Private Patients

Private Patients at Hunter Neurosurgery

Appointments – what’s the process?

  • You’ll need to have a copy of your referral from your doctor.
  • We need to have received your referral prior to booking an appointment. 
  • Ask your GP to send it to us, then you can either wait for a call from us for your appointment or give us a call to confirm receipt.

1. Scans

Scans are a vital diagnostic tool for your treatment. If scans have been requested by your GP, please arrange to have them done as soon as possible. Sometimes scans can take up to three weeks and allow time for them to be processed.

Most scans are sent to Dr Spittaler electronically. Please confirm at the time of your scan the best way for results to be obtained.

If you have been given a copy of relevant recent X-rays, CT & MRI images and/or films, as well as pathology or nerve conduction studies, please bring them to your appointment and the reports that accompany them. 

Please note that we do not keep X-Rays, CT & MRI images/files on site.

2. Tell your support people

If you have a partner, relative or friend who you would like to be fully informed about your condition, they’re welcome to accompany you to your appointment. We ask you minimise your support people to a maximum of two.

You may also find it helpful to bring a written list of questions to ask.

3. Complete a Patient Information Form

Once your appointment has been booked, we will email you a link to complete your information. If you are unable to access this link you can contact us and we will email you a form. Please scan it and email it to us at admin@hunterneurosurgery.com.au.

Returning for a follow-up appointment?


Please book scans as soon as requested, wait times can be long.

Please have your scan closer to the appointment time: 1–2 weeks prior is ideal.

Remember to bring any past scans and reports as well as your most recent ones to your appointment.

One week before your appointment

  • We will call you to confirm your appointmnet
  • 2 days prior we will send you an SMS
  • Please respond by texting ‘Y’ to confirm your appointment

Please check that you have these items arranged:

  • Patient Information Form completed and emailed back to us – or ready to bring
  • All past and recent scans and reports
  • A list of your current medications
  • Medicare card, or Pension card, or Veterans Affairs card
  • Your private health fund details.

On the day of your appointment

Fees
Fees are payable at the time of consultation. Payment on the day can be made using cash, credit card (Visa or Mastercard), ZipPay or EFTPOS.

If you bring your Medicare card, we can claim from Medicare for you on the day.

Please note that fees are reviewed periodically and are subject to change.

For more information, please see our Fees page.

Non-attendance or cancellation


If you fail to attend, or cancel with less than one business days’ notice, a cancellation fee will apply. As appointments are booked months in advance, please let us know if you need to reschedule so your appointment can be offered to someone else.

Emergencies


From time-to-time, Dr Spittaler is required to attend to emergencies. If this occurs on the day of your appointment, we will contact you as soon as possible.

Health Funds

Dr Spittaler is an accredited surgeon with most Australian health funds. This means it doesn’t matter which fund you are with, but you MUST have top hospital cover.

Public Patients

Dr. Spittaler does not operate in the public hospital system, and his fees are not covered by the public health system. If you do not have health insurance but still wish to be treated as a private patient, you are able to elect to be admitted to Lingard Hospital or Newcastle Private Hospital as a ‘Private Uninsured’ patient. As you do not have health insurance, the hospitals require you to cover the cost of your accommodation. These costs will be explained to you prior to surgery. Non-insured patients are required to pay 100% of their operation fees prior to surgery date.

Physiotherapy

Dr Spittaler recommends all patients undertake physiotherapy after surgery to recover mobility and range of motion. Dr Spittaler refers patients to The Physio Joint in Mayfield. You can contact them on (02) 4967 2677 or book via their website.