Geelong Private Emergency Department

Coronavirus precautions 

All patients presenting to our Emergency Department will be required to undertake a rapid antigen test. This helps us provide suspected COVID cases with the appropriate levels of protection and care and ensures non-COVID ED patients can be admitted and cared for safely.

Coming to our hospital by ambulance

If you have a life-threatening medical condition, call 000 and ask for an ambulance. You can request paramedics to bring you to our hospital.

If you would like to find out more, you can call us on 03 5226 8811.

Our services

We provide adult and paediatric emergency services to private patients with short waiting times and care provided by experienced nurses, doctors and specialists using the latest technology.

What to do in an emergency?

If you have a life-threatening medical condition, call 000 and ask for an ambulance.

If you have an urgent medical condition you can also come to our Emergency Department. If possible please bring with you:

• your Medicare Card
• any other entitlement cards (health care, pension, veterans, safety net)
• your passport/health insurance details (overseas visitors/students)
• private health insurance details
• a list of your current medications
• any x-rays/ultrasounds/scans that may be related to your condition
• your employment contact details if your condition is covered by Workers’ Compensation
• the name of your General Practitioner (GP).

You will be seen as soon as possible, according to the severity of your illness, and not in order of attendance. If another patient comes to the Emergency Department with a more serious condition, you may be required to wait. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

When you arrive

Please see the triage nurse first. They will ask questions and assess your condition to determine your level of priority:

• Immediate (life threatening)
• Very urgent
• Urgent
• Standard
• Non-urgent

You may need to be taken straight into the department or directed to the waiting room.

While you are waiting, please inform the triage nurse if your condition changes or you decide to seek treatment elsewhere.

What fees will have I to pay?

Our Emergency Department is a private emergency facility and an out-of-pocket fee of $250 applies to most visits. We bill Medicare directly for doctors’ procedures and consultations.

Please note:

• Private health insurance and Medicare do not cover the out-of-pocket fee.
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs will cover the Emergency Department fees if you are a gold card holder.
• We request payment of all costs, including the Medicare portion of your visit prior to leaving. Payment can be made via credit card or EFTPOS.
• Other fees – x-ray, pathology (blood tests), crutches
• Fees for services such as x-rays, pathology (blood tests) and walking aids, usually incur additional out-of-pocket costs. The service provider will send you an additional account for these services.
• You may be able to claim some fees for diagnostic services (blood tests and x-rays) from Medicare.

What happens next?

Once you are inside the Emergency Department, our nurses and doctors will complete a thorough assessment of your conditions.

Tests and procedures will be carried out when necessary. The team will review your test results and provide emergency treatment, and will then decide to either:

• allow you to return home with a referral for further care if necessary (such as a follow-up appointment with your local doctor or an outpatient appointment),
• monitor your condition for a few hours before making a decision regarding your care, or
• admit you to hospital for further care.

Sometimes you may need to wait for test results or for a ward bed to become available. We will continue to care for you until you are able to go to a ward or be discharged home.