Cost Information

Cost — Consultation

Pre-op reviews (Face to Face): $80 Medicare rebate: $40.85

Pre-op reviews (Telehealth): free with Medicare rebate

Post-op reviews (Face to Face): free with Medicare rebate for the first 2 years post op

Post-op reviews (Telehealth): free with Medicare rebate for the first 12 months post op

Cost Breakdown for Sleeve Gastrectomy

With insurance

Most private health insurance plans require top level (GOLD) cover for bariatric surgery and 12 months waiting for new members.
Please check with your insurance provider first for your eligibility and your hospital excess fee.

Item numbers:

Sleeve Gastrectomy
31575

Gastric Bypass
31572

Revision surgery
31584

Our gap: $5000 — this is not claimable from Medicare or your private health insurance providers

Total: $5500

Inclusion:

assistant surgeon fee
anaesthetic fee
ongoing reviews can be free with a valid GP management plan

Excess fee for hospital admission
This will be charged directly by the hospital
The amount of excess fee is subject to your insurance plans.

Pathology and radiology costs, subject to your insurance agreement with the service provider

Benefits for having a private health insurance

a lot cheaper than paying the surgery yourself. The out-of-pocket cost without insurance is around $18000.
in the events of complications, such as bleeding or leak after the surgery, the cost can amount to a significant sum. The overall risk is small, about 1%, but the cost can easily be more than $10000 extra. With insurance, you will be covered. Without insurance, you will be liable for all the cost (some deductions may apply. Details please refer to the section for ‘without insurance’).
no extra charge for Gastroscopy if done as part of preparation for sleeve gastrectomy
no extra charge for hiatus hernia repair if done together during sleeve gastrectomy
Without insurance
For Sleeve Gastrectomy, you can choose to have the surgery done at one of the private hospitals listed here. Each hospital has their own unique pricing structure. We will outline their strengths and variations for your consideration.

For your safety and completeness of patient care, we offer Gastroscopy either before or at the same time during your Sleeve. We don’t charge extra fees if the Gastroscopy is done at the same time during your sleeve. However hospital fees may vary for Gastroscopy.

We value the importance of ongoing support and reviews after your surgery. Therefore regardless of the hospital you choose, we offer the same level of dietitian and medical support, same as patients who have private health insurance.
dietician, three sessions including 1 pre-op and 2 post-op
ongoing reviews can be free with a valid GP management plan
regular post-op surgical reviews up to 1 year with Telehealth or 2 years with Face to Face
Five-year outcomes showed that among patients with type 2 diabetes and a BMI of 27–43, bariatric surgery plus intensive medical therapy was more effective than intensive medical therapy alone in lowering, or in some cases resolving, hyperglycemia.

Mulgrave Private Hospital (Mulgrave)

Total package cost: $19000
After Medicare rebate: approximately $18000

Mulgrave offers “Self Pay” package, which has a FIXED PRICE and includes all the cost associated with the surgery.

Inclusive of:

fees for surgeon, assistant surgeon and the anaesthetist
theatre costs and hospital stay up to 2 nights
BEST: also covers any potential complications related to the surgery, ie unexpected ICU admission, return to theatre or prolonged hospital stay due to medical reasons. This is almost the same cover as people who have private health insurance.
any pathology and radiology tests required as a result of the surgery
No extra charge for Gastroscopy if done at the same time with Sleeve.

Weight requirement: less than 180 kg

Epworth Richmond Hospital (Richmond) and Epworth Eastern Hospital (Box Hill)

Epworth does not have a fixed price structure. They will issue you with a Fee Estimate before the surgery. The final amount is subject to several factors, such as length of hospital stay, equipments used during the procedure and any complications.

The price listed here provides you with a ‘rough idea’ of the average hospital cost with Epworth hospitals.

Hospital cost: $10500 (variable)
GOOD: up to 3 nights hospital stay
GOOD: includes return to theatre if required
GOOD: $1000 refund if only stayed 1 night. No refund for 2 nights.

Extra cost for HDU $2315 per night; ICU $3400 per night (discounted from $4945). Risks for HDU or ICU admission are less than 1%.
Extra cost for Gastroscopy $285 if done at the same time with Sleeve.
Extra cost: pathology and radiology tests if requested.

No weight requirement by the hospital, but we would strongly recommend you consider private health insurance if your weight is over 180 kg.

Surgery cost: $8000 (fixed)
After Medicare rebate: approximately $7000

Inclusive of the total cost for surgeon, surgical assistant and anaesthetist.
We include the anaesthetist charge in our fee estimate to be transparent for all the potential costs.

Cost Breakdown for Gastric Bypass

With insurance

Most private health insurance plans require top level (GOLD) cover for bariatric surgery and 12 months waiting for new members.
Please check with your insurance provider first for your eligibility and your hospital excess fee.

Item numbers: Sleeve Gastrectomy – 31575; Gastric Bypass – 31572; Revision surgery – 31584
Gastroscopy is required before gastric bypass. There is no extra cost as part of preoperative workup.

Our gap: $6000
Anaesthetic gap: $1000
Total gap (out of pocket cost): $7000 — this is not claimable from Medicare or your private health insurance providers

Inclusion:

surgeon fee
assistant surgeon fee
anaesthetic fee
dietician, three sessions: 1 pre-op and 2 post-op
ongoing reviews can be free with a valid GP management plan
regular post-op reviews up to 1 year with Telehealth or 2 years with Face to Face

Additional costs:

excess fee for hospital admission (charged directly by the hospital; amount depends on your insurance plan)
pathology and radiology costs, subject to your insurance agreement with the service provider

Benefits for having a private health insurance

a lot cheaper than paying the surgery yourself. The out-of-pocket cost without insurance is around $22,000.
in the events of complications, such as bleeding or leak after the surgery, the cost can amount to a significant sum. The overall risk is small, about 1%, but the cost can easily be more than $10000 extra. With insurance, you will be covered. Without insurance, you will be liable for all the cost (some deductions may apply. Details please refer to the section for ‘without insurance’).
no extra charge for hiatus hernia repair if done together during sleeve gastrectomy
Without insurance
For gastric bypass, you can choose to have the surgery done at one of the private hospitals listed here. Each hospital has their own unique pricing structure. We will outline their strengths and variations for your consideration.

For your safety and completeness of patient care, you need to have Gastroscopy before the gastric bypass. We don’t charge extra for Gastroscopy however hospital fee will apply. It ranges from $480 to over $1000 with different hospitals.

We value the importance of ongoing support and reviews after your surgery. Therefore regardless of the hospital you choose, we offer the same level of dietitian and medical support, same as patients who have private health insurance.
dietician, three sessions, 1 pre-op and 2 post-op
ongoing reviews can be free with a valid GP management plan
regular post-op reviews up to 1 year with Telehealth or 2 years with Face to Face

Mulgrave Private Hospital (Mulgrave)

Total package cost for Gastric Bypass: $22000
After Medicare rebate: approximately $20400

Total package cost for Gastric Bypass with Hiatus Hernia Repair: $23200
After Medicare rebate: approximately $20800

Mulgrave offers “Self Pay” package, which has a FIXED PRICE and includes all the cost associated with the surgery.

Inclusive of:

fees for surgeon, assistant surgeon and the anaesthetist
theatre costs and hospital stay up to 2 nights
BEST: also covers any potential complications related to the surgery, ie unexpected ICU admission, return to theatre or prolonged hospital stay due to medical reasons. This is almost the same cover as people who have private health insurance.
inclusive of any pathology and radiology tests required as a result of the surgery

Weight requirement: less than 180 kg

Epworth Richmond Hospital (Richmond) and Epworth Eastern Hospital (Box Hill)

Epworth does not have a fixed price structure. They will issue you with a Fee Estimate before the surgery. The final amount is subject to several factors, such as length of hospital stay, equipments used during the procedure and any complications.

The price listed here provides you with a ‘rough idea’ of the average hospital cost with Epworth hospitals.

Hospital cost: $12000 (variable)
GOOD: up to 3 nights hospital stay
GOOD: includes return to theatre if required
GOOD: $1000 refund if only stayed 1 night. No refund for 2 nights.

Extra cost for HDU $2315 per night; ICU $3400 per night (discounted from $4945).
Risks for HDU or ICU admission are less than 1%.

Extra cost: pathology and radiology tests if requested.

No weight requirement by the hospital, but we would strongly recommend you consider private health insurance if your weight is over 180 kg.

Surgery and anaesthetic cost:

gastric bypass: $9550 (fixed); after Medicare rebate approximately: $8000
gastric bypass with hiatus hernia repair: $10550 (fixed); after Medicare rebate approximately: $8200

Inclusive of the total cost for surgeon, surgical assistant and anaesthetist.
We include the anaesthetist charge in our fee estimate to be transparent for all the potential costs.

Are you having health problems? Contact us today!

Epworth Eastern Hospital
Suite 62, Level 6, 1 Arnold Street, Box Hill, VIC 3128
Epworth Freemasons
Grey Street
Level 1, 124 Grey Street, East Melbourne, VIC 3002
Contact With Us
Mail Us: info@obesity.com.au
Call Us 24/7: (03) 9421-1166