Answering your orthopaedic questions: Stride Orthopaedics
Visiting any medical specialist gives rise to numerous questions about what lies ahead.
The team at STRIDE Orthopaedics pride themselves on seeing patients quickly, with thorough consults to minimise patients’ concerns. “We triage referrals based on a patient’s symptom severity, condition, and their likelihood to need intervention. This allows us to see patients who need us as quickly as we can,” says Dr Ramez Ailabouni. “We offer a specialist clinic where we aim to see urgent referrals within three weeks and semi urgent patients within six weeks. More routine conditions can sometimes wait up to three months.
“For undifferentiated patients with ACC cover, we offer a Nurse Practitioner clinic where they can be reviewed within 1-2 weeks to establish a diagnosis and action treatment. For the cost conscious who are struggling and want to know what their options are and optimise any non-surgery treatments, a review with a specialist trained nurse practitioner is available for $155.”
Dr Ailabouni says patients often have the same questions. Here are some of the answers:
WHAT WILL IT COST?
The average costs for private orthopaedic care vary. ACC frequently covers many costs associated with consultations for specialist care and a large portion of imaging. Insurance companies cover care as per specific policies. For self-funding, the average costs for an assessment with a specialist surgeon can vary between $300-450. Imaging costs are separate to this.
Surgery costs are highly variable, and patients are advised on this upfront so there should be minimal to no surprises. For people who are struggling and just want to know what their options are, a review with a specialist trained nurse practitioner is available for $155.
WHY DO I STILL HAVE TO WAIT TO BE SEEN?Both the public and private systems are under strain. Even in the private sector, most specialists receive more referrals than they have capacity to see, leading to long wait times. STRIDE sees as many patients as it can in a timely manner.
I HAVE AN INJURY. CAN I BE SEEN PRIVATELY?
Yes, for most things you can. If you have had an injury, you should get an ACC claim by visiting your GP/NP or physiotherapist. With an ACC claim, you can be referred to and reviewed by a specialist in private. Some circumstances are best managed in the public hospital, such as severe broken bones and multiple concurrent injuries.
I’M FROM OUT OF TOWN, DOES THAT MATTER?
Getting care locally is the ideal for most patients, however there can be long waiting times to receive specialist care in your own town. Also, patients frequently travel if there is a specific operation or service they need or want that is not locally available. We regularly see patients who are from out of town. If you are an ACC patient, ACC can help with travel costs.
WHAT ARE PHONE CONSULTATIONS?
Virtual consultations, be it via telephone, video or a combination, can maximise convenience for patients. We don’t use them for the first clinical consultation or when there is an unresolved question that needs an examination to answer. We use them to discuss results, and with carefully selected out-of-town and remote patients after surgery where we can obtain clinical examination from a local provider such as a physiotherapist.
CAN I SELF-REFER FOR REVIEW?
We strongly recommend you initially see your primary care team for a referral. We do accept self referrals, reviewing such requests to see if we can actually help. Some providers (ACC and insurance companies) require a primary care referral.
Visit STRIDE Orthopaedics at Level 2/9 Caledonian Rd, St Albans, call 03 968 3420 or visit the website below.
