NIB Clinical Partners
NIB have partnered with surgeons to offer a No Gap Surgery program for Hip and Knee Joint Replacements.
NIB Frequently Asked Questions
Recover From Home
Another benefit of the program is that if your surgeon thinks you’re a suitable candidate, you may be able to recover from surgery in the comfort of your own home with a physiotherapist coming to you.
Kim from NSW explains:
“I do not think I would be this far ahead without the Clinical Partners program. I have absolutely loved having my physio at home, who has been so encouraging. The Clinical Partners program is the way to go.”
One study suggests that patients who go home after uncomplicated knee replacement surgery do just as well as those who have in-patient rehabilitation. And, with at-home recovery, meaning you have access to your own fridge, bathroom and wifi (#priorities), it’s well worth considering.
This program can help you:
Leave hospital earlier and set up your home environment ready for your recovery
Learn pain management techniques and understand how to care for your joints after surgery
Build joint strength and mobility under the guidance of a highly-skilled physiotherapist
Kim says, “Staying in hospital for two weeks was not an option for me. I wanted to return to my home where I feel I have recovered better than I ever would in hospital”.
Is the program right for me?
Through the Clinical Partners program, you’ll also be supported by a dedicated Health Facilitation Specialist, who’ll ensure you’re prepared for surgery, will help set up for your recovery and call to check in on your progress after you’ve returned home from hospital.
“The support I received from Honeysuckle Health was second to none. I am back three weeks post-op on my feet and doing the things I once enjoyed again. Thank you for all of your hard work and support,” explains Kenneth.
Need more info?
To bring you these programs, we’ve partnered with Honeysuckle Health. Honeysuckle Health specialises in developing health programs to create better pathways to better health by understanding an individual’s current and future health needs, helping them to prevent and manage disease risk and make better treatment decisions. To check you’re covered and learn more, contact one of our Health Facilitation Specialists about nib Clinical Partners on 1800 312 892 (9am to 5pm Monday to Friday) or email clinical.partners@honeysucklehealth.com.au.
What is Clinical Partners?
It’s our network of experienced orthopaedic surgeons in NSW and Queensland, who have committed to performing hip and knee joint replacement surgery with no out of pocket expenses.
Providing your health cover includes joint replacement surgery, and you’ve served any necessary waiting periods, we’ll cover the full cost of your hospital procedure. With total hip or knee replacements costing on average more than $25,000, you can rest assured that you’ll have nothing but your hospital excess to pay – nib will cover the remainder.
With 20% of joint replacement surgeries already going through our Clinical Partners program, this is just one of the many ways we’re helping to improve affordability and information transparency for our members.
Why Is This Important?
Specialists can decide to charge more than what the Medical Services Advisory Committee has deemed an ‘appropriate fee’ in the Medicare Benefits Schedule (or MBS), which is set by the Government.
Your surgeon can determine their fees on a case-by-case basis and for a number of reasons, including their geographic location, reputation or individual patient circumstances – they can essentially charge what they believe their service is worth.
Our Clinical Partners program means participating specialists have committed to charging no out of pocket expenses for nib members, no matter the circumstances of your hip or knee replacement. To date, more than 1,400 members have participated in the program saving an average of $2,500 in out of pocket costs per procedure.
Not having to stress about out of pocket costs was a drawcard for Lyn, who’s had two procedures using the Clinical Partners program.
”The rehab in the comfort of my own home and, not to mention the financial aspect, has been a huge weight off our shoulders.”
You shouldn’t see any bills for your procedure, but if you do, get in touch with your Honeysuckle Health Facilitation Specialist, and they can help. To find out more about Honeysuckle Health, please see below.
- Which hospitals and surgeons are participating?
Currently, the program is available at participating hospitals for NIB members undergoing a joint replacement.
Hurstville Private Hospital
- Dr Hamish Rae
- Dr Razvan Stoita
- Dr Ben Schwarz
Shellharbour Private Hospital
- Dr Ben Schwarz
