Your Rights and Responsibilities (English)
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Your right to information, to decide about your care, to consent to treatment, to receive appropriate care and for confidentiality
Private patients at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
As a private patient in a public hospital, you will be supporting your Local Health Network, hospital and community.
How you will help the hospital and community
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital provides all patients with the highest possible quality and standard of care. The income we receive from your health fund helps to improve hospital facilities, update equipment and provide staff education and training.
How will you benefit?
By electing to be admitted into The Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a private patient, you will enjoy the advantages of:
- no charges for private health insurance co-payments or excesses
- access to single room (if available)
- choice of doctor (if available).
Choice of doctor
As a private patient, you are able to choose your doctor(s), provided that the doctor has rights of private practice at this hospital and is available. Where your doctor of choice is unavailable, you can still experience a private stay in our hospital and be treated by the doctor on duty.
How will you be affected financially?
If you have hospital cover, your health fund should cover the costs associated with your accommodation and prostheses charges.
Medicare, and your health fund, will cover 100% of medical service fees if your doctor charges the schedule fee or participates in a Gap Cover Scheme with your health fund.
Medical service fees are those fees that may be charged by your doctor, surgeon, anaesthetist, and/or pathology or radiology departments.
Accounts made easy
The hospital will lodge all your claims to Medicare and your health fund on your behalf (where possible). Once hospital accounts are paid, you will receive a patient claim statement from your health fund providing details of all charges paid.
The importance of confirming your level of health fund cover
Our patient liaison officer can confirm your level of health fund cover and let you know whether you are covered for your hospital stay. Please ask our patient liaison officer if you have any questions relating to your health fund cover or costs relating to your admission.
Can you still be a private patient if you don’t have private health insurance?
Yes, if you do not have private health insurance, you can still elect to be a private patient. As a self-funded patient, you will be responsible for meeting any costs incurred during your hospital stay that are not covered by Medicare.
How do you elect to be a private patient?
Hospital staff are available to answer any questions you may have. If you would like to be admitted as a private patient, please let our staff know.
A hospital representative will assist you to complete the necessary forms and help you make an informed choice to be admitted as a private patient.
All you need to do is provide:
- your Medicare details
- your private health fund details (if applicable).
For more information
Download our brochure "What it means to be a private patient" (PDF 791KB).
Our patient liaison officers can be contacted on:
Phone: (08) 8222 8409 / (08) 8222 6000
Email: healthpatientliaisonoffice@sa.gov.au
Monday to Sunday between 7:30am and 3:30pm.
Private patients at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital | SA Health