The project has provided a pathway for patients with private health insurance, who need to be treated in a hospital, to be admitted directly to St John of God Bunbury Hospital under a dedicated treating senior doctor.
St John of God Bunbury Hospital Chief Executive Officer Jack Harding said the hospital was pleased to be able to develop this pathway to provide the South West community with more choices for hospital care.
“This is a very exciting project for our hospital in partnership with this important South West medical service – the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic,” he said.
“It will provide local people with another option to directly access high quality hospital care without having to be admitted through an Emergency Department.
“If you are paying for private health insurance this provides you with the option to use that insurance to directly benefit your family, or yourself, to access immediate care.”
St John of God Bunbury Hospital is planning to expand this model to other health care services in the South West.
St John of God Bunbury Hospital Director of Medical Services Dr Michele Genevieve said that they have worked to ensure a smooth admission process for patients as well as the UCC doctors and nurses.
“While not all conditions can be treated via this pathway, we want to give patients the option to seek out private care in our hospital and, if medically appropriate, they will be provided with an immediate bed and treatment on our wards once they enter our hospital doors,” she said.
Posters and flyers have been developed to ensure patients with private health insurance understand they have the option to ask for care at St John of God Bunbury Hospital and understand how the admission process works.
Patients admitted to St John of God Bunbury Hospital via the Urgent Care Clinic will travel directly to the hospital from the clinic and go straight to the ward for treatment.
The partnership has involved work by St John of God Bunbury Hospital Director of Medical Services Dr Michele Genevieve, Clinical Nurse and Business and Service Development Manager Nicole Scott and Clinical Nurse and Access Manager Ami Thomas working with Urgent Care Clinic Nurse Manager Nellie Streeter.