Choosing a hospital far from home/Private Health Cover - pls help!

We are thinking of trying for our second baby next year and I was just wondering if anyone had chosen to birth at a hospital far from home? We live over 100kms from Melbourne, however I?m really interested in getting private health cover and possibly trying a birthing centre, or otherwise perhaps a private hospital.

I?m new to private health cover and find it really confusing. If anyone could offer any tips I?d be so grateful. Have been on iselect but still don?t completely understand everything. Is there always a 12 month wait period before we would be covered? Would I be guaranteed a private room? Would I be out of pocket anything besides the monthly fee?

Particularly interested to hear from anyone who has birthed far from home, did it work out okay, was it a stress getting to the hospital once in labour, was it annoying being far from family for visiting etc etc.

My last birth was quite the ordeal and ended in a c-section and many room swaps at the hospital including a shared room and I just don?t feel I could cope with something like that again.

Thanks in advance.

It kind of depends on your reasons for going private, and the hospital you choose.
Private hospitals tend to have much higher c/s rates than public, so if thats one of the parts you want to avoid you will also need to research your OB really well.
You can still have room changes in private hospitals - my gf has changed rooms with her private hospital, in one case twice, in both pregnancies.

You should be guaranteed a private room though if you go private.

I cant help with the distance thing - how long was your labour with your first bub? If it was really short then Im not sure how far away I would travel.

Oh and for me, distance keepsing visitors away would be a bonus.

Ray ray - just a little note. Having private health in no way guarantees you a private room. All it allows you to do it choose your hospital and referring Ob.

Unfortunately a lot of peopl ego to private hospitals with the presumpsion that they ARE entittled a private room. From working in private hospitals over the past 5 years i have had to deal with a lot of upset and angry patients that has this assumation!

If a public patient was there first and had a higher need (difficult birth etc) then you may be stuck in a double or quad room. Unfortunately that is just the way it is.

As for choosing a hospital. I was 1300km and had to choose a hospital in brisbane. I have private health but choose the public system for both my children. We had to go to the nearest hospital to where we would be living so didnt have much of a choice (not that it mattered in the end as DS was born in our bedroom! lol)..

Hi Emma
I am due to have my baby in Jan 2009. We live in a small country town but have opted to go for a private hospital 2 1/2 hours away.I have been travelling to see my OB and don't really have an issue with that. Although you can do what is called 'shared care' with your OB and a local GP to cut down on travel.I usually have 14 hour labours so I am not concerned about having the baby by the side of the road. If my labour was quicker, there are plenty of smaller hospitals en route that we could stop at.
I spoke to a midwife at our local Hospital and she said if I went into labour I could call an ambulance and they would take me to the Private Hospital. This is probably because I have to have a ceasar for medical reasons. I don't know if they would do this if it was an ordinary delivery.
I really like to idea of being away from "friends" after the birth as I was very tired with my first two and just wanted to be left alone to sleep.Most hospitals will let your partner room in with you if you are concerned about travel. Don't know if this would apply to kids as well, you may have to check.
I had private rooms both times in our local public hospital as there weren't many people there at the time. If you are in a bigger public hospital that is very busy you can go in as a 'paying patient' if you have private cover. This does not mean that you have to pay for anything, just that they will get a rebate from your insurance company. Usually if you do this you will get prefference for any available private rooms.A friend of mine without insurance went in to a large public hospital; as a public patient and was put in a shared room with a creepy druggie type, so if you go public you may need to be prepared to share a room with someone undesirable.She said it was so awful that she went home the next day.You will get a private room in a private Hospital as long as one is available. In any case if you do have to share you are unlikely to get a creepy druggie type as they usually don't have private health insurance.(sorry I don't mean to sound horrible about this, but it's just the way it is.)
As for you health fund, it depends what level of cover you have. If you call them and explain the situation they will be able to tell you what out of pocket expenses you may incur.
Hope it goes well for you
Kind regards
Lisa B.

Thank you for your replies so far?. My main reason for wanting to go private is to try to get a private room, and I am hoping for nicer facilities and the option of a bath to labour in etc etc? I hope I don?t sound like a snob?

Here?s my predicament? the public hospital I birthed at last time which is half an hour away has private rooms for vag births, you actually give birth in the room that you stay in, the rooms are lovely and big, however if you have a Caesar, you stay in a different kind of room that is shared with another person? last time I had a very long labour and ended up in a shared room because I had a Caesar? I wasn?t coping well and kicked up a fuss and ended up getting one of the big lovely rooms to myself?

The overall feeling afterwards from myself and family was that the hospital was negligent in my care and the way things turned out, letting me labour for so long etc etc etc, but however I now feel that had I not been so scared, and had I been better prepared and not chosen an epidural, remained active etc etc, then things would have been different?

I?d be reasonably happy to go to the hospital again next time (although my family would be horrified as I nearly lodged a formal complaint) ? I do plan on doing hypnobirthing or calm birthing, and I feel like mentally I am so much better prepared already and better informed, and funnily enough less scared?

I suppose if my only reason for going private is to get my own room, and there is no guarantee of that, I guess its probably a waste of money as it might not end up the way I?m hoping?

Another hospital close by has a phenomenally low c-section rate, however I?m pretty sure I?d have to share a room? I?m just not up for that? I wish I could be more relaxed about it but I?m not. I haven?t actually viewed the maternity ward so maybe I?d better do that first before I rule it out.

Sorry its been such a long post. Is there anyone else out there who is hell bent on not sharing a room?

I think it depends on your hospital as to whether you get a private room or not. I'm booked into the private hospital in Berwick (I noticed you'e in Gippsland - Berwick might not be too far for you) and they ONLY have private rooms. So you are guaranteed a room on your own.

Half of the rooms have double beds, and hubbies can stay there if they want to for no extra cost (unless he wants meals provided). The other half are for caesar patients or used if the doubles are full, and only ahve single beds. But they are still private rooms.

The birthing suites have ensuites with smallish baths too, but they don't let you birth in the bath.

oh my god i didn't know there was a hospital at berwick?!!!! with only private rooms!!! this is really appealing to me, especially as it is a lovely distance, not too far from home, and just far enough for visitors not to be able to drop in non stop...

what is the name of it?

thank you thank you thank you

anyone know if there is always a 12 month wait for maternity with health cover?

Emma have you considered a homesbirth instead?
For the amount you would pay on a 12 month waiting period for PHI, then another 10 months for pregnancy, plus any oustanding costs (which I am unsure of, but I know each little thing (epidural, peth, c/sec) tends to cost more) - that medicare may cover part of but that still leaves you out of pocket.

I guess PHI is probably not as much as a homebirth, but for being in the comfort of your own home, guaranteed continutity of care etc...?
Might be worth considering.

oh cr@p...
i was thinking that the 12 month waiting period would be from the time i start PHI to the time i give birth... do i need to be covered for 12 months BEFORE getting pregnant??? if that is the case then its probably out of the question as i think i want to get pregnant in the first half of next year... all going well.

i'm not sure about a homebirth.... if i've had a c-section previously does that mean a homebirth is less, hmmmm, ideal? because of how badly my labour went last time, the thought of being at home scares me a bit, as its a good half hour to the hospital, if anything was to go wrong...

i also like the idea of being away from life for a few days while i recover, without having to think about cooking, cleaning, everyday things... and to have a few days selfishly with my newborn, without my first child and without my partner at night.... god does that make me sound awful!!!

does anyone know a ball park figure of how much it would cost to go private without the insurance?

Emma - are you weighing up T'gon v W'gul hospitals? from what i've heard W'gul have a much higher level of care.

i would check with your PHI about coverage. Most obstetric coverage only has a 9 month waiting limit - so essentially you have to be covered before falling pg. i'm about to call my PHI as i look to have to have shared GP/Ob care and want to know what it's going to sting me for the Ob side of things! i have medium (i think) hospital cover so i'll have some out of pocket, but not sure how much

Hi Emma,

our PHI had a 12 month waiting period and yeah, this was before you were pg...really shoddy really!

some private hospitals here in melbourne have 'priority' rooms for out of town patients. i think it is the freemasons that has the family rooms for regional visitors (ie DH can stay with you)....maybe worth checking out hossy policy for regional visitors...

Best of luck!

yes refering to Tgon and Wgul, I have previously been to Tgon, and know Wgul would be better, but not keen on sharing... did prefer facilities at Tgon but that can't be a good enough reason to go there again...

very interesting re: regional family rooms!! will look into.

i've just spoken to PHI - and they don't cover much in terms of Ob fees - if they sock you more than medicare scheduled fees, you wear the costs.

we thought about travelling further, but prefer to be semi-local as DH will come home daily and care for the menagerie - so even though t'gon is "newer" and has the birthing suites, we've opted (at this point) for w'gul. it's about 65k's from here, and scares me if we have a quick labour - which is why i don't think i'd be brave enough to choose any of the more "metro" hospitals.

i understand about the shared room thing - but i don't think i could travel twice as far for a single room

have you thought about scoping out Sale? not sure if they have private birthing suites up there...

hmmm i actually think i need to get over myself and just go to Wgul and cope with a shared room... i mean its only a few days out of my life....

lots of PHI have 12 month waiting for OBS.
Latrobe i think have a 9 month waiting period and one or 2 others.
This should go on your EDD, not when you give birth, so get it in writing from the insurer.

that's my thinking hun - feral room mate or not - it's a limited amount of time, i'll have DH with me most of the time - visitors harrassing me the rest - it's not going to be a big drama!

DH just said his bosses wife went to sale and she was impressed with it. we've had all our IVF treatment there and it's a nice hospy - but haven't been in mat ward...

i'm very much like you though - t'gon is just not high on my list of places to go - it's not got a great rep - even if it is "nicer"...

i've heard that about Tgon too, and my experience there wasn't that great, pretty bad actually, but not sure if my perception is accurate...

i actually work for Wgul hospital, but not at the hospital, at another facility... i really need to pop in and look at the maternity ward but need to wait until i am at least pregnant otherwise they will think i am nuts!! Wgul def has a great rep, i only hear good things.

Hi Emma
I can understand the need for a private room. I would go totally nuts having to share with someone.Because I am having a ceasar I will be in for longer than I would like to and the thought of sharing a room is just way too much for me to bear. Fortuneatly for me (I guess) I have a medical condition which necessitates that I have a private room.

If you have a special need for a private room then most hospitals will rearrange the other patients so you can have one. They also do this for patients who are contagious or have had a still birth. I had this done once before when I had to go in for surgery.

You said you were very stressed about sharing last time, was it bad enough to be considered a panic attack or extreme anxiety disorder.The last thing they want is for a patient to have a total meltdown. I'm not suggesting you bung anything on that is not genuine, but if you have a genuine nervous complaint you could get your Dr. to request a private room on medical grounds.
Just a thought
Kind Regards
LisaB.

lisa thanks for enlightening me on that.... yes i would definitely say that it brought on a panic-situation and i did completely freak out and melt down when i was put in a shared room, so much so that i called my partner in tears at 7am the day after having a c-section asking him to pick me up and take me home.... the nurse manager came to see me and i just bawled hysterically like an idiot the whole time and said there is no way i can share a room and i want to go home, in the end they moved things around and i got my own room.... TBH i think i had post traumatic stress from the birth and took well over 8 months to recover emotionally, but i didn't know it at the time...

i suppose i could go see my doctor beforehand and explain all my anxieties with getting pregnant again in relation to the birth and see what becomes of it...

i'm not even at the stage of TTC but i'm already looking for solutions to the shared room thing, so i suppose it is causing me more anxiety than it might others...

hmmmm i wish i could relax more!!

Hi Emma
I'm glad the info may be of help to you.If it took you that long to recover it sounds like you had some major issues going on, best to try to avoid that again if possible.
When I went to book in to the hospital I spoke to the head of Maternity and told her my Dr. had requested I have a private room and the reasons for it. She wrote out instructions for the nursing staff that are to be placed in the front of my chart. So as soon as they open my chart they will see "must have single room due to medical reasons".
I also plan on ringing the hospital the day before my ceasar and make sure that they have made the appropriate arrangements. At least that way I can go in with a calm mind.
Even if the hospital does mess things up on the day, if you have your Dr's support you can confidently tell them that he or she has requested a single room for medical reasons (no need to go into detail if you don't want to) that way they are pretty much under obligation to rearrange the rooming situation for you.If your Dr. won't be present for the delivery you could ask for a letter to take with you just in case.
There is a big difference between those who just want a single room because it's nicer and those who have a genuine emotional or physical need. I think most nursing staff would be accommodating if they realise your reasons are genuine. Could you imagine the backlash that could occur if they put someone with a severe emotional disorder into a situation that was only going to aggravate it! I don't think anyone would want to do that to a new mum anyway.
Hope you can work out the health fund thing.
Kind Regards
Lisa B.

Sorry Emma, I only just looked in here again. The hosp in Berwick is called St John of God. It's been there for years (lots of my friends were born there) but has been renovated in the past 2 years. Like I said, only private rooms on the maternity ward!

As for health insurance, I'm with NIB and they have a 12 month waiting period from the date you take out the insurance to your EDD. I took out my insurance on 8 Dec 07, which means if bubs was due before 8 Dec 08, I wouldn't have been covered. However, with bubs due in Jan 09, I am covered no matter what - even if bubs is born before 8 Dec 08. Hope that made sense!

Good luck with the decision making.

Hi Emma,

I work in a private hosp in post natal in Melb. We have mostly private rooms with a couple of shared rooms. The shared rooms are used only if the private are all full and if you are in a shared room the liklihood is that it would be for less than 24 hours as the realisation is that as a private pt u expect a private room.

Also I recently was a doula for a couple from interstate who had a bad first experience and so decided to come to Melb a few weeks before bub was due and stayed with family. We were in contact by phone and email prior to them coming down and then met up when they got here. The birth was fantastic, OB and middies were wonderful, it was brilliant to be involved in it all. If you would like further info PM me and I will pass it on to you.

Cheers
Clare

Someone I know of had a bad experience at St John of God Berwick recently. She discharged herself early because of it. She chose not to breastfeed (it was her second and she had her reasons for it) and once she told the midwives that they basically ignored her. There weren't good facilities for bottle preparation either. It was easier for her to just go home. Just thought I'd mention it in case you are thinking of going there & are not intending to BF.

As others have said, some private hospitals have all private rooms, others don't. I gave birth publicly and had a shared room for the first 3 days & it actually gave me entertainment when I was bored - I could hear everything that went on behind the curtain. I think it's not such a bad experience to share a room when you are feeling well, particularly if your bub is not in the room with you like if they are in SCU. You somehow don't feel quite so alone as what you do in a private room. I had a private room for my final 2 days and actually preferred the shared room as I did not feel isolated once the visitors had gone home.

Aren't you worried about such a long car trip in labour? There's no way known I'd go any further than my local hossy if I had to do it again. That ten minute drive was agony.

Hi.....
i dont know a whole lot about the private insurance thing BUT i do know with medibank private they will cover you if you fall preggas in the 12month wait as long as ur bub is due after your 12 month waiting period is up....
we started our policy in jan this year and tey told me so lond as i was due after jan09 i would be covered.....
might not be the same with all companies....
i am looking at going to northpark private in bundoora which is prob about 2hrs from u and they are all private rooms.....
hope ive helped a little!!!
sam:p