FAQ's
No.
We have a dedicated paediatric allergist who see's only children but we also have two other doctors who can see adults. Between our three doctors there is extensive experience in managing allergies, allergic disease and dietary intolerances in all age groups. Please note a referral from your doctor is required for all patients. Allergic diseases run in families so it is recommended you get a referral for each family member who has a problem with allergic symptoms. Please notify the receptionist when making an appointment so an appropriate time can be allocated.
Yes.
No referral, no appointment.
A referral from another specialist will need to be renewed 3 months after the first appointment.
A doctor referral is valid for a Medicare rebate for 12 months from the issuing date.
Re: existing patient
Unfortunately our small clinic has limited resources and we do not have a separate phone line for doctors. If your query is urgent and related to our existing patient we will endeavor to put your phone call through to the doctors straight away. We ask for your understanding and patience, as we will most likely have to interrupt a patient consultation to do this. Please advise our administration if a message can be taken instead.
Re: new patient
If your query is relating to a new patient, we recommend that you ask the patient to ring to book an appointment. Your referral can then be sent through to be assessed. All referrals sent to us with appointment booked will be assessed and cancellation appointments offered as per priority and urgency. Urgent and high priority is given to patients as follows: patients with severe (anaphylaxis) allergic reaction, babies (especially those with suspected food reactions and any growth problem), and patients with severe eczema.
DIAL 000 FOR AN AMBULANCE
If you have been discharged from a hospital with a referral letter to see an allergist, ring us on 07 5591 5744 to make an appointment. We will book an appointment time and advise you also to go see your usual doctor / general practitioner. This is because hospital emergency department referral is not eligible as a referral, and it will be easier for you to follow up the outcome with your usual doctor / general practitioner after the consultation.
Very important: do mention that you have been to the hospital and that you have been given a discharge letter / hospital referral as this when sent to us will give you an urgent priority and we can offer you the first available appointment.
Keeping up with the treatment schedule is your responsibility. As per the instructions from your specialist, monthly injections can be given 3 - 6 weekly. You need to order the next vial when you have started the 3rd vial. Orders take 10 weeks for the vial to be ordered from Canada. To place an order please see our online store.
If you are on top dose of 0.5mls a month, and have missed between 6 - 14 weeks,
a dose adjustment is required. Your doctor has instructions on what schedule to follow.
If you have missed more than 14 weeks of injections we ask that you ring Queensland Allergy Services to arrange an appointment with Professor Smith to catch up with the treatment. You may be given first available appointment time if you have injection solution left and can bring that to appointment. If a new vial is to be ordered we will estimate a time when it would arrive to our clinic / your doctor.
Our telephone operating hours are from Monday to Thursday, from 8am until 4pm and Friday 8am-12pm. During this time we experience a high volume of calls. Our friendly administration staff is also attending to patients here at the clinic. At times our lines are simply blocked due to lengthy phone calls. Please be patient and if you are unable to hold, ring back at a later time. We also recommend that you search our website for possible answers to your query to free up phones for urgent patient bookings and doctor enquiries.
No - appointments are not bulk billed because we are a private clinic and both doctors here are specialists.
Consultation payment will be taken in full directly after you have seen the doctor, Medicare rebates only apply if your referral is valid on the day.
No.
Two devices can be prescribed at the subsidised rate for all age groups if they have a recognised risk of anaphylaxis.
To qualify for the PBS subsidy for the auto-injector (EpiPen®/AnaPen®), the initial prescription requires an authority:
• After being assessed by, or in consultation with, an allergy specialist, immunologist, respiratory physician or paediatrician.
• After discharge from hospital or ED following treatment for an allergic reaction with anaphylaxis.
For further prescriptions, where the patient has previously been issued with an authority prescription for this drug according to the above criteria and the previous supply has been used or expired, any doctor can issue further authority PBS-subsidised prescriptions so there is a supply available in the event of an anaphylaxis. The auto-injector should always be provided with advice about when and how to use the device and a written emergency action plan.
Adrenaline Autoinjectors (260 KB)
For further information see the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy website at www.allergy.org.au
You need to have a referral from your doctor to see our specialists and your referring doctor will then be receiving the consultation letter from our doctors.
In this letter our doctors will give their specialist opinion and management plan for your allergies.
You are then to follow up with your referring doctor who will explain the outcome and clarify any additional questions you may have.
Please note that our specialist time and focus is to be on patient consultations, not with follow up questions that you may have forgotten to ask while you were here.
Sometimes it may help to write things down before you come for the consultation so that you will not forget to ask your questions.
We also recommend that you arrange for childcare for siblings that are not seen as patients, so that you can focus on the consultation.
You should have referral addressed to the doctor that you wish to see. If your referring doctor is unsure which doctor to address it to / refer to please ask them to check our website for more information or discuss this with the receptionist when booking an appointment.
Our doctors will help you by identifying your allergies (testing and consultation) and offer you advice and tools to manage your allergies in everyday life. Our Doctors have an extensive level of knowledge and expertise in allergies from infants to old age.
Professor Pete Smith is a well-known allergist on the Gold Coast and his main interest is with environmental and food allergies, rhinitis and relieving itch in eczema using new knowledge about nerve receptors.
As there is a significant increase in allergies with both children and adults, we tend to be booked out months ahead. We give priority for patients who have experienced severe allergic reactions to an unknown allergen, babies failing to thrive and patients with severe eczema. Please note that it is best you call to book an appointment first and our administration staff will explain more in detail. You may also want to keep an eye on our website as appointments cancelled at last minute will be posted on the website for anyone interested to book and enquire about.