"Surgery billing and process"

I had the misfortune of injuring my hand and requiring surgery at the Sydney Hand Hospital. All day the staff were helpful and kind. The nurses and clerks were wonderful. I have applied for permanent residency and medicare, however did not yet have my medicare details as my enrolment was still being processed. As such, I made sure to notify all staff early in the day multiple times and highlight that I understood I may need to pay for the procedure out of pocket and sort out my medicare at a later time. I was assured by staff and the patient liaison responsible for billing that this was okay. I even went as far as to fill out my card details and consent to being billed directly if that was the best way.

I waited patiently in the day surgery bay for 9 hours and was finally called in. I changed into a gown and was taken up to pre op where they did my full handover, asked me questions, and said I was all good to go. I was literally moments from entering theatre when all of a sudden I was told the surgeons would not operate unless I paid now. I was then told it was the anaesthetist that did not want to do it as they knew I was a nurse and didn't want me to have to pay large bill...despite me notifying all parties that this was fine with me. I was then told that it was the hospital that wouldn't allow it, making it clear that it seemed no one was willing to take responsibility for this error.

I was sitting in the pre op bay naked except for a thin white patient gown, alone, and crying while everyone seemed to point the finger at someone else.

The patient liaison called me and said that I would need to go and walk through the hospital to the emergency department (as the billing office was closed) and pay for the procedure now. Very upset but only wanting to get this day over with I agreed to be apparently paraded through the hospital practically naked and crying, making me feel like a worthless object. I paid for my procedure and was taken back to day surgery where I was then told that operation would not happen because it was now too late in the day/my spot was given to someone else.

I do not understand why this happened, especially when I had provided my card details and consented to being billed. All I wanted was my painful laceration to be fixed as it had already been three days since the accident. The nurses were amazing and always kind, even pushing me to make a complaint as this was something they had never seen before. As a nurse myself I felt like I was being punished for others incompetence. not once did the surgeon or anaesthetist come and speak to me and ask if I was okay. If it was them refusing to proceed for fear of billing me I could have swiftly put that to rest by stating that yes, I am fine with a bill. Instead, I believe I was marched out like I didn't matter. I was humiliated, stressed, in pain, and in the end still didn't even get my surgery that day. I felt I was essentially told that due to my unique circumstances of still awaiting my medicare card details that the ‘system’ failed me, when in fact I believe it was the individuals that decided to seemingly hold their interests above mine that was the real failure.

I've received no follow up from patient liaison or updates regarding the refund I believe I am owed as I was able to get my Medicare enrolment expedited the next day for the surgery and billed publicly. In future I feel I will simply never trust that this hospital or this system care about my well being.