Choosing a Specialist

You may be happy to accept the advice of your doctor or you may like to choose your own general surgeon. You can find one through the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.

Questions for your doctor may help you understand your treatment, and, if necessary, decide on a surgeon. Practical issues you may also like to consider are which hospital(s) a particular surgeon operates from, and their fees.

To find out which surgeons participate in our Medicover No Gap or Known Gap* arrangement:

• Call us on 13 13 34
• Visit an HCF branch
• Search for a participating provider online

Can you use your referral on any specialist?

Your referral can be transferred to any specialist you choose, as long as they’re in the same medical field. Alternatively, you can ask your GP to write an ‘open referral’ where they don’t specify a particular specialist. A valid referral needs to include:

• relevant clinical information about your condition for investigation, opinion, treatment and/or management
• date of the referral
  
• signature of your referring doctor.
  

*Participation in HCF’s medical gap initiative is at the doctor’s discretion. We can’t guarantee all doctors will participate in our gap arrangements for all members or services. Where you will incur any out-of-pocket costs the doctor(s) should advise you of these costs and obtain your consent to charge you so you can make an informed decision before going ahead with the procedure. Members are encouraged to confirm with their doctor(s) whether they will use HCF’s medical gap initiatives for their treatment.