Urgent Elective Surgery for Plastic Surgery Patients – What are Surgery Procedure Categories?
During the COVID Crisis, Hospital resources are limited and scarce, so restrictions are placed on Elective Surgery. Decisions must be made about what is Urgent Elective Surgery.
What is Elective Surgery?
Elective surgery is surgery for which, in the opinion of the treating medical practitioner, admission can be delayed for at least 24 hours.
The timing of elective surgery is based on clinical need or urgency. Your surgeon will have assessed your clinical need and assigned an urgency category for your condition.
The Victorian system has three urgency categories. Each category has a desirable time for treatment.
Category 1: Urgent cases
- Treatment within 30 days is desirable for a condition that has the potential to deteriorate quickly to the point that it might become an emergency.
Category 2: Semi-urgent cases
- Treatment within 90 days is desirable for a condition that is causing pain, dysfunction or disability but which is not likely to deteriorate quickly or become an emergency.
Category 3: Non-urgent cases
- Treatment at some time in the future is acceptable for a condition causing minimal or no pain, dysfunction or disability that is very unlikely to deteriorate quickly and does not have the potential to become an emergency. Treatment within 12 months is used as a guide.
How am I scheduled for Elective Surgery?
When you are assessed by a surgeon as requiring surgery, you will be placed on a hospital-based elective surgery list. Elective surgery lists are not simple queues managed on a ‘first come – first served’ basis. Your surgeon or specialist will assess your condition according to the elective surgery categories and schedule you for surgery based on your medical needs.
You have a responsibility to attend all appointments that have been arranged for you. Failing to attend your scheduled surgery may impact the time it takes for the hospital to treat you.
Contact us to see if your surgery has an MBS Item Number or is classified as urgent.
What if I’m not ready for treatment?
Elective surgery patients are regularly reviewed to ensure they are ready and available to be admitted for surgery. As a patient, you may not be ready for elective surgery for a number of reasons.
For example, you may require additional medical treatment before you can have your surgery, or you may choose to delay your surgery for work or other reasons, such as unavailability of carer support.
It is important to note that there are limits that apply to the length of time you can be unavailable for surgery for personal reasons and still remain on the hospital’s list.
These are:
- 30 days for Category 1 patients
- 90 days for Category 2 patients
- 180 days for Category 3 patients
If you exceed the relevant limit the hospital will contact you to discuss your plan for surgery. If your circumstances change and you are once again available for surgery you should notify the hospital as soon as possible.
The hospital will inform you in writing of any changes in your care status and the reason for the change.
What if my condition gets worse?
If you feel your condition has changed you should contact your surgeon or GP for advice.
What happens if the hospital postpones my treatment?
Sometimes postponing elective surgery is unavoidable. This is because demand for emergency services is unpredictable and those patients who attend hospitals with life-threatening illnesses take priority over those requiring other surgery.
Does private health insurance affect my time until treatment?
Public hospitals treat both public and private patients and are required to treat patients according to clinical urgency. Private insurance or willingness to pay for your surgery will not reduce the time you wait for surgery in a public hospital. You may be asked to choose whether you would like to use your private insurance at a public hospital. Private insurance allows you to choose your surgeon but there may be some costs involved. You should contact your hospital if you need further information about using your private insurance at a public hospital.
Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Procedures without an item number are very restricted during the COVID Crisis
This means elective procedures deemed cosmetic or that can’t be claimed with an MBS item number are restricted.
- Only procedures with MBS item number are likely to be performed – Surgical procedures that do NOT have an associated MBS item number will NOT be performed
- No Combination surgeries – item number and non-item number procedures at the same time- are NOT likely to be performed
- Elective surgery has been reduced to limited activity – (based on theatre capacity, # patients, # hours or # procedures – depending on hospital administrator)
- This Applies to all Metropolitan Melbourne Hospitals and Day Surgeries currently
- Priority may also be based on Urgency as assessed by admitting surgeon or GP.
Is your Elective Surgery Procedure Urgent?
Priority Elective Surgery Categories
When a patient is assessed by a surgeon as requiring elective surgery, they are categorised as urgent based on 3 categories.
- Category 1: treatment required within 30 days or semi-urgent
- Category 2: treatment required within 90 days or non-urgent – condition causes pain or disability
- Category 3: treatment required within 12 months.
The different Australian State Governments, Surgeons and Hospital Administrators disagree over the exact category classifications of urgency during the Crisis.
Surgeons must make an assessment of what is URGENT – but may be subject to peer review or over-ruled by the Hospital or Health Department.
Common Plastic Surgery Procedures and their usual Urgency Category (selected from the pdf below)
- Malignant skin lesion – excision of +/- grafting – Category 1
- Breast prosthesis – removal of (for reasons other than cosmetic) – Category 2
- Trigger finger/thumb release – Category 2
- Breast reconstruction (for reasons other than cosmetic) Category 3
- Breast reduction (for reasons other than cosmetic) Category 3
- Cleft lip and palate – repair of – Category 3
- Dupytrens contracture release – Category 3
- Lipoma – excision of +/-grafting – Category 3
- Lymphangioma – surgery for – Category 3
- Rhinoplasty (for reasons other than cosmetic) – Category 3
- Skin lesions, non-malignant – excision of – Category 3
- Scar revision (for reasons other than cosmetic) – Category 3
National Elective Surgery Urgency Categorisation Guideline – April 2015 (PDF, 1 MB)
Urgent category 2 plastic surgery may also include procedures like removal of a breast implant for non-cosmetic reasons like a rupture
Our Coco Ruby Surgeons Operate in these Victorian Hospitals
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St Vincents Kew
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Ramsay Masada Balaclava and Ramsay Glenferrie Private
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St John of God Berwick
For more information about these Hospitals
Each hospital administration is assessing the availability of their theatre lists for plastic surgery based on Health Department criteria, supplies and impact of COVID in their location.
A list of the most popular procedures performed at Coco Ruby Plastic Surgery
ELECTIVE SURGERY WITHOUT MBS ITEM NUMBER (NOT Primary Reconstructive)
Medicare benefits are NOT payable for non-therapeutic cosmetic services.
- ALL – Purely Cosmetic Procedures (no MBS item number applies)
- ALL – Fat Transfer to Breast or Face and Liposuction
- ALL – Liposuction
- BODY – Cosmetic Abdominoplasty – where no Item number (e.g. post-pregnancy)
- BODY – Cosmetic Labioplasty – where no item number applies (e.g. < 8 cm)
- BREAST – Removal and Replacement of Implants – where no item number applies
- BREAST – Breast Augmentation – where it is just for aesthetic reasons (congenital deformation may have an MBS number)
- BREAST – Breast Augmentation and Mastopexy – Breast Augmentation with Implants
- BREAST – Cosmetic Breast lift Mastopexy – no item number applies
- BREAST – Removal of implants where no MBS item number applies
- BREAST – Removal and replacement of Implants for Size change only
- EYE – Upper or Lower Blepharoplasty – where no item number applies
- FACE – Cosmetic Facelift/Necklift
- NOSE – Cosmetic Rhinoplasty – where no item number applies
- NOSE – Cosmetic Septo-Rhinoplasty – where No item number applies
Plastic Surgery Procedures with an MBS Item Number
(NOTE – ALL the MBS Criteria must apply – see MBS Website below)
Item Number with a Summary of Procedure (see specific qualification details below)
- BREAST 45060 Breast Asymmetry or Tubular breast surgery
- BREAST 45520 Breast Reduction Surgery Unilateral
- BREAST 45523 Breast Reduction Surgery Bilateral (where strict MBS criteria apply)
- BREAST 45548 Removal of Breast Implant
- BREAST 45551 Breast Implant Removal with capsule
- BREAST 45553 Remove and Replace implants due to complication
- BREAST 45554 Remove and replace implants due to complication
- BREAST 45558 Breast lift Mastopexy with an item number
- BODY 30171 Lipectomy – a wedge of skin removal – arm lift, thigh lift
- BODY 30172 Lipectomy – multiple wedges of skin removal after Weight loss (Tummy Tuck)
- BODY 30177 Lipectomy, Post Weight loss Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
- BODY 30179 Circumferential lipectomy (Belt lipectomy) for massive weight loss
- BODY 30403 Hernia Repair surgery
- EYE 42866 Entropion or ectropion – Eyelid tightening
- EYE 45617 Upper eyelid surgery for obstruction/vision issues
- EYE 45623 Eyelid Lift for obstruction/vision issues
- EYE 45624 Upper eyelid lift for obstruction/vision issues
- LABIA 35534 Labioplasty or Vulvoplasty (> 8cm)
- NOSE 41671 Septoplasty or Septum surgery
- NOSE 41672 Nasal septum reconstruction
- NOSE 45641 Rhinoplasty for airway congestion
- NOSE 45644 Rhinoplasty for an obstructed airway
(NOTE – there are many other item numbers – these are the most popular procedures at our clinic)
Download our Guide to Medicare and Health Insurance for Plastic Surgery
How to Find other MBS Item Numbers for other Surgery Procedures
For other surgeries such as Skin Surgery, Cancer Surgery, Hand Surgery, Breast Reconstruction.
WEBSITE – Visit MBS Online
MOBILE APP – MBS Search for Apple or Android
Want More Information about MBS Item Numbers?
- Request more information – DOWNLOAD A GUIDE about the procedure or contact us
- Book a Complimentary Consultation with a Nurse
- Organise a phone call with Patient Coordinator (FREE) Click here.
- Attend our Regular Practice FREE Events and hear from our Team of Plastic Surgeons along with their top support team.
- Speak with a past patient that has had the procedure you want – call or contact us
