Frequently Asked Questions
Dr Sonja Schleimer
Our practice is located at the Gold Coast Bone and Joint Surgery and our hours are Monday – Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.
Please call Dr Schleimer’s office on (07) 5598 0094 during business hours.
Dr Schleimer consults on Tuesdays and Thursdays and operates out of John Flynn Private Hospital and Gold Coast Private Hospital.
More information about Gold Coast Private Hospital and John Flynn Private Hospital can be found on their websites below:
Elective:
- Foot & ankle arthritis including revision surgery
- Paediatric foot & ankle conditions
- Tendon conditions (i.e. achilles tendonitis)
- Forefoot deformities (i.e. hallux valgus)
Traumatic:
- Acute trauma to foot & ankle in children and adults
- Sports-related foot & ankle injuries
- Acute tendon ruptured in foot & ankle
Yes. A GP or specialist referral is required for your appointment. This enables you to get a rebate back from Medicare.
Please note that we cannot use physiotherapist/podiatrist referrals or referrals over 12- month-old as Medicare does not accept these for claims.
GP referrals are valid for 12 months. Specialist referrals are valid for 3 months.
Yes. A scan no more than three months old is to be performed on the area of concern before attending your appointment. Please ask your referring doctor which form of medical imaging is most appropriate for your condition/issue.
If you have had imaging at one of the following, physical films are not required to be brought as we have online access.
- South Coast Radiology
- North Coast Radiology
- Queensland Diagnostic Imaging (QDI)
- Qscan
- I-Med
- Wave Radiology
- Advanced Radiology
- Gold Coast Radiology
- Exact Radiology
- North Shore Radiology
*For all other, a copy of the films will need to be organised to bring to your appointment.*
- A valid referral
- Medicare, private health fund card/DVA card
- Copies of any relevant correspondence (i.e. medical imaging, doctor letters, test results)
An appointment must be made with Dr Schleimer to discuss your results. Please call our office to book an appointment on (07) 5598 0094.
Initial consultations – $240.00 (Medicare rebate $75.05)
Follow up consultation – $170.00 (Medicare rebate $37.70)
We are a private practice and do not bulk bill. The consultation fee must be paid on the day of your appointment. We accept EFTPOS card, cash or cheque. We do not accept American Express or bank deposit.
Workcover/third-party insured patients. Please contact Workcover to advise them of your specialist appointment. Please bring your claim number, employer details and Workcover case manager details with you. It is your responsibility to get your consultation approved prior to coming in for your appointment. If you do not have approval, you are liable to pay the consultation fee on the day and claim back this expense from Workcover yourself.
If you are privately insured and require surgery, there will be an out of pocket cost (non- rebatable fee) depending on your health fund. This will be discussed with you further in our rooms when booking your procedure in.
If you do not have private health cover, please be aware of the following:
- Your referral can be passed on to the Gold Coast University Hospital’s Orthopaedic Department by our rooms so you can be seen as a public patient instead.
Dr Schleimer CANNOT expedite your waiting period nor time till surgery on the public waiting list. Should you wish to see someone to try expedite your surgery, you are required to see your GP for this.
- If you choose to self-fund your surgery, please be aware that there are significant costs involved and your surgery quote does not cover potential surgical complications. There may be extra costs incurred if complications do occur.
Unfortunately, we cannot tell you the costs for surgery until Dr Schleimer sees you at your consultation and decides which procedure and item numbers are most appropriate for your case. We therefore are unable to provide any quote or estimate over the phone until after the clinical assessment with Dr Schleimer. Should you wish to proceed with surgery, we will then provide you with an estimate for surgery along with associated out of pocket expenses.
Yes. Please ask our staff to put your name on the cancellation list and we will contact you should an earlier appointment become available