Will ACC automatically cover my surgery if they covered my initial injury?

Not automatically. Even if ACC has accepted your initial injury, Dr Boyle needs to submit a separate application called an Assessment Report and Treatment Plan (ARTP) specifically to fund the surgery itself. This approval process can take between 10 days and several months depending on the complexity of your case.

Can I use private health insurance if ACC doesn't cover my condition?

Yes. If your condition isn't covered by ACC, private health insurance can be used to fund your surgery. You'll be provided with a cost estimate to forward to your insurer for approval, and your insurer may request supporting clinical documentation, which the clinic can provide.

What if I don't have ACC cover or private insurance?

You can choose to self-fund your surgery. Contact the office for a cost estimate, and a suitable surgery date can be arranged directly.

Do I need to stop smoking before surgery?

Yes. Smoking significantly increases the risk of anaesthetic and cardiovascular complications, impairs healing of tendon, bone, and skin, and raises the risk of infection and tendon repair failure. Patients are asked to quit smoking at least 2 weeks before surgery and avoid smoking for at least 3 months afterward. Dr Boyle may decline to operate on patients who continue to smoke due to the significantly elevated risk of complications.

What is "pre-habilitation" and will I need it?

Pre-habilitation is a period of physiotherapy undertaken before surgery to optimise your strength, range of motion, and swelling ahead of the operation, commonly used before ACL reconstruction, for example. Not everyone needs it, and Dr Boyle will advise if it's recommended for your specific procedure.

Before Your Surgery

Some injuries and conditions are best treated with surgery. Once you have made the decision to proceed with surgery, there are a number of additional steps.

Funding your surgery

ACC funding

Even if your injury has been covered by ACC, Dr. Boyle will need to complete an application to ACC to fund your surgery, called an Assessment Report and Treatment Plan (ARTP). The ARTP approval process can take between 10 days and several months, depending on the nature of the injury and whether ACC request any additional information. Once the ARTP has been approved, we will contact you to arrange a suitable date for your surgery. Please click here for more information on the ACC process.

Health insurance

If you have private health insurance, and your condition is not covered by ACC, you can use your private health insurance to fund your surgery. In this case, we will provide you with an estimate of your surgical expenses that you can then forward to your insurance company to obtain an approval for your surgery. In some cases, the insurance provider will also request copies of clinical documentation and referrals, which we can provide as required.

Self-funding

If you do not have private health insurance, and your surgery is not covered by ACC, you may chose to fund your surgery yourself. In this case, you can simply contact the office for an estimate of your surgical expenses and then find a suitable date for your surgery.

Paperwork and information pack

We will provide you with a special pre-operative information pack, that will include a health questionnaire and other forms that you will need to complete and send back to the hospital, in addition to instructions on when to stop eating and drinking before your surgery, what medications to stop and when to arrive at hospital.

Crutches or Braces

If you require crutches, a sling, or a brace, then these will usually be provided for you at the hospital on the day of surgery.

Anaesthetic review

If you have complex medical conditions, we may arrange for you to see a specialist physician (eg. cardiologist, respiratory specialist) or an anaesthetist in order to make sure you that you are safe for surgery. Occasionally, these doctors may arrange for additional medical investigations (eg. blood tests, echocardiogram, lung function testing) prior to your surgery, just to be safe.

Preparing yourself for surgery

Rehabilitation before your surgery

In order to get the best possible result after your surgery, it may be necessary to undergo a period of rehabilitation before your surgery, often called "pre-habilitation" (eg. patients undergoing ACL reconstruction often require a period of physiotherapy before their surgery, to regain their knee range of motion, control swelling, and improve strength pre-operatively.) We will advise you on this important process.

Smoking

Smoking elevates the risk of anaesthetic and cardiovascular complications, impairs the healing of tendon, bone and skin, and is associated with post-operative infection, tendon repair failure and inferior patient outcomes. It is very important that smokers quit smoking for at least 2 weeks before surgery and not start smoking for at least 3 months after surgery in order to reduce these risks as much as possible. Dr. Boyle may not be willing to operate on certain patients who continue to smoke, due to the unacceptably high risk of complications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not automatically. Even if ACC has accepted your initial injury, Dr Boyle needs to submit a separate application called an Assessment Report and Treatment Plan (ARTP) specifically to fund the surgery itself. This approval process can take between 10 days and several months depending on the complexity of your case.
Yes. If your condition isn't covered by ACC, private health insurance can be used to fund your surgery. You'll be provided with a cost estimate to forward to your insurer for approval, and your insurer may request supporting clinical documentation, which the clinic can provide.
You can choose to self-fund your surgery. Contact the office for a cost estimate, and a suitable surgery date can be arranged directly.
Yes. Smoking significantly increases the risk of anaesthetic and cardiovascular complications, impairs healing of tendon, bone, and skin, and raises the risk of infection and tendon repair failure. Patients are asked to quit smoking at least 2 weeks before surgery and avoid smoking for at least 3 months afterward. Dr Boyle may decline to operate on patients who continue to smoke due to the significantly elevated risk of complications.
Pre-habilitation is a period of physiotherapy undertaken before surgery to optimise your strength, range of motion, and swelling ahead of the operation — commonly used before ACL reconstruction, for example. Not everyone needs it, and Dr Boyle will advise if it's recommended for your specific procedure.