General Surgery Fees

General Surgery Fees: Procedures in Hospital

Your surgical fee for a General Surgery procedure will be billed in one of three ways:

1. No gap: An invoice for the entire surgical fee will be sent directly to a payer

2. Known gap: You will pay a gap fee of up to $500 to Cairns Surgery, and the remainder of the invoice will be billed to your private health insurance fund

3. Private bill: You pay the full surgical fee to Cairns Surgery prior to surgery, and then you claim any applicable rebates from Medicare and your private health fund once your invoice has been processed.

No gap billing applies to:

DVA Gold card
DVA White card, being treated for an approved condition
Surgery covered by an approved WorkCover QLD claim
ADF personnel referred under the ADF HSC administered by BUPA

Known gap billings applies to:

Patients having straightforward general surgery procedures - e.g groin hernia, umbilical hernia, gallbladder removal, small hiatus hernia
Patients with appropriate level health insurance with a qualifying private health fund. Click here to see the list of funds that we have an agreement with

Private billing applies to:

All patients without private health insurance
Patients still within the waiting period for their private health insurance
All bariatric surgery – see separate fees pages on menu above
Patients with complex general surgery operations – e.g. a procedure has already been performed for this condition or a significant prior surgery has been performed in a nearby region
Multiple different procedures being performed together
Very large hiatus hernia
Patients whose health fund does not have a suitable gap scheme. Click here to see the list of funds that we have an agreement with
All patients seen at any location apart from Cairns Doctors on Barr St

Hospital fees

No gap patients: $0
Bronze / Silver / Gold hospital cover: Only the hospital excess fee that you selected when you joined the private health insurance policy ($0 - $750)
Basic hospital cover: Coverage varies widely between providers. Please enquire with your health fund with the item numbers
No health insurance or still in waiting period: Full hospital fees apply. Prices vary depending on procedure, length of stay and equipment used. An estimate will be obtained from the hospital prior to your procedure.

Anaesthesia fees

No gap patients: $0
All others: Fees varies with each procedure. An estimate will be provided by the anaesthetist a week before surgery unless requested earlier.
Anaesthesia rebates:
• With active private health insurance cover: typically 30-40% of the total anaesthesia fee
• Without active insurance cover, i.e. Medicare rebate only: typically 20-25% of the total anaesthesia fee

Procedures in Hospital - Private Billing

If you do not meet the criteria for no-gap or known-gap billing (see above), you will be billed privately.

The fees and rebates in the table below are a general indication. An official estimate will be provided to you before surgery is scheduled. Individual factors such as your prior surgical history, or the size of a hernia may mean you are quoted a fee higher than what is stated in the table.

Please note that you will receive either the Insurance Rebate or the Medicare Rebate, but not both.

Please note: These fees are only for patients seen at Cairns Doctors on Barr St. Fees vary at other locations and are available on request after your initial consultation.

  
    

     
    MBS Item Number
    Surgeon Fee
    Assistant Fee
    Patient Pays
     Insurance Rebate 
     Medicare Rebate 
    Out of Pocket (Insured)
    Out of Pocket (No Insurance)
  


    Inguinal Hernia or Femoral Hernia Repair
One side
    30648
    $1,500 
    $150 
    $1,650 
    $642.60
    $482
    $1007.40
    $1,168 
  

    Inguinal Hernia or Femoral Hernia Repair
Two sides
    30648 x 2
    $2,200
    $300 
    $2,500
    $913.60
    $731.70
    $1586.40
    $1,768
  

    Umbilical Hernia Repair
    30621
    $1,200 
    $150 
    $1,350 
    $576.05
    $432
    $773.95
    $918
  

    Ventral Hernia Repair (Small)
    30651
    $1,400 
    $150 
    $1,550 
    $708.80
    $531
    $841.20
    $1019
  

    Ventral Hernia Repair (Large)
    30655
    $2,000
    $300 
    $2,300 
    $1280.85
    $960.70
    $1019.15
    $1,339
  

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    Gallbladder Removal
    30445
    $2,000
    $300 
    $2,300 
    $1164.85
    $873.70
    $1135.15
    $1426
  

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    Anti-Gastric Reflux Surgery
    30756
    $2,200 
    $400 
    $2,100 
    $1219.70
    $914.80
    $1380.30
    $1,685
  

    Hiatus Hernia (Small, 1st procedure)
    30756
    $2,200 
    $400 
    $2,100 
    $1219.70
    $914.80
    $1380.30
    $1,685
  

    Hiatus Hernia (Large, 1st procedure)
    31468
    $2,800 
    $450 
    $3,250 
    $2010
    $1,507.50
    $1040
    $1,743
  

    Hiatus Hernia (2nd or subsequent procedures)
    31466
30724
    $3,000 
    $500 
    $3,500 
    $2196.20
    $1,647.20
    $1303.80
    $1853
  

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
  

    Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Insertion
    13109
    $1000
    No assistant
    $1000
    $266.55
    $199.25
    $733.45
    $801
  

    Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter Removal
    13110
    $1000
    No assistant
    $1000
    $266.55
    $199.25
    $733.45
    $801
  

  

Skin Surgery under Local Anaesthetic

Skin surgery procedures are performed at Cairns Doctors on Barr St as an outpatient.

A referral is required. With straightforward lesions, the initial consultation and excision can be performed in 1 visit. A clinical photo is required on the referral for a procedure to be performed in the first visit.

Pricing varies according to size, location, and complexity. Prices are generally between $200 - $300 for a single lesion out of pocket cost after Medicare rebates. Private health insurance does not cover procedures done at the clinic.