Your general practitioner GP usually determines what medical treatment you need to manage your condition and symptoms. They will provide you with the appropriate medication, organise tests, refer you to allied healthcare e. If your GP decides you need to see a medical specialist for an opinion, you will have the option of being referred to a public or private medical specialist. In the public system, the GP will send a referral letter about your condition and treatment to the nearest hospital that has the resources to manage your condition.
The GP referral letter will be reviewed and assessed by the hospital. If the referral is accepted, you will be put on an outpatient wait list to see a specialist.
A specialist at the hospital will prioritise your need for a consultation and allocate you an outpatient urgency category. In Queensland, there are 3 outpatient urgency categories with recommended timeframes for consultation:. Wait times for initial outpatient appointments vary between hospitals. Ask the specialist outpatient clinic about their wait times. Once a specialist has seen you, they will have a better idea about your health and will determine if you will benefit from surgery.
The specialist may require you to have some additional tests before they make a final decision. Once the decision for surgery has been made, you will be allocated your elective surgery urgency category by your specialist. Elective surgery is planned surgery that can be booked in advance.
A medical specialist is a doctor who has completed advanced education and clinical training in a specialty area of medicine.
