Procedure Costs & Out-of-Pocket FAQ

Informed Financial Consent is a written document (surgical quote) provided to you prior to your surgery. It outlines all estimated fees associated with your procedure, including Dr Aliashkevich’s surgical fee, Private Health Insurance rebates, and any projected out-of-pocket expenses (the gap). You must read, sign, and return this document before your surgery can proceed.

The "gap" is the difference between the surgeon’s fee and the combined rebates paid by Medicare and your Private Health Insurance fund. The Commonwealth Medicare Benefit Schedule (MBS) rebates have not kept pace with the actual rising clinical and administrative costs of running a specialized neurosurgical practice. Therefore, a gap fee is charged to cover these specialized services.

No. The surgical quote covers Dr Aliashkevich’s fee only. You will receive separate, independent quotes and invoices from your specialist anaesthetist and the assistant surgeon who helps during the operation. We will provide you with their direct contact details so you can obtain their Informed Financial Consent beforehand.

Beyond the surgical and anaesthetic fees, separate costs may include: (1) Your Private Health Insurance hospital excess (payable directly to the hospital), (2) Diagnostic imaging (X-rays or scans performed during your admission), (3) In-hospital pharmacy prescriptions, and (4) Post-operative rehabilitation or equipment hire if required.

Yes. Dr Ales Aliashkevich holds public appointments at major teaching hospitals in Melbourne. If you choose to be treated as a public patient in the public health system, your surgery and hospital stay will be fully covered by Medicare with zero out-of-pocket costs. However, you will be placed on the standard public surgical waiting list, where waiting times are determined by clinical triaging urgency, and you may not be able to choose your exact operating surgeon.