"GP Own" and Armadale Hospital

[uptheduff2009]

Ok ladies, I have to determine whether I use or lose the PHI I have or whether I upgrade it...

I am looking at the Armadale Galliers/Bickley Ward at Armadale Public Hospital. It is the private wing of Armadale hospital which allows women with either private health insurance (For the lot, Obs and accomodation) or those who are willing to pay their own GP/Obs (This is called GP Own) and anything else "out of pocket".

As the lady who defines all this properly is away, I have recieved about 50 different versions of what I can expect to pay from the hospital themselves.
The Public midwives say that I can go "GP Own" (Which my private health insurance can cover if it is just the cost of the Obs) and not have to pay for a bed as it will be covered by medicare. The registrar people for the ward said that the beds are mega bucks if you aren't covered and I might as well go public, and one of the private midwives sort backed the public midwife in saying that if my private insurance only covers the GP then I should be ok to do the rest as a public patient.

It is SO frikan confussing and to make it that ounce harder, the lady who can explain it is away till 31st August and I have to decide before then!

Are there ANY other hospys around that anyone knows of that do GP Own or something similar??? How do most people with OBS cover only pay for their bed when they go thru a public hospy, short of being a public patient???

Sorry if this is hard to read... Don't forget- I am pregnant! :D

Thanks in advance
Kirst

[greig4]

Hi, Congrates on your pregnancy.
All I can say is your having the baby. WHAT do you want? Personally, all you need is a room to have the baby in. Your don't need a OB, unless there is problems now. Like thryoid? If something does happen while in labour there are drs there to assist. Midwives do most of the work. (giving drugs etc).
So it is up to you on what you want from the hospital.
Sorry if I'm not much help. I'm a doula and I have found the women didn't need a OB around and it was just a extra cost in the end.

Nat

[imp]

I disagree with this (sorry greig4 :) )

You don't know if you're going to need an OB until the baby arrives. I had a stress free, smooth, lovely pregnancy and then a bit of a disaster during delivery. I credit my OB for delivering under very difficult circumstances and not passing any stress on to me.

suffice to say I am really glad I had a good OB.

However, there are plenty of really excellent OBs at Prince Edward (one actually saved my life when my ectopic ruptured in the middle of the night).

But it sounds like the Armadale option is what you want - in which case I think the best thing to do is ring your PHI and get them to confirm in writing what your costs will be. They'll have to honour that.

[Mrs Dolphin]

I am not quite sure what you are saying or asking really but this is what I got told when I did a tour of the Galliers Wing at Armadale Hospital.

That you can either have OB care, you can go to a local GP/OB such as Dr Jameson and there is another one I can't remember name of - or you can do shared care I think too.

I was most interested in doing the GP/OB care so that has stuck in my mind! This is most likely to be cheaper as it is just the cost of the GP visit as normal (or bulk billed if applicable) and then your PHI pays for the hospital part - I would be fully covered with my HBF cover I have.

The midwife I spoke to also said that you can do GP/Ob care but still go to the hospital as a public patient in Galliers if you want to. The difference to private in hospital being that as a public patient you are more likely to be sent home earlier, the meals are not quite as nice, partner cannot stay and no daily newspaper!

I personally think if you have PHI that will cover you why not use it and have those few little extras!

When I get pregnant I plan on hopefully doing the GP/OB care (and I think you also visit midwife clinic - not 1005 sure on that though) and then being in hospital as a private patient. I think if you go the GP/OB then they don't charge the OB management fee that you would get going to a OB at another private hospital like SJOG. But again I might be wrong on this!

If you go to Bickley ward that is the public side of the hospital and you would as far as I know have midwife clinic care the whole way and of course be in as a public patient. I have heard the ward is nice but not quite as nice as the Galliers one. I can't comment as i have only seen the Galliers ward which was very nice!

Hope that helps!

Let us know what you find out! And congrats on your pregnancy! :)

[lil1]

Hi Kirst
This is my second pregnancy and I am seeing Dr Garry White who is a GP/OB and delivers at the Galliers Wing. He has been fantastic and I can highly recommend him.

I have private health insurance with MBF and only need to pay for my visits to Dr White (cost is as per a normal visit to a GP) and any out of pocket expenses at the hospital (which would be minimal). The room/my meals/treatment by midwives and Dr White while in the Galliers wing etc is all covered by the private health insurance.

I could have elected to book in as a public patient, however if Galliers wing is full when you go in to birth they will then send you across to the public wing of the hospital.

I also see the midwives at Galliers as part of my antenatal care as it is classed as a "shared care" set up (this just means you alternate your appointments with the midwives and Dr White) The midwives are all lovely and very supportive and it is great to get to know them all before you go in and birth.

I have had two other friends who have just birthed at Galliers (both also saw Dr White) and both have only had positive things to say about their experiences.

My first birth was at another private hospital in Perth as a private patient with an OB doing all of the care. My OB was lovely but it was a very expensive process despite the private health cover. There was also a lot of pressure for me to have a c section/intervention before I had even gone into labour and the after care was poor due to a shortage of staff (nurses).

Galliers has a very supportive/natural approach to birthing which appeals to me. You can of course still have an epidural/c section etc etc if required.

Hope this helps! Feel free to pm me if you want to chat more.

Cheers :wave:

[Mrs Dolphin]

Hi Kirst
This is my second pregnancy and I am seeing Dr Garry White who is a GP/OB and delivers at the Galliers Wing. He has been fantastic and I can highly recommend him.

I have private health insurance with MBF and only need to pay for my visits to Dr White (cost is as per a normal visit to a GP) and any out of pocket expenses at the hospital (which would be minimal). The room/my meals/treatment by midwives and Dr White while in the Galliers wing etc is all covered by the private health insurance.

I could have elected to book in as a public patient, however if Galliers wing is full when you go in to birth they will then send you across to the public wing of the hospital.

I also see the midwives at Galliers as part of my antenatal care as it is classed as a "shared care" set up (this just means you alternate your appointments with the midwives and Dr White) The midwives are all lovely and very supportive and it is great to get to know them all before you go in and birth.

I have had two other friends who have just birthed at Galliers (both also saw Dr White) and both have only had positive things to say about their experiences.

My first birth was at another private hospital in Perth as a private patient with an OB doing all of the care. My OB was lovely but it was a very expensive process despite the private health cover. There was also a lot of pressure for me to have a c section/intervention before I had even gone into labour and the after care was poor due to a shortage of staff (nurses).

Galliers has a very supportive/natural approach to birthing which appeals to me. You can of course still have an epidural/c section etc etc if required.

Hope this helps! Feel free to pm me if you want to chat more.

Cheers :wave:

Oh my goodness - this is EXACTLY what I want to do for my second pregnancy (when I get pregnant!) and Dr White was the other doctor name I had been given by Galliers. So nice to hear somebody having done it/doing it!

So you don't pay that OB management fee like you would have the first time around? I too had my DD at a major private hospital SOR and my experience sounds exactly like yours! I too had an OB who was very nice but expensive and nurses were understaffed and took over half an hour to come to a bell call! I was told by the OB I would have to have a CS the second time around due to small pelvis but I am not convinced so will be trying a VBAC next time.

Oh I am so excited that you are having such a positive experience as it gives me hope! Plus Armadale is only 10mins away from me this time as we have moved since having DD.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

OP I hope this helps you too!

lil1 - best of luck for the rest of your pregnancy!

[uptheduff2009]

Hi ladies,
Sorry if that initial message was too confusing.

At Armadale there is a 3rd choice to the 2 that you have listed.

For women that have limited or NO PHI you can still go through the private ward. You have to pay your Obs but what I am trying to determine is what else you have to pay for also...

I have HCF with limited benefits which means they will pay for the Obs but not for the stay (Accomodation). They want me in a public bed basically. So I only get choice of Obs.

I want to know if I go the path of bringing in my own Obs at Armadale, where they then make you go thru the Galliers ward, what will I be up for.

Different to most Private patients in a public hospy, there is this question there that I need resolved before I can make my decision. Usually you would be in the ward with everyone else, just in a private room (Which PHI would usually cover) but as I am in this "Limbo land" in between I need to know what I am going to be looking at once we get the Obs covered in the private ward through "GP Own" because if you go in as full private you are up for all the costs of a private hospital, even though it is just a public one with a few private beds and a wall...

Hope that makes more sense
Kirst

[Mrs Dolphin]

Hi again Kirsty
So what you are basically saying is that your PHI will cover the OB cost while you are in hospital but not the cost of the hospital bed/accomodation - is that right? (sorry just trying to get it clear!)

If that is so then you would need to get a quote from the hospital as to how much per day their beds are and what it includes - food etc. Then I would go to your PHI and ask what if any of that bed cost is covered. Then you can know the out of pocket expense for the accomodation.

Alternatively as far as I know you can have your PHI cover the doc as they will and then go into Galliers as a public patient only with no bed expense. If you go in as public then apparently they may send you home earlier and the food is not quite as nice as for private patients and your DH won't be able to stay with you. Also, if Galliers gets too full with private patients then the public ones will be sent over to the Bickley ward.

Hope that all makes sense and helps you a bit more!
:)

[uptheduff2009]

Thanks so much Jessica! (If you are wondering who she is, check one of the other posts about this question! Sorry!)
Finally- someone who knew what was going on! YAY!

For prosperity (ie; when this gets googled!) my answer to my question about GP Own is:
Patients with little or no private health cover (like me!) can go through the private ward to birth and stay as public patients. Yes, if they are busy you get bumped next door but that is an if.

The costs are mainly around your GP (Obs I mean!) and the care you get from them is your primary care. The stay is in a GP Own bed in Bickley ward and is a public stay.
Yes, the likelyhood of what some other posters have said (that DH can't stay and all that) is there, but I am not fussed on that either way!

Thanks so mcuh for all your help everyone! Looks like I am going GP Own at AKMH! YAY YAY!!!

Kirst

[dasplat]

I am not quite sure what you are saying or asking really but this is what I got told when I did a tour of the Galliers Wing at Armadale Hospital.

That you can either have OB care, you can go to a local GP/OB such as Dr Jameson and there is another one I can't remember name of - or you can do shared care I think too.

I was most interested in doing the GP/OB care so that has stuck in my mind! This is most likely to be cheaper as it is just the cost of the GP visit as normal (or bulk billed if applicable) and then your PHI pays for the hospital part - I would be fully covered with my HBF cover I have.

The midwife I spoke to also said that you can do GP/Ob care but still go to the hospital as a public patient in Galliers if you want to. The difference to private in hospital being that as a public patient you are more likely to be sent home earlier, the meals are not quite as nice, partner cannot stay and no daily newspaper!

I personally think if you have PHI that will cover you why not use it and have those few little extras!

When I get pregnant I plan on hopefully doing the GP/OB care (and I think you also visit midwife clinic - not 1005 sure on that though) and then being in hospital as a private patient. I think if you go the GP/OB then they don't charge the OB management fee that you would get going to a OB at another private hospital like SJOG. But again I might be wrong on this!

If you go to Bickley ward that is the public side of the hospital and you would as far as I know have midwife clinic care the whole way and of course be in as a public patient. I have heard the ward is nice but not quite as nice as the Galliers one. I can't comment as i have only seen the Galliers ward which was very nice!

Hope that helps!

Let us know what you find out! And congrats on your pregnancy! :)


Hi, i am due in about a week and just thought i would add what i know is the case at the moment.
Shared care can be half the appointments with the obstetrician [though in previous births publicly i only needed the midwives anyway. [ob is available if needed at public hospitals.]
the other half of your appointments will be with the midwives at bickley.
the bickley ward IS private although you can still go there as public if there is any room. you cannot have any guarantee of being in the bickley ward unless you have private cover because it is a smaller ward. Galliers is private as well but the name refers to the WHOLE private wing of armadale, not just maternity. so the bickley ward is part of galliers. the bickley one is the one you have seen.
if you want the general public maternity ward this is called "MAUDE BELLAS maternity ward.