First published 8 September 2021. Updated 10 September 2024.
One of the main benefits of private hospital care is that you get to choose your own experienced specialist who will not only have many years of experience, but also have specialty and sub-speciality training in their area of expertise.
Choosing your own specialist means they get to know you, understand your needs, and cares for you from your initial consultation, through to surgery, in hospital and after discharge.
This gives you the opportunity to develop a strong and ongoing relationship with your specialist.
If you do not have private hospital insurance, you can still access the benefits of private hospital care, including the option to choose your specialist by self-funding your care.
Rachel’s story of self-pay surgery
Last year, one of our patients, Rachel Muray, was diagnosed with breast cancer but did not have private health insurance. She was able to access potentially life-saving surgery at a St John of God Health Care hospital under the care of a specialist of her choice, and this gave her and her family the reassurance they needed to get through this period.
Read more about Rachel’s story, to see why she chose to self-fund her care.
Self-funded health care - how to choose your specialist?
1. Find a specialist
You can use our Find a Specialist search to find an experienced specialist who is an expert in their field. You can filter your search to specialists who treat self-funded patients under the ‘more options’ heading - review the specialists’ information, contact details, photos and biography to find a doctor whose expertise meets your needs.
2. Get a referral from your GP
See your GP to get a referral to see the specialist of your choice. Your GP can also provide you with an open referral, which you can take to any specialist, if you haven’t yet chosen your specialist.
3. Check details about the self-funded option
Our self-funded care guide provides key information and provides an easy way to get cost estimates for the treatment you need. Call us on 1300 940 199 and our friendly caregivers will step you through the process.
Make sure you talk to your specialist about self-funding your care when you book your first appointment too.
4. Ask about likely costs
Make sure you talk to your specialist about self-funding your care when you book your first appointment. Your doctor will be able to provide information about any other clinicians who will be involved in your care.
5. Have your surgery or procedure
If you are comfortable with the costs, you can go ahead and book your surgery or procedure with your specialist. You will be asked about how you want to pay for your treatment through our online admissions process. You may also have the option of using a payment provider to help cover the costs.
You will need to pay the estimated cost of your treatment prior to your hospital admission. If you have any questions just speak to one of our caregivers on 1300 940 199.
Self-funding at your private hospital of choice
Giving you the control to choose a hospital for your surgery or treatment is one of the big benefits of private health care.
When your local private hospital is close to home, you might want to access care there so that you don’t have to travel for appointments, and your family and friends can easily visit while you stay in hospital.
Or you might have been recommended a particular hospital by family, friends or your GP.
Choose your hospital, even without private hospital insurance
Many people don’t realise that you can access private hospital care without insurance. All St John of God Health Care private hospitals have doctors who treat self-funded patients so whichever hospital you would like to be treated in there is the option to self-fund your care.
Avoid the wait by choosing a private hospital
Our private hospitals offer you quick access to care when you need it. For many people, avoiding a public waiting list for elective surgery or treatment by accessing private hospital care is another reason to self-fund their care.
If you haven’t planned to take out private hospital insurance, and you are faced with potential long waiting periods at other hospitals, you can always choose to pay for your private hospital care directly.
