Informed financial consent

As part of your admission to a St John of God Health Care hospital, you'll need to acknowledge your informed financial consent (IFC) form.

What is IFC?

Informed financial consent is a document that provides information about the expected costs of your medical treatment and care. This includes:

estimated total cost of your treatment
expenses you may need to pay — often called ‘out-of-pocket’ or ‘gap’ fees
what your private health insurance may cover.

In Australia, all providers (including private hospitals) are required to provide cost information in writing at the earliest opportunity before a planned admission or as soon as possible after an unplanned admission.

Key things to understand about informed financial consent

Your St John of God Health Care estimate (IFC) covers the costs for your hospital charges. However, some services provided by other specialists or third parties are not included in this quote and will be billed separately. You should receive an IFC from these providers as well. These additional charges may include doctors and anaesthetists, imaging (such as x-rays or scans), pathology tests, medications or other goods or services related to your care. If you need details about fees beyond your hospital charges, please contact your health fund for more information.
Our IFC documents are based on estimates from information provided by you and your treating clinician - actual costs may differ if your care changes. For example, if complications arise, your hospital stay is longer than expected, or additional services are required.
In emergency or unexpected situations, it may not be possible to give you full cost estimates in advance. In these cases, cost information should be provided as early as possible after admission.
IFC is intended to give you clear, upfront information about the costs of your hospital care, so you can make informed decisions about your treatment and avoid surprises.

In short, IFC means:

informed – you have been given the information
financial - costs are detailed
consent - you agree to the estimates provided.

What’s included in an IFC?

Your IFC sets out a clear picture of the estimated costs of your care at the hospital. It should outline:

the estimated total cost of your hospital fees for your procedure
other relevant services or providers that may bill you separately (for example: surgeon, anaesthetist, pathology, imaging)
an estimate for how much we think your private health insurer will cover
an estimate for any costs you will need to pay - the ’gap’ or ‘out-of-pocket’ fees.

Before you come to hospital

Prior to being admitted to a hospital or as soon as you can after you are admitted, please check with your health insurer what you are covered for. Ask them to confirm:

If your treatment is covered by your policy.
The MBS item numbers for your treatment and how much they will pay for each of the expected costs (e.g: doctor's and anaesthetist) under your policy and what your out-of-pocket costs will be.
Whether your treatment is affected by a waiting period or an exclusion in your policy.
If your treatment is covered under the insurer’s “no-gap” or “gap-cover” program, which can help reduce or remove extra out-of-pocket costs.

How do I sign my IFC?

Online

If you complete your admission registration online, you will be given your IFC document to sign electronically on the My Admission website.

In person

If you complete your admission paperwork in person we will provide a paper copy of the IFC for you to sign at the hospital when you are admitted. Here, you will be asked to complete the necessary paperwork (including IFC) before your procedure, paying any required out-of-pocket estimate at that time.

It is important you:

Read the IFC carefully.
Contact us with any questions or concerns you have before signing.
Understand that signing the IFC means you agree to the costs in the document.

How do I get a copy of my IFC?

If you complete your IFC online through the My Admission website, you can download a PDF at any time, so long as you have an active account. If you complete a paper copy when you are admitted to hospital, you can request a copy at the time of signing.

If you wish to access or correct your personal information you should make your request in writing by email or post to the privacy officer at the hospital or service; or complete and lodge an application form which is available on our website at www.sjog.org.au/privacy.

Please note: A certified copy of identification needs to be provided at the time of the request. Once your completed application has been received by the hospital, your application will be processed within 30 days (WA applications) or 45 days (VIC/NSW applications).

If your care or costs change

Sometimes your treatment plan may need to change — for example:

if your doctor recommends a different procedure
if additional care is required, or
if your stay in hospital is longer than expected.

When this happens, the costs outlined in your original IFC may also change. We will update you as soon as possible with a revised estimate so you can understand any differences.

Who to contact for help

If you have questions or concerns about your IFC, please contact the St John of God Health Care patient support hotline on 1300 863 566 — they will be able to assist you. Please note support hotline hours are Monday to Friday: 8.00am to 6.00pm and Saturday to Sunday 9.00am to 3.00pm (excluding public holidays). Your private health fund can also help you understand what’s covered by your policy and any out-of-pocket amounts.

Further information

If you are interested finding out more information the following external websites are available: