It is the policy of Ocean Surgical to provide the client with as much information as possible about the surgical condition and procedure for which you have been referred or recommended. 

Your first appointment with us is substantially to discuss your proposed procedure, and to obtain an informed-consent for treatment from you.

People who are over the age of 16, who do not have cognitive neurological or acute psychiatric conditions, and who can understand english are normally able to provide their own consent for medical treatment, & without the need for accompanying persons.

If you do not feel that you have a sufficient command of english, then you are required to provide your own interpreter during your consultation.

If you are under the age of 16, then you must bring your legal parent, or court appointed guardian to your consultation.

If the doctor feels that you are not able to make an informed consent decision, then the surgeon may advise that you seek a person who can act on your behalf as a person responsible for you.

Ocean Surgical recommends that all people bring a person along with them & who may also share the consultation experience. We welcome support persons who can help you interpret any of the (sometimes complex) health care information provided to you. We particularly welcome parents, spouses or adult children.

Your providing informed-consent relies heavily upon your acceptance of both the nature of your condition, and the treatment options available to you for correction of your condition.

In addition, you are also seeking the clearest, simplest, and most cost-effective treatment pathway that a surgical specialist can provide in managing your condition.

Most people of course also require an estimate of surgical costs. Such estimates are provided in one of two ways, either as...

1. An overall, and broadly based treatment proposal, with a rough guide as to costs, or
2. A defined treatment estimation, with itemisations, treatment break downs, and formal treatment planning, on background of estimations as to approximate rebate and insurance costs.

The first option is simple to provide, and usually takes the form of a template letter, which you can take home and read in your own time. It usually acts as a precursor to a second review appointment, where a more complete treatment cost estimation is provided (the second review appointment is usually bulk-billed).

The second option is a complex secretarial procedure, and in effect acts as a legal document, defining exactly your anticipated surgical process, with formal itemisation, and reasonably accurate predictions as to rebates and final out-of-pocket costs.

As surgical estimations are so complex, and in effect a legal document of record, the clinic can only provide itemised estimations on the basis that the client provides a legally informed-consent.

For relatively simple procedures (such as tooth extractions, or jaw fracture treatments), most people will accept that they understand the nature of the procedure at their initial consultation. It is reasonable that such people readily submit to providing informed consent... And prior to immediately obtaining a formal cost estimation of the procedure.

For more complex procedures (such as bone grafting, general jaw or facial reconstruction, or implant replacement of teeth), patients may elect instead for a general proposal of treatment, without necessarily providing informed-consent until they are more fully informed (through home reading, or by accessing this web-site).

In such circumstances, the practice will normally offer a bulk-billed review appointment where informed consent can be provided, and the practice has the opportunity to provide a more comprehensive treatment-cost estimate.

It should be noted that providing informed consent against a stated procedure (or series of procedures) does not commit or oblige the patient to have such treatment. Informed-consent does not "sign your life away".

The practice will offer you as many appointments as you require (and all of which are bulk-billed... within reason) until you feel that you have obtained full information and understanding of your condition and your treatment options, and of the full ramifications of the treatment proposed by the surgeon.

The only obligation for treatment comes when the client has booked a surgical treatment appointment, and has paid a 20% deposit (against the treatment cost estimate) for treatment to commence.

If you have previously provided an informed consent, but it is greater than 3 months old, then your surgeon usually requires that you re-attend for a repeat informed-consent procedure. This review appointment is again usually bulk-billed, and is aimed at ensuring that you retain knowledge and understanding of the treatment previously advised, and that such treatment remains relevant to resolution of your condition.