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[ For Patients ]

A surgical assistant was part of your operation.

If you have had surgery and an assistant from MySurgAssist was in the theatre, this page explains who they are, why there is a separate account, and what to do with it.

[ What A Surgical Assistant Is ]

A second pair of trained hands.

Most operations need more than one doctor at the table. The surgical assistant is a medical practitioner, or a specially trained nurse, who works alongside your surgeon during the procedure: holding, retracting, suturing and helping the operation run safely and smoothly. Your surgeon chooses to have one because it makes for a better, safer operation.

The assistant is a separate practitioner from your surgeon, which is why their fee is a separate account. That arrangement will have been set out in your informed financial consent with your surgeon’s rooms. MySurgAssist is the company that provides the assistant and handles that account.

[ What You Will Pay ]

It depends on how your surgeon bills.

Your surgeon’s rooms decide how the assistant is billed, and it is usually the same arrangement as the surgeon’s own fee. These are the common ones.

[ No Gap ]
Your health fund and Medicare cover the assistant’s fee in full. You pay nothing out of pocket for the assistant.
[ Known Gap ]
Your health fund and Medicare cover most of the fee, and you pay a set amount out of pocket. You will have been told this amount before your operation.
[ Precollected Fee ]
The assistant’s fee was collected by your surgeon’s rooms before the operation, usually with the surgeon’s own fee. There is nothing further to pay for the assistant.
[ Uninsured Or Self Funded ]
If you do not have private health insurance, or chose to self fund, the assistant’s fee is a private account. Some practices collect it before the operation and some bill it afterwards, so it varies practice to practice. Your informed financial consent will say which.
[ WorkCover, CTP And Others ]
If your surgery was in relation to an insurance claim with WorkCover, CTP or a similar scheme, the assistant’s fee is billed to the scheme and you should not receive an account. Any queries, email us at admin@mysurgassist.com.au.
[ Your Account ]

Pay the account shown on your invoice.

If you receive an account for the assistant, the payment details are on the invoice itself. Please use those, and only those. MySurgAssist uses different accounts for different assistants, so details on this website or from a previous invoice may not be right for yours.

[ A Change From 1 October ]

From 1 October we are no longer able to accept credit or debit card payments.

This follows a change in government rules on card payments, and it applies to every invoice, so please pay by the bank transfer details shown on your invoice. We know a card is easier, and we are sorry for the extra step. If that is difficult for you, email us and we will help.

[ Is This Invoice Real ]
MySurgAssist is aware that we live in a time of increased online scams and heightened distrust of online payments. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of an invoice, contact the rooms of your surgeon directly, or contact us at admin@mysurgassist.com.au or 04615 51303.
[ Health Fund Claims ]
MySurgAssist does not submit claims to Medicare or your health fund on your behalf. If there is a problem with a claim, your first call is always Medicare, your health fund or your surgeon’s rooms. The most common cause is that the surgeon’s account needs to be submitted alongside the assistant’s account.
[ The Amount ]
If the amount is not what you were told before your operation, contact your surgeon’s rooms first. They set the arrangement.
[ Who To Contact ]

Unsure? Ask your surgeon’s rooms.

Your surgeon’s rooms know your operation and the arrangement you agreed to. They are the right first call for almost everything.

[ Your Surgeon’s Rooms ]
For questions about your operation and its costs

What was agreed, why there is a gap, what the surgeon’s own fee was, and anything about the surgery itself.

[ MySurgAssist Billing ]
For questions about the assistant’s invoice

A copy of the invoice, a receipt, or help paying it. Not health fund claims, which we do not submit. admin@mysurgassist.com.au or 04615 51303.

[ Questions ]

The things patients ask us.

I did not know there would be an assistant.

We do not blame you. The assistant is frequently not well explained in the consent process, and we are sorry about that. Your surgeon decides whether an operation needs an assistant, and the arrangement for their fee is usually set out with the surgeon’s own quote. If it was not, your surgeon’s rooms can explain it.

Why is this a separate invoice?

The assistant is a separate practitioner from your surgeon, with their own provider number, so their fee is billed separately. MySurgAssist handles that account on the assistant’s behalf.

Can I speak to the assistant about the account?

No. MySurgAssist is contracted by the assistant to handle their account, so the assistant cannot discuss it with you. Anything about the invoice goes through MySurgAssist billing or your surgeon’s rooms.

I think I have been billed twice.

Contact MySurgAssist billing with both invoices and we will sort it out.

My health fund rejected the claim.

Contact Medicare, your health fund or your surgeon’s rooms first. MySurgAssist does not submit claims on your behalf and cannot resolve a rejected claim. Most often the surgeon’s account needs to be submitted in tandem with the assistant’s account.