Why choose private Obstetric care?

Private care ensures you have your own private obstetrician to attend the delivery. Dr Allen delivers 97% of his own patients. This means that Dr Allen is there with you while you are giving birth and you already have established a rapport and relationship with him. He will be familiar with your background, all your medical history, your partner and will understand any concerns you may have about the birth. As your obstetrician he has already known you for at least six months, he knows your health and that of your baby, has overseen your pregnancy, and is aware of any preferences you may have if decisions need to be made.

Other benefits of private care include the security of your own private room with ensuite, great food and a longer and more relaxed stay with more one on one time and care. You are also welcome to have your partner stay with you.

Most patients love the personalised one on one care, not just during the delivery but in the postnatal period. The support from Dr Allen and the experienced midwives for the 3 – 5 days after your birth is so important to helping your recovery from the birth and in your learning of how to mother your newborn. Sadly often the public hospital only allows stays of 24 hours.

A private obstetrician takes ownership of their patient’s problems and is someone always available for the patient to turn to, in this most important and exciting time in their life.

The public system has many excellent staff, both midwives and doctors; though some of the junior doctors in training have limited experience. However you as a patient have little control over the entire process, and no personalised care (you can see several different doctors and midwives throughout the pregnancy and even throughout the birth) – private obstetricians don’t have shift changes!!! After hours you can have relatively inexperienced doctors involved with complicated instrument delivery, caesareans or even repairing episiotomies – and we all know babies don’t like to arrive 9-5.

Dr Allen specialises in low and high risk pregnancies to ensure the dream of taking home a healthy baby is fulfilled even in the most challenging of pregnancies.

As the father of five children, Dr Allen knows what it’s like to be an anxious parent-to-be. He also knows what it’s like to provide the utmost care and safety to women who are starting or expanding their families.

Dr Allen is supportive of your birthing choices. He will listen to your requests and concerns, and then will formulate a plan with you to ensure the best possible outcome for you and your baby – be that vaginal birth, elective Caesarean or VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Caesarean).

Dr Allen has extensive experience and can offer the following obstetric services:

Pre-pregnancy assessment and counselling
Recurrent miscarriage
Early pregnancy genetic counselling
Pregnancy management, antenatal care and confinement
Low risk pregnancy with the expectation of normal uncomplicated birth
Pregnancy beyond 35 years of age
High risk multiple pregnancy care
Pregnancy complicated with high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia), or diabetes
Women with pre-existing medical problems such as thyroid disease, auto-immune disorders, kidney disease, cardiac disease

what you need

Dr Allen is particularly thorough and likes to see you from about 8 weeks or earlier if you have any special medical issues.

Referral letter from your GP. If your doctor has sent this referral to us prior to your appointment, please call us on (07) 2111 0888 to ensure we have received it.

Please bring along any results or reports you may have, including x-ray and ultrasound scans relevant to your pregnancy or general health.

Please download and complete the new patient information form by clicking on the above icon and bring it with to your first appointment. Please try and arrive 10 minutes early for your first appointment so that we can complete any necessary paperwork.

initial consultation

This initial consultation will take approximately forty-five minutes.

During this time, Dr Allen will conduct a physical examination and perform an ultrasound of your baby. Dr Allen will scan your baby at every antenatal appointment.

You are referred to expert specialists for your Nuchal Translucency Screening Test (12 weeks) & Morphology Ultrasound (19 weeks).

There is plenty of opportunity at this first appointment to have your questions answered and raise any concerns you may have. Your partner or support person is welcome to attend any visit. New grandparents-to-be are often particularly thrilled to witness the new technological images now available.

This consultation will cost $360 with approximately $80 rebate from Medicare.

subsequent visits

Subsequent visits are approximately 15 minutes. These visits will be scheduled as follows:

Monthly up to 28 weeks
Fortnightly up to 36 weeks
Weekly until delivery

cancellations

Please give at least 24 hours’ notice if cancelling or changing an appointment.

While we always aim to run on time, sometimes emergencies can push appointments back a little. Babies don’t always arrive conveniently!
We appreciate your patience.

All visits will be with Dr Rod and not a midwifer. The subsequent appointments cost $120 with about $40 rebate from Medicare.

Pregnancy Management fee (PMF)

The PMF with Dr. Rod is $3000, which covers his overall responsibility for your pregnancy and coordination with other doctors and specialists all the way up to delivery. Medicare will provide a refund of approximately $600.

This fee is payable at the 28-week mark of your pregnancy.

APPROX. 8 WEEKS

initial
visit

12 WEEKS

Nuchal Translucency
Screening Test with
expert specialist

19 WEEKS

Morphology Ultrasound
with expert specialist

UP TO 28 WEEKS

monthly
visits

UP TO 36 WEEKS

fortnightly
visits

UP TO DELIVERY

weekly
visits

Dr Rod is committed to supporting your mental health during your pregnancy and after delivery.

As such, there will be times when he asks you to complete surveys to monitor your mental health throughout your pregnancy. Please be assured these will be kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone including your partner, without your express permission.

email us your enquiry.

Thank you! Your submission has been received and we will get in touch shortly!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Here are some commonly asked questions answered.

Are my medical records kept private and confidential? Your medical file is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy. Our staff are bound by strict confidentiality requirements as a condition of their employment. Dr Allen abides strictly by the Privacy Act.
Do I need a referral from my GP before my appointment with Dr Allen? Yes.
What should I expect during my first visit? The best and only way to find out which treatment is right for you, is to consult Dr. Allen who will listen to your needs, examine you and provide you with expert advice. He will also tell you what you need to know about the treatment you are interested in, or recommend another to meet your needs and goals.
What fees can I expect to be charged? Information on our current fee structure is available from our office. We are not a Bulk Billing practice and therefore require payment at the time of consultation. All visits to the rooms are deemed “out-patient” services and are therefore partially refundable under Medicare. These rebates vary according to your position re the Medicare Safety Net threshold.
Will my health fund cover the fees? Dr Allen participates in the “No Gap” scheme with most private health funds. Please check your eligibility for Obstetric services for delivery at a private hospital and that you have “No Gap” cover. If you do, Dr Allen will bill your health fund directly for all in-hospital Obstetric services.
What are your acceptable means of payment? You can pay via EFTPOS, Bank cheques, personal cheques, cash or credit cards (MasterCard, VISA or Amex).

obstetrics

Why choose private Obstetric care?

Our Obstetric services.