladder out after waiting approx 6 months on the list in Campbelltown. I had a lung job done after waiting around 12 months in Kogarah. She was in pain (and it was increasing) hence 6 months, and I had no pain but wasn't allowed to fly - hence a longer wait. I also got pushed back quite a few times for higher priority jobs.

    At the end of the day, my wife chose a local hospital to minimise inconvenience (and they are fairly good for the wait). I had a choice of a few surgeons but chose one who had the better reputation and was less interested in getting as many medicare swipes as possible - also at the expense of a longer wait.

    You can ask the doctor what the wait will be like, and they will be able to tell you fairly accurately.

    • smashed on 15/11/2016 - 08:45

      Thanks, I have had ankle issues since I was a teen. It was always painful but a month ago a tackle left me unable to walk. I believe that the bone is now detached and is much worse than before.

      How did you both end up in different hospitals? Did your doc just refer you to a surgeon who then put you on a list at his hospital? The surgeon I saw doesn't do public and I would have to visit another to get on a public waiting list.

      Thanks

      • airzone on 16/11/2016 - 16:25

        The hospital you go to depends on the specialist you see. They usually only have one public hospital they hang out in, so you go to that one.

        Yeah, some doctors don't do public. It's their choice, but I think it's greedy and in these cases you can be sure the only thing they care about is your money.

        • Love a bargain on 16/11/2016 - 17:15

          Or if you prefer a particular hospital (e.g. the one closest to home for convenience), they can probably provide you with a list of all the surgeons that operate there

  • citygal on 14/11/2016 - 19:26
    -1

    My friend had the same issue. You can get private health insurance for hospital and after the waiting period you'll be able to get surgery for a much cheaper price (depends on what level of cover you buy). It's usually quicker to go through private.

    • smashed on 15/11/2016 - 08:41

      Thanks but I would assume that a preexisting condition would not be covered.

      • citygal on 15/11/2016 - 11:26

        No, I'm very confident that it will cover but the waiting period will be longer.

      • Love a bargain on 15/11/2016 - 12:37
        +1

        generally 12 months waiting period for preexisting condition

        I need to get a diagnostic procedure done by a specialist (which my previous PHI doesn't cover). Because I already knew that's gonna happen, I asked my GP to refer me to the public system. He referred me to the specialist clincic at the public hospital nearest to my home address. At the same time, I switched PHI to one that covers this procedure (so that I start serving the 12-month waiting period).

        Eventually, I got a letter back from the hospital saying that the expected wait is 6 months but if I didn't wanna wait as long, I could attend the private clinic of one of the surgeons that operates at the hospital. I don't know if that means I could get seen by the specialist as a private patient at their clinic and had the procedure done at the hospital as a public patient. Maybe I should expore this option considering the expected waiting period of six months has already been and gone. But then, the longer I've waited, the closer I am to getting that appointment at the public clinic and the more stupid it feels to get out the queue after having waited for this long.

        • Love a bargain on 15/11/2016 - 13:46
          +1

          Just done a bit of quick research and it doesn't look like that's possible.

          Public patient means you get seen by whichever doctors you're assigned and are "looked after" by the specialist clinic at the hospital before and after the operation.

          Private patient means you get seen by the specialist of your choice at their private consultation room and get operated on by the same specialist.

          http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/hospitals/going_to_hospital/pag…

          Guess I'll just stick to my original plan of staying on the public waiting list until the my 12-month waiting period is up, & if there is still no progress by then, I'll look into seeing a specialist and getting the procedure done privately (with PHI of course).

  • citygal on 16/11/2016 - 23:58

    Don't understand why I was down-voted. I know it's Ozbargain but I believe it's worthwhile to pay some money if the pain is so severe that affects your daily life (eg. feel painful overtime you walk). The public system usually takes much longer, especially when your situation is not urgent (e.g.you're dying). And I know that you can even get covered for heart disease if you serve 12 months waiting period. With private insurance, you can also choose the doctor that you want to see.

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