+ Referrals

Private Patients

A referral is not required to see a hand therapist at Hunter Hand Rehab, unless you fall into one of the groups below.

Work Cover, Compulsory Third Party (CTP), DVA and Defence

A written referral from your treating doctor/specialist is required for patients covered by these groups. You will also need to bring your insurance claim details to your initial appointment. Hunter Hand Rehab will bill the relevant insurer/agency directly so there will be no out of pocket expense on the day of treatment.

Chronic Disease Management Scheme (Previously called Enhanced Primary Care)

Patients who have a chronic or terminal medical condition may be eligible to claim a maximum of five treatments per calendar year under Medicare. Your GP will need to complete a referral and management plan. For more information give us a call on 02 4920 6336 or refer to Medicare or your GP.

+ Appointment Details

Making an Appointment

Appointments are available Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.30am and 5pm. For an appointment please call us on 02 4920 6336 or request an appointment here.

Telehealth appointments are available for our patients.

You do not need a referral unless you are claiming through an insurer/agency (see Referrals).

You will be sent a SMS reminder of the date and time of your appointment 1-2 days prior. If you are unable to attend your appointment we appreciate 24 hours notice.

New Patients

Please arrive 5-10 minutes prior to your appointment to complete relevant paperwork.

You should bring:

• Your referral (if you have one)
• All relevant x-rays, scans, reports and test results
• Insurance or claim details (Workcover/CTP/DVA/NDIS)
• Previous splints and/or exercises

Initial Consultation

Your initial appointment will usually take 30-45 minutes.

Your hand therapist will take a thorough history and perform a thorough assessment of your hand and upper limb to help diagnose the problem. A targeted treatment program will then be designed to resolve the presenting problem. The treatment program may include fabrication or fitting of a cast or splint and/or provision of other rehabilitation equipment. These items are provided at an additional cost.

Hunter Hand Rehab aim to provide continuity of care by ensuring you see the same hand therapist at each visit. At times this is not possible; however, we ensure the new therapist you see will have appropriate handover and access to all of your clinical information.

+ Payment and Rebates

Private Patients

Payment is required on the day of treatment. We accept EFTPOS, Mastercard, Visa and cash payments.

Private patients may receive a rebate from their health fund if cover includes Physiotherapy or Occupational Therapy, depending on the qualifications of the therapist you see.

HICAPS is available at Hunter Hand Rehab for instant rebate from most heath funds. Your treatment will be provided by either an Occupational Therapist or a Physiotherapist which may have variable rebates from your health fund. If you check your level of coverage prior to your appointment we can book you with the therapist that gives you the best rebate.

NB. Splints and rehabilitation equipment can not be claimed through the HICAPS terminal and will need to be claimed through your health fund directly .

Work Cover, Compulsory Third Party (CTP), NDIS, DVA and Defence

Patients covered under these schemes will have no out of pocket expenses on the day of treatment as long as you have provided all of the relevant details. We will bill the insurer/provider directly.

You will accept full liability for Workcover, CTP or DVA claims that are rejected.

Chronic Disease Management Scheme (Previously called Enhanced Primary Care)

Patients with a chronic disease management plan will need to pay for their consultation on the day of treatment. Medicare Easyclaim is available through our HICAPS terminal and allows our patients to lodge their claims and receive their rebates at the time of treatment. Otherwise you can take your receipt to Medicare to claim your rebate.

NB. The Medicare rebate does not cover the full cost of your consultation or any splints/rehabilitation equipment provided.

+ Urgent and Out of Hours Care

Same day appointments can be arranged for acute hand and upper limb injuries (fractures, dislocations and ligament injuries) that require urgent care. Please mention this need to our reception staff and they can liaise with the hand therapists to schedule an urgent appointment.

We also have some flexibility to schedule appointments out of our normal hours. Please discuss with our reception staff or your hand therapist to arrange an early or late appointment.

+ Referrer Information

Medical professionals wishing to refer to Hunter Hand Rehabilitation Centre can download a copy of our referral form here.

If you would like to speak to one of our experienced therapists about a patient, the conditions we treat, services we can provide or to phone through a referral, please contact us on 02 4920 6336.

You can also send through a referral by fax: 02 4027 5002 or email: admin@hunterhandrehab.com.au.