Your Consultation
Making an enquiry
You can phone our clinic and speak with our patient advisor to obtain general information regarding any of our services or the procedures that we perform. You may wish to make an appointment to see the patient advisor which is a free consultation and does not require a referral. Alternatively you may wish to send an e-mail to our practice which we can respond to. We do have information packs available to send via email for our common procedures. If you wish to make an enquiry please follow the link: make an enquiry.
Making an appointment
You can create an appointment by phoning the clinic on our Tel: 1300 662 960
At the time of making your appointment you will be asked the reason for your visit. This is important for us to allow appropriate scheduling. For example, a standard initial consultation for procedures such as breast augmentation will take as long as one hour. If we are unaware that this is the reason for your visit, this may affect your waiting time in the practice.
What to bring to your appointment?
Referral from your GP. As Dr Magnusson is a specialist, you will be entitled to a Medicare rebate on all preoperative consultations. This rebate will apply for preoperative consultations even if you are considering a cosmetic procedure. Without a referral you will only be able to claim the same rebate from Medicare that you get after a consultation with your GP.
Accompanying person. Many patients would prefer to have another person present during the consultation, especially for significant reconstructive or cosmetic procedures. Dr Magnusson is understanding of this and encourages patients to consider bringing another person with them.
Your Medicare, DVA or health fund details
Consultation fee. The Toowoomba Cosmetic Plastic Surgery is not a bulk billing practice. You will be required to pay for your consultations on the day that you are seen. There are a number of different classes of consultation which have individual costs. If you have any uncertainty please contact the rooms prior to your appointment.
Important information you should know
A referral from your GP will usually be valid for 12 months. This may be shortened to three months at the discretion of your GP. It may also be extended as a permanent referral. If your treatment takes longer than 12 months from the day you are initially seen, it will be your responsibility to obtain another referral.
A referral from another specialist will only be valid for three months. If your treatment takes longer than three months from the day you are initially seen, you will require a further referral from your specialist or your GP.
Before you have been seen by Dr Magnusson or the clinic staff, it is not possible for us to ascertain what your condition is going to require for treatment, the duration of this treatment or whether an anaesthetic may be required if you need an operation. For these reasons your surgery is not generally carried out on the day of your initial consultation.
If your condition is urgent, please advise the clinic staff when you phone for an appointment
I am not sure which procedure I need
You must establish a clear set of goals that you are trying to achieve from treatment. These goals are the foundation for the selection of the appropriate procedure or combination of procedures for you. Dr Magnusson will interpret your individual needs and advise the procedures most appropriate for you. Not all treatments will require surgery.
An open and honest communication between you and Dr Magnusson will help ensure your expectation is best met.
What is a realistic expectation?
Any invasive surgical procedure will leave scars. Each individual will scar to a different degree despite having similar procedures to other patients. There are a variety of modalities that we use routinely for all patients to minimise the effect of scarring, however all scars will go through a period of time during which they are noticeable. This is largely due to pinkness around the wounds and will generally fade with time and often become very difficult to see. Scars will often be left in places that are natural skin folds and in directions that are most likely to result in concealment..
It must be remembered that the aim of all surgery is to leave minimal signs that the procedure has been performed. For cosmetic surgery especially, it is important to understand that a realistic aim is for improvement and not perfection..
Your consultation
You will be required to fill out an information sheet on arrival that will take five minutes or so. If required, a staff member will assist you where possible. Please allow time for this process in your calculation of arrival time..
An initial consultation for a cosmetic procedure may take as long as one hour..
Dr Magnusson will spend a significant period of time with each patient. Some will want more information than others and it is sometimes difficult to gauge the length of a consultation at the time of booking. Dr Magnusson will also occasionally need to address urgent an unexpected problems. Unfortunately this means we will occasionally be running a little behind time but you can be assured that you will have the appropriate attention and information in your consultation despite this. We thank you for your patience if this occurs on your visit to the clinic..
If you are being consulted about a skin problem on your face, It is best that no makeup covers this area at the time of your consultation..
Fees
This is not a bulk billing practice.
Some cosmetic procedures will have no assistance from Medicare and your health fund and you will therefore have out-of-pocket expenses for all aspects of care.
Most procedures will have some assistance from Medicare and your health fund. It is important to appreciate that a contract with your health fund is for hospital cover and not medical cover. This does not completely cover medical expenses for many patients..
Aged pensioners and DVA patients will have special billing arrangements. This reduces their costs very significantly..
Uninsured patients requiring procedures in a private hospital will find that the hospital costs are not reimbursed by Medicare and these will therefore represent out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare may assist with the medical costs of your procedure (anaesthetist, assistant surgeon, pathologist and Dr Magnusson) but will not cover the expenses completely..
Where will my operation be performed?
Dr Magnusson operates under local anaesthetic in an operating theatre in our clinic and also at the Toowoomba Surgicentre. For uninsured patients, procedures under local anaesthetic can be performed in the rooms at a reduced expense compared to operations at a private hospital. If you are entitled to a medicare rebate with your procedure, this will not cover your costs and you will have out-of-pocket expenses..
Dr Magnusson operates with an anaesthetist at The Toowoomba Surgicentre, St Vincent's Hospital Toowoomba and St Andrew's Hospital in Toowoomba. Generally day procedures (leave hospital on the same day as your operation) are performed at The Toowoomba Surgicentre. Larger cases requiring an overnight stay in hospital are performed at St Vincent's and St Andrew's..
For more information about these hospitals please follow the links below:
- The Toowoomba Surgicentre
- St Vincent's Hospital Toowoomba
- St Andrew's Hospital Toowoomba
We look forward to seeing you at the Toowoomba Cosmetic Plastic Surgery. |
