Carol Portmann (Brisbane)????

[mum2bee]

Has anyone had a positive or negative experience with Carol Portmann?

Did you see her as a public or private patient?

Seeing that she delivers at a public hospital, what costs did you pay for if you were a private patient (if you want to share :) )?

Thanks

[leomeo]

I see another high-risk OB/GYN as a private patient at RBWH, so I can't give you my perspective directly, but you will find that Carol Portman has a fantastic reputation - the middies love her, she supports the mum but manages risk very well and is oh-so-clever. She specialises in high-risk obstetrics and neonatology, which is good to know should you ever need it. I don't think you can go wrong with her, but hopefully some of the other BHers can give you some first-hand stories.

The docs at the Private Practice Specialist Centre (where you see Carol as her private patient) usually either bulk-bill the regular appointments entirely or bill the schedule fee (you pay the extra 25% out of pocket). For in hospital, most charge only the schedule fee, which means your private health cover and medicare pick up 100% combined. It used to be that there was no "management fee" as insurance was included under the hospital's cover, but you might want to check it with them to be sure, as things may have changed. It really does depend on the doctor and what there setup is, so you might find an out-of-pocket expense with an anaesthetist or paediatrician, but they are usually pretty straight-forward about fees if you ask. :thumbsup:

[Mariposa]

Ive had all 3 girls at the RBWH (public) and lucky for me, was given Carol Portmann each time.

She is absolutely lovely. Only seen her at a few of the antenatal appointments, but she did come and see me when i had each girl :D

[mum2bee]

Thanks Leomeo.

I asked my GP yesterday who said that Carol Portmann will only due high risk pregnancies through the public system, so I'm not sure if I will be a high risk or not...alternatively I can see her as a private patient through the RWBH and pay the fees. I am going to ring today and find out what I need to do and what costs are involved.

[leomeo]

No probs mum2bee - how did you get on?

[mum2bee]

Apparently Carol Portmann only does high risk pregnancies regardless of whether you go public or private and she only does 5 or 6 a month......which is a bit of a shame, I was under the impression that if you were private you didn't need to be high risk. The Practice Manager however did say that they had other OB's there but I'm not sure of their names.

I just want to be prepared with the next as my first didn't go according to plan with an emergency c-section and general, and I wanted to try for VBAC with the next one. I asked my GP where she thought I should go either private or public and she said definately to the RBWH.

Do you know the names of any of the other OB's at RBWH?

[leomeo]

Not really sure who else is at the Private Clinic at the moment, so I would just ask the Practice Manager for some more specific info on who you can see.

RBWH is good, but if you want to ensure you have your own Dr in the event of a CS, it might not be the right place for you. Unless of course, you can get into seeing a doc at the Clinic or a private OB that delivers there. Dr Eva Kretowicz at Indooroopilly is a private OB and used to deliver there (might still do, not sure though) and is apparently very good. Might be worthwhile speaking to one of the midwive's on the ward at RBWH too, to see if they can recommend someone.

Do you have private health insurance? If so, don't forget that there are quite a few private OB's in Brisbane who deliver at other private hospitals who support VBAC.